The Italian Imperfect (imperfetto)

The imperfect (imperfetto) is another past tense that is used in Italian for actions that have not yet been completed or are repeated regularly.
The imperfetto is formed by adding specific endings for the imperfect to the stem of the verb.

💬 Examples:
🇮🇹 I miei genitori venivano a trovarmi ogni anno.
🇬🇧 My parents visited me every year.
🇮🇹 Mia sorella andava in vacanze almeno tre volte all'anno.
🇬🇧 My sister used to go on holiday at least three times a year.
🇮🇹 Noi abitavamo in una casa grande.
🇬🇧 We were living in a big house.

The imperfetto is often translated into English with expressions like “used to”, “was/were + -ing”, or the simple past depending on the context.

➠ Imperfetto of “avere” and “essere