Imperfect Tense in Italian: L'imperfetto

We've learned one way to use the past tense in Italian, and that's passato prossimo. But another important tense is the imperfect tense. What is that exactly, and how do we use it? Find out here!
Script by Patrizia Farina, Professor of Italian at Western Connecticut State University and Purchase College.
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[@gracies2492]

This is really well done! I am trying to learn italian in college and this helps so much!!!

[@tammietucker8847]

Thank you Prof. Dave, !!!!!!! I truly appreciate your Italian lessons as they are extremely helpful and I pray that you'll continue doing them.!!!!

[@janewrin1830]

So much easier to understand the meaning in English, then move on with Italian once the principle has been explained: thank you!

[@johndifiore4185]

Amen!

[@michelletanner6361]

Very well done. Easy to follow. Thank you

[@shawndurbs]

Thanks prof Dave. This was extremely helpful. Happy new year to you.

[@ufuklar3533]

Thanks a lot professor!!

[@hitha4421]

extremely well done, thankyou!

[@tym6652]

Please keep making these videos very helpful!

[@dianad9010]

Thankyou, that was very helpful. Your explanation of when to use this was great. So many tutors don't explain it well.

[@PakduerRMijak]

Dear Prof. Dave, I'm really grateful for your precision and clarity in the explanation you normally give. In fact, it was hard for me to understand the imperfect tense in the class, but thank God you made it for me. More wisdom in Jesus' name. ❤🎉 Amen

[@splendidfalafel8987]

Thanks alot Professor, this was helpful!

[@curtpiazza1688]

Beautiful brief lesson....brings back memories of Latin class!

[@calbancalban]

No one can explain better than prof dave

[@danielstalmeisters2528]

Ciao sei imparando italiano? Vuoi praticare insieme?

[@calbancalban]

Great work dave keep it up

[@ChrisHooperOnCars]

Very clear! I like the checking grammar part.

[@theinsaleycomfortablearmch4268]

My teacher uses these videos in her class, great work

[@gamingspot673]

You are very good teacher

[@IGNACY_Official]

I LOVE U MANN! But for u, I would have never passed an exam! Thank u so much for your help💓💓💓

[@nobloxhahaha]

This helped me so much amd it is much more comprehensible than how my teacher says it thank you❤

[@gamingspot673]

You are my best teacher

[@saraswathii8039]

Great job 😀😀

[@mainhi6729]

Thank you very much

[@1051967sm]

thanks so much

[@toxictonic5963]

So helpful thanks

[@vaughnstrosin190]

Me: I probably got all of these wrong, why are so many of my answers in first person singular? The Quiz:

[@colorcolour8744]

You’re videos are really helpfull

[@marcellorudofsky3633]

not helpful enough to fix youre yourz

[@FoxyGrandpa75]

@@marcellorudofsky3633 your *

[@nicolelazotravel]

Grazie mille!

[@silvamayflower]

This is superb - very well explained. But do you know your accents on the words 'perché' are all the wrong way round?

[@perrydocalleva7505]

Where did you get that awesome t shirt?!

[@gunelr.6721]

Grazie tanto 😇

[@eternalbeings4252]

why piaceva in the end? I did not understand this, is it not piacevo? or is it because it is reflexive?

[@ninjakiwigames5418]

If I only knew sooner that you also teach Italian. Well, better late than never! :)

[@spaceowel363]

proffesor dave did italian? i wonder if he did linguistics in general, because i love linguistics

[@theophonchana5025]

#irregular #irregular_imperfect #irregular_imperfect_indicative #syncope #elision

[@theophonchana5025]

facere → fare (syncope)

[@samdark417]

Geat!

[@theophonchana5025]

dicere → dire (syncope)

[@AhmedHoly92]

hi professor Dave i was wondering why is it piaceva?isn't supposed to be (non mi piacevo le carne )

[@ProfessorDaveExplains]

so that verb refers to the meat, not to you. it is like saying "the meat did not please me"

[@AhmedHoly92]

@@ProfessorDaveExplains oh i got it now,i think i should go back to study piacere again. cheers professor dave

[@xXPurpleLoliTranceXx]

At 5:19 why did you use trovare (to find) Instead of vedere (to see)? Wouldn't it be ”Quando ero piccolo, andavo a vedere i miei nonni frequentemente?” ☺️😂

[@farinap2000]

Italian has an idiom for "to visit" a person (unless you are a Doctor, who actually visits a patient) and that is "andare a trovare qualcuno" (I know...it sounds like "to go find"...but it's not)

[@xXPurpleLoliTranceXx]

@@farinap2000 Confusing

[@farinap2000]

@@xXPurpleLoliTranceXx Not at all... :) Languages often do not coincide 100% in the way they express themselves. You just learn the idioms...

[@lorellacurione2110]

Andavo a trovare i miei nonni ( is correct )

[@theophonchana5025]

‐avo imperfect indicative suffix ‐evo imperfect indicative suffix ‐ivo imperfect indicative suffix

[@colorcolour8744]

Hi

[@xXPurpleLoliTranceXx]

Volevo andara a Parigi Is that right?

[@IlGab02]

Volevo andarE a Parigi :)

[@theophonchana5025]

bevere → bere (syncope)

[@chrissystewart6268]

Contami il mi obiettivo imparare 🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹 2023 I want to learn the singular & plural , how to order food , telling ⏰ , pronouns, human body , days of the week & everything in 🇮🇹. I have an learn 🇮🇹 app so I'm ready to learn

[@DB_Craft_872]

I am Italian,you can tell me anything you want

[@gosling47]

your lessons are great - your hair is so past tense

[@Murgatroydian]

In a good way.

[@mohammadaljabir8424]

Grazie l'insegnanta

[@lorellacurione2110]

L'insegnante (it doesn't change if it's a she-teacher or a he-teacher).

[@theophonchana5025]

essere + ‐evo imperfect indicative suffix essevo ero (change ssevo into ro)

[@sm-pz8er]

devo dire mentre andavo a pisa, la mia macchina si e rotta o mentre stavo andando a pisa, la mia macchina si e rotta????

[@ProfessorDaveExplains]

hmm i think both are ok, but the second sounds a little better to me

[@lorellacurione2110]

Exactly the same

[@sandalfon10]

"was doing" "used to do" "have done" are all different Tenses and you used all of it to describe İmperfetto. And every video saying smt different! Who am ı gonna ask this now?

[@heatherperleberg7816]

Try the app HiNative

[@lorellacurione2110]

I was doing =stavo facendo I have done = ho fatto I used to do = ero solito fare

[@sandalfon10]

@@heatherperleberg7816 Thank you! I will definietly try.

[@sandalfon10]

@@lorellacurione2110 You are an angel!!!!! Thank you! Small question how could you translate "Facevo- sapevo- mangiavo" in english?

[@lorellacurione2110]

@@sandalfon10 Facevo could be "I did" or "I made" , it depends on meaning and collocation.