🇮🇹 Italiano A2 · Lesson 9
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Complete Italian Course · A2

Lesson 9: L'Imperfetto — the Past Habitual Tense

A second past tense, for habits, descriptions, and the background of a story · Regular formation for -are/-ere/-ire · The irregular essere · Imperfetto vs passato prossimo · When Italians say "quando ero piccolo…"

CEFR Level A2A2 · Lesson 1 of 8
01🎯

Learning Objectives

Welcome to A2! By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

✅Conjugate regular -are, -ere, -ire verbs in the imperfetto
✅Conjugate the irregular verb essere in the imperfetto
✅Use the imperfetto for habitual past actions ("used to")
✅Use the imperfetto to describe people, places, weather, and time in the past
✅Choose correctly between passato prossimo and imperfetto
✅Recognise common imperfetto time expressions
✅Tell a simple story about your childhood in Italian
⏱️ Study time: ~2.5 hours. This is one of the most important grammar points in A2 — the passato prossimo/imperfetto distinction trips up learners for years if it isn't understood clearly now. Take your time with Section 5.
02🧱

Forming the Imperfetto — Regular Verbs

The imperfetto ("imperfect") is Italian's second past tense. Unlike the passato prossimo, it's formed with a single word — no auxiliary verb needed — and it's one of the most regular tenses in the whole language.

🔑 The Pattern

Remove the infinitive ending (-are/-ere/-ire) and add the imperfetto endings. All three conjugations share almost the same endings — only the connecting vowel changes (a / e / i).

Parlare, Leggere, Dormire — Full Conjugation
Pronounparlareleggeredormire
ioparlavoleggevodormivo
tuparlavileggevidormivi
lui/lei/Leiparlavaleggevadormiva
noiparlavamoleggevamodormivamo
voiparlavateleggevatedormivate
loroparlavanoleggevanodormivano
💡 Notice the pattern: -avo/-avi/-ava/-avamo/-avate/-avano for -are verbs, and the near-identical -evo/-ivo pattern for -ere/-ire. The stress always falls on the ending, never the stem — parlàvamo, not párlavamo.
Almost No Irregular Verbs

Unlike the present tense or passato prossimo, the imperfetto has only a handful of irregular verbs. The three you'll meet most are:

InfinitiveStemio form
fare (to do/make)facev-facevo
dire (to say)dicev-dicevo
bere (to drink)bevev-bevevo
💡 These three verbs use their old Latin stems (facere, dicere, bevere) but then take completely regular -ere endings: facevo, facevi, faceva, facevamo, facevate, facevano.
03⭐

Essere — the Irregular Imperfetto

There's really only one verb you need to memorise separately: essere. You'll use it constantly for descriptions.

Essere — Imperfetto
PronounessereExample
ioeroEro stanco. — I was tired.
tueriEri felice? — Were you happy?
lui/lei/LeieraEra una bella giornata. — It was a beautiful day.
noieravamoEravamo giovani. — We were young.
voieravateEravate a casa? — Were you (pl.) home?
loroeranoErano le tre. — It was three o'clock.
⚠️ Don't confuse ero/era (imperfetto, "I was / it was" as an ongoing state) with sono stato/a (passato prossimo, "I was/have been" as a completed event). Ero a Roma per tre anni sounds odd — Italians would say Sono stato a Roma per tre anni for a completed three-year stay.
04🖼️

When to Use the Imperfetto

The imperfetto has three core jobs. Think of it as the tense for the background of a story, not its main events.

1. Habitual / Repeated Actions ("used to…")
ItalianEnglish
Da bambino giocavo a calcio.As a kid I used to play football.
Ogni estate andavamo al mare.Every summer we would go to the seaside.
Mia nonna cucinava ogni domenica.My grandmother used to cook every Sunday.
2. Descriptions in the Past (people, places, weather, time, age)
ItalianEnglish
Faceva freddo quel giorno.It was cold that day.
Aveva i capelli lunghi.She had long hair.
Erano le nove di sera.It was nine in the evening.
Avevo dieci anni.I was ten years old.
3. An Action in Progress (the "background" of another event)
ItalianEnglish
Mentre dormivo, ha chiamato Marco.While I was sleeping, Marco called.
Guardavo la TV quando è entrata.I was watching TV when she came in.
💡 A useful shortcut: if the English sentence works with "was/were -ing" or "used to," you almost certainly need the imperfetto.
05⚖️

Passato Prossimo vs Imperfetto

This is the single biggest hurdle in A2 Italian. The good news: the core idea is simple, even if mastering it takes practice.

