When to use l'imperfetto and when to use il passato prossimo

D: How can I know when to use il tempo imperfetto and when to use il passato prossimo? / Q: How do I know when to use tempo imperfecto and when to use passato prossimo?

A: Scegliere tra imperfetto the passage prossimo chiede la your massive attenzione, perché innazitutto devi capire la differenziazione tra un’azione compiuta, with a start and a fine, and a non complete, but there is no need for a start and a fine. / A: Choosing between imperfetto or passato prossimo requires your utmost attention, because first of all you must understand the differentiation between a completed action, with a beginning and an end, and an uncompleted action, which does not have a beginning and an end necessary.

See the comparative table tra il passato prossimo e l'imperfetto:/ See the comparative table between the passato prossimo and the imperfectto:

IMPERFETTO

PROSSIMO PASSAGE

  • Per azione non computa;
  • Per azioni compiute, with an inzio and a fine;
  • Per due azioni che succedono contemporaneously non compiute;
  • Per un’azione considetta nella its totalità;
  • Per un’azione che succeeds at that moment;
  • Per azioni compiute che succedono una dopo l'altra;
  • Per azioni che si ripetono, ricorrenti;
  • Per azioni che succedono a loose return.
  • Per un’azione non compiuta che viene introduction of the complete un’altra (al passato prossimo).
  • Per an azione computa che interrupts an altra azione non computa (all'imperfetto).

Vedi gli esempi:/ See the examples:

Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)

1) Giuseppe there is camminato./ Giuseppe walked.

2) Giuseppe camminava.../ Giuseppe walked...

3) Cosa Giulia ha detto to Giancarlo?/ What did Giulia say to Giancarlo?

4) Stanotte alluna facevothere sweetie. / Tonight at one o'clock in the morning I was taking a shower.

5) lie mango, I mustla tv./ While eating, via tv.

6) sleep stata dal Ieri doctor. / I went to the doctor's office yesterday.

Make attenzione alle formula che seguono! / Pay attention to the formulas that follow!

  • When you have in a sentence: ongoing action that was interrupted = IMPERFETTO + PROSSIMO PASSAGE;
  • When you have in a sentence: successive and concluded actions = PROSSIMO PASSAGE + PROSSIMO PASSAGE;
  • When you have in a sentence: contemporary actions = IMPERFETTO + IMPERFETTO;
  • When you have in a sentence: action at a precise moment, not completed or past action that was repeated as a habit = IMPERFETTO;
  • When you have in a sentence: action completed = PROSSIMO PASSAGE.

Vedi gli esempi: / See the examples:

1) From Giovanni Giulia he manipulated molto./ When she was young, Giulia ate a lot.

2) L’ottobre di 2000 abitave in Brazil. / In October 2000 I was living in Brazil.

3) Paolo he was always nervous when took off al lavoro. / Paolo was always nervous when he got to work.

4) Press hanno shop le bibite, and poi le cose da mangiare./ First they bought the drinks and then things to eat.

5) Paolo ha bevuto fine alla fine della party. / Paolo drank until the end of the party.

6) Giulia there is chiamato Paolo Ieri and hanno parlato during un’ora./ Giulia called Paolo yesterday, and they talked for an hour.

7) Lie Paolo parlava with me, abbiamo visa Mario. / While Paolo was talking to me, we saw Mario.

8) Camminavo and parlavo al telefonino, when Paolo it's arrivato./ I was walking and talking on my cell phone when Paolo arrived.

9) ho squeeze la borsa and I'm stuck i soldi. / I opened the bag and took the money.

Isabela Reis de Paula
Brazil School Collaborator
Graduated in Languages ​​with Qualification in Portuguese and Italian
By the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro - UFRJ

Italian - Brazil School

Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:

PAULA, Isabela Reis de. "When to use l'imperfetto and when to use il passato prossimo"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/italiano/quando-usare-limperfetto-quando-usare-il-passato-prossimo.htm. Accessed on June 29, 2021.

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