The imperfetto(imperfect) and passato prossimo(perfect tense) are the most common tensesNo definition set for tensesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. used to talk about past events in Italian. But when should you use one over the other? In Italian, you normally use the passato prossimo to talk about specific events and the imperfetto to give contextual information. There is more nuance to it, of course, so without further ado, let's get started!
What are the uses of the ‘imperfetto’ in Italian?
The Italian imperfetto has four main uses:
to talk about recurrent or habitual actions in the past | Andavamo al mare tutti i pomeriggi. We went to the sea every afternoon. |
to talk about ongoing actions in the past with no specific beginning or end | Prima delle e-mail, ci scrivevamo lunghe lettere. Before emails, we used to write each other long letters. |
to state age, time, date, and weather in the past | Era il 4 gennaio e pioveva. It was January 4th and it rained. |
to make descriptions in the past | Lo spazio era piccolo ma ben organizzato. The space was small but well organized. |
What are the uses of ‘passato prossimo’ in Italian?
The Italianpassato prossimo has two main uses:
to talk about completed events in a specific moment in the past | Mio figlio è nato a Firenze nel 2015. My son was born in Florence in 2015. |
to talk about a past action whose effects continue in the present | Ho appena sfornato il pane. I just took the bread out of the oven. |
As you can see, the passato prossimo refers to events and actions that are completed in a specific moment in the past, while the imperfetto is more a descriptive tense. This should be your polar star when figuring out which one to use, but — just in case — there are some extra tricks. First up, time markers.
What are the time markers for the ‘imperfetto’ vs. ‘passato prossimo’?
There are a number of time expressions that tell you which past tense you need to use. Scorso(last) , for instance, triggers the passato prossimo, while ogni(every) calls for the imperfetto. Compare:
L’estate scorsa siamo andati al mare.
Last summer we went to the sea.
Andavamo al mare ogni estate.
We went to the sea every summer.
Check out these lists of time markers for the imperfetto and time markers for the passato prossimo.
When to use the ‘imperfetto’ and ‘passato prossimo’ together?
In many cases you will use imperfetto or passato prossimo independently, according to the events or actions you are talking about. However, the two tenses often interact so they’re used together. Ready to find out how the two mates get along? Keep reading!
To talk about ongoing actions (‘imperfetto’) and interrupting actions (‘passato prossimo’)
One common case of an imperfetto and passato prossimo cohabitation is: something happened while something else was going on. In this case, use the imperfetto to define what was happening and the passato prossimo for the interruption.
imperfettopassato prossimo
Mentre preparavo la cena, ho sentito un forte rumore al piano di sopra.
While I was cooking dinner, I heard a loud noise from upstairs.
When talking about ongoing actions (so, the cooking dinner in the example above) Italians might use an alternative to the imperfetto: the passato progressivo, formed by
Remember that the gerund of the verb is formed by take the infinitive of the verb, drop the ending and adding -ando / -endo, as in:
Mentre stavo preparando la cena, ho sentito un forte rumore al piano di sopra.
While I was cooking dinner, I heard a loud noise from upstairs.
Notice that the English translation doesn’t change. It’s mostly a matter of nuance in Italian. Using the passato progressivo, you’re stressing that the action was, indeed, in progress.
To talk about specific past events (‘passato prossimo’) and the circumstances around them (‘imperfetto’)
The imperfetto and passato prossimo are often found together when telling stories or describing situations and events that happened at the same time: the imperfetto sets the stage (giving details), while the passato prossimo explains what happened.
Mentre mio papà preparava la cena, io ho finito i compiti.
While my dad was making dinner, I completed my homework.
passato prossimoimperfetto
Ho rivisto Milena al parco, due anni fa. Era una gloriosa mattina di primavera. Erano le dieci e io ero in ritardo. Ma l’ho vista lì, su una panchina. Scriveva qualcosa su un quaderno, o forse disegnava. Ha alzato gli occhi e ci siamo riconosciuti subito.
I met Milena again at the park, two years ago. It was a glorious spring morning. It was ten a.m. and I was late. But I saw her there, on a bench. She was writing something on a notebook, or maybe she was drawing. She looked up and we immediately recognized each other.
Remember our previous note on using the passato progressivo to stress that an action is in progress? In our story, this would transform:
Scriveva qualcosa su un quaderno, o forse disegnava.
↓
Stava scrivendo qualcosa su un quaderno, o forse stava disegnando.
What verbs have different meanings in the ‘imperfetto’ and the ‘passato prossimo’?
Depending on the tense they are used, the verbs dovere(must, to have to), potere(can, to be able to), volere(to want), conoscere(to know, to be familiar with), and sapere(to know) have slightly different meanings.
‘Dovere,’ ‘potere,’ and ‘volere’
When used in the imperfetto, dovere(must, to have to), potere(can, to be able to), and volere(to want) denote intention and/or uncertainty, while potere(can, to be able to) indicates what someone was able/allowed to do in the past. The same verbs in the passato prossimo indicate whether an action/event has occurred or not.
Natalia doveva andare in biblioteca. Natalia was supposed to go to the library. → She had the intention of going, but we don’t know if she did. | Natalia è dovuta andare in biblioteca. Natalia had to go to the library. → She went to the library. |
Simone voleva comprare il pesce, ma poi ha cambiato idea. Simone wanted to buy fish, but then he changed his mind. → He had the intention of buying the fish, but then he didn’t. | Simone ha voluto comprare il pesce e poi l’ha cucinato per cena. Simone wanted to buy fish and then he cooked it for dinner. → He bought the fish. |
Di solito non potevo uscire la sera. I usually couldn’t go out at night. → We don’t know if the person went out at night or not. | Quella sera non sono potuta uscire. That night I could not go out. → The person did not go out. |
‘Conoscere’ and ‘sapere’
Used in the imperfetto, conoscere means “to have been familiar with someone or something,” whereas in the passato prossimo it expresses “to have met someone for the first time:”
Lo conoscevo da dieci anni. I have known him for ten years. | L’ho conosciuto al matrimonio di Gianna. I met him at Gianna’s wedding. |
Sapere, on the other hand, means “to have known a fact” in the imperfetto and “to find out something” in the passato prossimo.
Sapevo perché Anna si comportava così. I knew why Anna behaved like that. | Ho saputo perché Anna si comportava così. I found out why Anna behaved like that. |
To sum up
We have just learned the uses of the imperfetto and passato prossimo. To wrap it up: the imperfetto describes ongoing situations, while the passato prossimo refers to completed, specific actions in the past.
To help you practice these tenses, we have created these activities for you. You can further review and practice on this website. Happy learning!
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