essere (imperfetto)

Imperfect of 'Essere'

Level 2

The imperfetto of essere is used to describe how things were in the past. It is highly irregular: the stem is er-, and the standard '-v-' marker appears only in eravamo and eravate.

How It Works

The imperfetto of essere is one of the most frequent forms in the Italian language. It is derived directly from Latin, which explains its unique conjugation.

1. Conjugation Table:

Io ero (I was)
Tu eri (You were)
Lui/Lei era (He/She was)
Noi eravamo (We were)
Voi eravate (You all were)
Loro èrano (They were)*

*Note: The accent on 'èrano' is a pedagogical tool to show that the stress falls on the first syllable; it is not used in standard written Italian.

2. Key Functions:

Descriptions: Used for physical appearance, personality, or feelings (e.g., Ero molto timido - I was very shy).
Background Info: Setting the stage for a story, including time, date, and weather (e.g., Erano le otto - It was eight o'clock).
Habitual States: Describing what someone was like over a long, undefined period (e.g., Da bambino, ero biondo - As a child, I was blonde).
Auxiliary Function: It serves as the auxiliary verb to form the trapassato prossimo for verbs of motion, reflexive verbs, and many intransitive verbs (e.g., Ero già andato via - I had already gone away).

3. Distinction from Passato Prossimo:
While passato prossimo (sono stato) refers to a completed event or a stay with a specific duration, the imperfetto (ero) describes an ongoing state or a 'snapshot' of the past without a clear beginning or end.

Examples (4)

Quando ero piccola, ero molto timida.
When I was little, I was very shy.
Word by Word: When (I) was little, (I) was very shy.
Both instances of 'ero' describe a state of being during an undefined period of childhood.
Erano le tre di pomeriggio e faceva caldo.
It was three in the afternoon and it was hot.
Word by Word: They were the three of afternoon and (it) made heat.
The plural 'erano' is used because hours (except for 1:00) are plural in Italian.
La casa dei miei nonni era vicina al fiume.
My grandparents' house was near the river.
Word by Word: The house of the my grandparents was near to the river.
Here, 'era' provides a geographical description/setting.
C'era una volta un re che era molto saggio.
Once upon a time there was a king who was very wise.
Word by Word: There was one time a king who was very wise.
The phrase 'C'era' (there was) is the imperfect form of 'c'è'.

Common Mistakes

Using the singular 'era' for plural hours.
Era le quattro.
Erano le quattro.
In Italian, time is plural (except for 1:00, noon, and midnight). You must use 'erano' for any hour from 2 to 12.
Misplacing the stress on the 'loro' form.
Loro eràno stanchi.
Loro èrano stanchi.
The stress in 'erano' falls on the first syllable (è-ra-no), not the second.
Using 'avere' as an auxiliary for 'essere'.
Ho ero stanco.
Ero stanco.
The imperfect is a simple tense, not a compound one. You do not need 'ho' or any other auxiliary verb.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

essere (imperfetto)Level 2Imperfect of 'Essere'

Learn This First

To learn the imperfect of 'essere', you first need to be familiar with the verb's identity and present tense forms. You also need to understand the general function of the imperfect tense in Italian (used for descriptions and habits in the past) and how subject pronouns determine the correct verb ending.

Words in This Pattern

Sources

Practice essere (imperfetto) in Bubblegum

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