🔑 The Core Distinction

Passato prossimo = a completed action, a specific event, something that happened once at a defined moment.
Imperfetto = an ongoing state, a habit, a description, the scene-setting around the main events.

Side by Side
Passato Prossimo (event)Imperfetto (background)
Ieri ho mangiato la pizza.
(one specific, completed action)		Da piccolo mangiavo la pasta ogni giorno.
(a repeated habit)
Ho visto un film ieri sera.
(happened once, is finished)		Mentre guardavo il film, ha chiamato mia madre.
(ongoing action interrupted by an event)
È entrato nella stanza.
(the main event of the story)		La stanza era buia e faceva freddo.
(the description surrounding it)
They Often Appear Together

The most natural Italian storytelling mixes both tenses in the same sentence — imperfetto for the scene, passato prossimo for what happened:

Pioveva (imperf. — it was raining) quando siamo usciti (pass. pross. — when we went out).
Ero stanco (imperf. — I was tired) e sono andato a letto presto (pass. pross. — and I went to bed early).

⚠️ Don't think of these as interchangeable "past tense options" — native speakers hear a real difference. Ho avuto paura (I got scared — one moment of fear) is different from Avevo paura (I was scared — an ongoing state).
06⏳

Time Expressions for the Imperfetto

Certain time words are strong signals that the imperfetto is coming — learn to recognise them.

always
sempre
habitual marker
often
spesso
habitual marker
usually
di solito
habitual marker
every day
ogni giorno
habitual marker
while
mentre
background action
as a child
da bambino/a
childhood habit
at that time
a quei tempi
past state
once
una volta
nostalgic recall
💡 Compare with passato prossimo markers you already know: ieri, la settimana scorsa, un'ora fa, improvvisamente — those point to one completed moment, the opposite of the words above.
07🗣️

Dialogues

Scene 1 — Talking About Childhood
SOFIA
Dove abitavi da bambina?
Where did you live as a child?
MARCO
Abitavo in un piccolo paese vicino a Firenze. C'era una piazza bellissima e giocavo sempre lì con i miei amici.
I lived in a small town near Florence. There was a beautiful square and I always used to play there with my friends.
SOFIA
Che bello! Com'era la scuola?
How lovely! What was school like?
MARCO
Era piccola, solo due classi. La maestra si chiamava Signora Rossi ed era molto severa!
It was small, only two classrooms. The teacher was called Mrs. Rossi and she was very strict!
Scene 2 — What Happened Yesterday (mixing both tenses)
LUCA
Ieri sono andato al parco. Faceva un caldo terribile.
Yesterday I went to the park. It was terribly hot.
ANNA
Cosa facevi mentre eri lì?
What were you doing while you were there?
LUCA
Leggevo un libro sotto un albero quando ho visto Sofia. Abbiamo parlato per un'ora.
I was reading a book under a tree when I saw Sofia. We talked for an hour.
ANNA
Che coincidenza! Non la vedevi da molto tempo, no?
What a coincidence! You hadn't seen her in a long time, right?
08🇮🇹

Cultural Notes: Nostalgia & Storytelling

Quando Ero Piccolo…

Italians love telling stories about the past — grandparents especially. The phrase "Quando ero piccolo/a…" ("When I was little…") opens countless family conversations, almost always followed by a string of imperfetto verbs describing how things used to be: what people ate, how towns looked, what daily life felt like before modern conveniences.

This isn't just grammar trivia — it reflects a real cultural habit of comparing "how things were" (com'era una volta) to today, often with a mix of nostalgia and gentle exaggeration. Learning to use the imperfetto naturally will let you take part in exactly this kind of conversation, which comes up constantly in real Italian life.

