Basic Italian: A Grammar and Workbook

3 Not many verbs are irregular in the imperfect. Essere is one:

Like the present, the imperfect of essere can be used with the pronoun ci (see
Unit 4): c’era (there was), c’erano (there were).

Other irregular verbs are bere, dire and fare:

Mio nonno parlava molto bene

l’italiano.

Mentre prendevamo il caffè è

suonato il telefono.

Quando Carla aveva 5 anni abitava

a Roma.

Sono arrivato quando il treno

partiva.

Mio fratello andava a scuola in

autobus.

Di solito Gianni e sua sorella

andavano al cinema insieme.

Quando Maurizio lavorava in quel

supermercato lo pagavano

pochissimo.

Mentre Sebastiano leggeva il

giornale, io ho finito i compiti.

My grandfather spoke Italian very

well.

While we were having coffee the

telephone rang.

When Carla was five she lived in

Rome.

I arrived as the train was leaving.

My brother used to go to school by

bus.

Usually Gianni and his sister went to

the cinema together.

When Maurizio worked in that

supermarket they paid him very

little.

While Sebastiano was reading the

paper I finished my homework.

ero

eri

era

eravamo

eravate

erano

I was/used to be

you were/used to be

he/she/it was/used to be

we were/used to be

you were/used to be

they were/used to be

bevevo

bevevi

beveva

bevevamo

bevevate

bevevano

I drank/was drinking/used to drink

you drank/were drinking/used to drink

he/she/it drank/was drinking/used to drink

we drank/were drinking/used to drink

you drank/were drinking/used to drink

they drank/were drinking/used to drink

dicevo

dicevi

I said/was saying/used to say

you said/were saying/used to say

diceva

dicevamo

dicevate

dicevano

he/she/it said/was saying/used to say

we said/were saying/used to say

you said/were saying/used to say

they said/were saying/used to say