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Imperfetto and passato prossimo are among the first tenses to be studied when studying Italian, along with the present tense verb. Therefore, they may seem beginner topics but, actually, their use can create some difficulties even for the most experienced students, because of their differences which can sometimes be very subtle. For this reason, in the following lesson, we are going to see how to use these two tenses properly and their differences. In addition, at the end of the video, you'll find a useful exercise to verify what you'll learn!
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Imperfetto and Passato Prossimo: uses and differences
Let's start by saying that both of these tenses are used to talk about the past, by two different prospects:
- the passato prossimo tense refers to time-bounds events, namely they have a beginning and an end
- the imperfetto tense refers to regular events of which we know neither the beginning nor the end
Let's see more in detail these two tenses
The passato prossimo tense is used:
to indicate an action that's occurred, one or more times, in a certain moment in the past (yesterday, two months ago, last year, in that moment, ecc.).
Examples: "Ieri ho mangiato la pizza ai 4 formaggi" (the moment in which the action occurs is clear to everybody: it's yesterday) (Yesterday I ate the four cheese pizza)
"Sono andata allo stadio soltanto 3 volte l’anno scorso" (the action occurred last year) (I went to the stadium only 3 times last year)
"Quando ho guardato il Re Leone, ho pianto" (the action occurred when I watched the Lion King) (I cried when I watched the Lion King)
WATCH OUT!! In some texts or speeches it may happen that the moment in which the action occurs is not expressed; in those cases the tense in which the action has occurred has been previously defined or it's already clear to everybody, thus there's no need to repeat it
Example: "- Cosa hai fatto l’altro ieri? - Sono andato a correre!" (-What did you do the day before yesterday? -I went running)
In the clause “sono andato a correre” there's a passato prossimo tense, although in the sentence the defined moment in which the action occurs is not expressed.
That happens because in the previous clause the interlocutor had already made it clear that the tense in question was l’altro ieri (the day before yesterday)
to talk about an action with a defined duration, of which we know with certainty the beginning and the end
Examples: "Ho vissuto a Roma per 5 anni" (the time frame in which the action has occurred is 5 years long) (I've lived in Rome for 5 years)
"Ci siamo rilassati durante l’estate" (the time frame is defined, since we know when summer begins and when it ends) (During summer, we relaxed)
"Gli studenti hanno chiacchierato tra loro per tutta la lezione" (in this case we refer to a well-defined duration, namely the entire lesson) (The students have been chatting with each other throughout the lesson)
The imperfetto tense is used:
to indicate a habitual action, occurring in an indefinite time frame, in the past, of which
we don't know the beginning, the end or the duration (every day, every summer, always, as a child, usually…)
Examples: "Da bambina, mangiavo la pizza con i würstel" (it was a habit in a not well-defined stage of life, since we don't know from what age to what age) (When I was a child I used to eat würstel pizza)
"Prima di vivere a Roma, non prendevo mai la metropolitana" (it was a habit during a period of which we don't know the starting and the ending dates) (Before living in Rome, I never took the metro)
"Di solito, andava allo stadio per vedere la sua squadra del cuore" (We don't know when exactly) (He usually went to the stadium to see his favorite team paying)
"Quando ero adolescente, guardavo solo film romantici" (When I was a teenager, I used to watch only romantic movies) (in this case we refer to a stage of life of which we know neither the beginning nor the end)
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