09✏️

Exercises & Practice

Exercise 1 — Conjugate the Imperfetto 🧱

Write the correct imperfetto form:

1. io / abitare →
2. tu / scrivere →
3. lui / finire →
4. noi / avere →
5. voi / giocare →
6. loro / credere →
Show Answers

1. abitavo   2. scrivevi   3. finiva

4. avevamo   5. giocavate   6. credevano

Exercise 2 — Essere in the Imperfetto ⭐

Fill in the correct form of essere:

1. Io stanco ieri sera.
2. Tu a scuola con me?
3. Lei molto simpatica da giovane.
4. Noi in vacanza a luglio.
5. Voi compagni di classe?
6. Le due di notte .
Show Answers

1. ero   2. eri   3. era

4. eravamo   5. eravate   6. erano

Exercise 3 — Passato Prossimo or Imperfetto? ⚖️

Choose the correct tense and write the verb form:

1. Ieri (io / mangiare) una pizza intera. (one completed event)
2. Da bambino (io / mangiare) sempre pasta al pomodoro. (habit)
3. (Noi / guardare) la TV quando è arrivato Luca. (ongoing, interrupted)
4. L'anno scorso (loro / andare) in Sicilia. (one trip, completed)
5. Quando ero piccola, (essere) molto timida. (past description)
Show Answers

1. ho mangiato (passato prossimo — one finished action)

2. mangiavo (imperfetto — repeated habit)

3. Guardavamo (imperfetto — action in progress)

4. sono andati (passato prossimo — completed trip)

5. ero (imperfetto — description of a past state)

Exercise 4 — Translate to Italian 🌍
1. When I was young, I lived in Milan.
2. It was raining while we were walking.
3. My grandfather always told great stories.
4. Yesterday I saw an old friend at the market.
5. We were tired, so we went home early.
Show Answers

1. Quando ero giovane, abitavo a Milano.

2. Pioveva mentre camminavamo.

3. Mio nonno raccontava sempre delle belle storie.

4. Ieri ho visto un vecchio amico al mercato.

5. Eravamo stanchi, quindi siamo andati a casa presto.

10🗺️

Lesson Mind Map

LESSON 9 L'Imperfetto The Past Habitual Tense Formation -avo / -evo / -ivo parlavo, leggevo stress always on ending Essere (irregular) ero, eri, era… for descriptions Era una bella giornata. Uses habits, descriptions, actions in progress Giocavo sempre lì. Time Expressions sempre, di solito, mentre da bambino, una volta habitual-past signals Other Irregulars fare → facevo dire → dicevo, bere → bevevo old Latin stems, regular endings PP vs Imperfetto event vs background completed vs ongoing often used together Culture: Nostalgia "Quando ero piccolo…" family storytelling com'era una volta Dialogues Childhood memories Mixing PP + imperfetto "Cosa facevi mentre…?"
11🃏

Quick-Review Flashcards

Tap to reveal:

parlavo
I was talking / used to talk — imperfetto of parlare
ero / eri / era
I was / you were / he-she-it was — irregular imperfetto of essere
facevo
I was doing/making — irregular stem facev- + regular -ere endings
mentre
while — signals an action in progress, paired with imperfetto
di solito
usually — a strong imperfetto (habitual) marker
Da bambino…
As a child… — classic opener for imperfetto storytelling
12📚

Resources & Homework

🃏
Anki — Imperfetto Endings
Build cards for all three conjugation patterns, plus essere and the three irregular stems (fare, dire, bere).
✍️
Write Your Childhood
Write 8+ sentences about what you used to do as a child — where you lived, what you played, what school was like.
🎙️
Interview a Family Member
If you know an Italian speaker, ask "Com'era la vita quando eri giovane?" — even in English first, then try translating the answers.
📖
Spot the Tense
Find a short Italian text online (news, blog) and underline every passato prossimo and imperfetto verb you can find.
📋 Tonight's Homework
  • Memorise the imperfetto endings for all three conjugations plus essere
  • Rewrite 5 of today's passato prossimo examples correctly into imperfetto, and vice versa
  • Write a short paragraph (6+ sentences) mixing passato prossimo and imperfetto naturally
  • Practice the two dialogues aloud, paying attention to which tense each verb uses and why
🔑 Key Takeaways — What You Learned Today

Ottimo lavoro! 🎉

You've just learned one of the trickiest — and most useful — parts of Italian grammar. The passato prossimo/imperfetto distinction will keep sharpening the more you read, listen, and write, so don't worry if it doesn't feel automatic yet.

Lesson 10 will cover: Comparatives (più...di, meno...di) · Superlatives (il più, -issimo) · Irregular comparative forms (migliore, peggiore) · Comparing people, places, and things.

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