Let's look at the sentence pattern. |
Do you remember how the character said, |
"When I was a child, I lived in Milan and often ate cutlet." |
Quando ero bambino, vivevo a Milano e mangiavo spesso la cotoletta. |
Quando ero bambino, vivevo a Milano e mangiavo spesso la cotoletta. |
This sentence follows the pattern here: |
Quando + [imperfect sentence 1], [imperfect sentence 2] |
"When + [imperfect sentence 1], [imperfect sentence 2]" |
This first pattern is used to show a past situation or background action, introduced with "quando," followed by another action that was also ongoing or habitual in the past. |
It is especially helpful for setting the scene in storytelling. |
For example, in the sentence: |
Quando ero bambino, vivevo a Milano e mangiavo spesso la cotoletta. |
"When I was a child, I lived in Milan and often ate cutlet." |
The word quando means "when" and introduces the time frame. |
ero is the first-person singular of essere in the imperfetto, meaning "I was." |
bambino means "child," so ero bambino means "I was a child." |
vivevo is the first-person singular of vivere in the imperfetto, meaning "I lived." |
a Milano means "in Milan," indicating where the speaker lived. |
mangiavo is the first-person singular of mangiare in the imperfetto, meaning "I used to eat." |
spesso means "often," describing the frequency of the action. |
la cotoletta means "the cutlet" — it's the thing the speaker used to eat. |
So the full sentence means: "When I was a child, I lived in Milan and often ate cutlet." |
Io invece mangiavo molta pasta da bambino. |
"I, on the other hand, used to eat a lot of pasta as a child." |
Io means "I" — the subject of the sentence. |
invece means "instead" or "on the other hand," showing contrast with what was said before. |
mangiavo is the first-person singular of mangiare in the imperfetto, meaning "I used to eat." |
molta means "a lot" or "much." |
pasta means "pasta" — the object of the verb mangiavo. |
da bambino means "as a child." |
da is a preposition meaning "as" in this context, and bambino means "child." |
So the full sentence means: "I, on the other hand, used to eat a lot of pasta as a child." |
This sentence follows the pattern: |
Da [noun or adjective] + [verb in the imperfect] |
It shows a role or identity in the past and a habitual action that went with it. |
Now you know how to use the imperfetto to describe past experiences, repeated actions, and situations in Italian! |
Now let's look at some speaking examples. |
Quando ero piccolo, giocavo sempre nel parco. |
"When I was little, I always played in the park." |
Let's break it down: |
Quando ero piccolo, meaning "When I was little," |
followed by |
giocavo, the imperfect tense of the verb giocare, meaning "I used to play," |
next |
sempre nel parco, meaning "always in the park." |
This sentence follows the pattern Quando + [imperfect sentence], [imperfect sentence, just like our focus line. |
It sets the scene with a past timeframe and shows a repeated or habitual action, which is exactly what the imperfetto tense is used for. |
Here's another example |
Da bambino, guardavo i cartoni ogni mattina. |
"As a child, I watched cartoons every morning." |
Da bambino, guardavo i cartoni ogni mattina. |
"As a child, I watched cartoons every morning." |
Let's try one more, |
Quando pioveva, leggevo un libro a casa. |
"When it rained, I used to read a book at home." |
Quando pioveva, leggevo un libro a casa. |
"When it rained, I used to read a book at home." |
Another one. |
Da studente, prendevo l'autobus ogni giorno. |
"As a student, I took the bus every day." |
Da studente, prendevo l'autobus ogni giorno. |
"As a student, I took the bus every day." |
One last example. |
Quando abitavo in Italia, mangiavo spesso la pizza. |
"When I lived in Italy, I often ate pizza." |
Quando abitavo in Italia, mangiavo spesso la pizza. |
"When I lived in Italy, I often ate pizza." |
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