Past background and completed events
Italian often uses two past forms together. gives background, situation, habit or description: , , . It answers: what was the situation?
gives the event that happened: , , . It answers: what happened?
So you can say: First, the background: it was dark. Then, the event: he screamed. Or:
At this level, use a few common forms as chunks: , , , , , .
| Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| it was | ||
| it was | ||
| he had / he was (age) | ||
| he had / he was (age) | ||
| she was taking / used to take | ||
| she was taking / used to take | ||
| he danced | ||
| he danced | ||
Ieri sera era molto buio.Yesterday evening it was very dark.
Marco aveva dieci anni nella foto vecchia.Marco was ten years old in the old photo.
La mamma di Sofia faceva tante foto.Sofia's mum was taking lots of photos.
Era tardi e Tommaso ha mangiato la torta.It was late and Tommaso ate the cake.
Quando le luci sono andate via, io ero al banco.When the lights went out, I was at the stall.
Da piccolo, Marco suonava ogni giorno.As a child, Marco used to play every day.
Sabato ero stanco ma ho lavorato bene.On Saturday I was tired but I worked well.
Sabato ero stanca ma ho lavorato bene.On Saturday I was tired but I worked well.
La signora Rossi dormiva o chiudeva gli occhi?Was Mrs Rossi sleeping or closing her eyes?
Practice 1/6 · Finding words
Notice the useful pattern
Tap the form practised in this unit.
.
Yesterday evening it was very dark.
.
Marco was ten years old in the old photo.
.
Sofia's mum was taking lots of photos.
.
It was late and Tommaso ate the cake.
Practice 2/6 · The right form
Choose the form
Use the English meaning and the pattern in this unit.
Ieri sera molto buio.
Yesterday evening it was very dark.
Marco dieci anni nella foto vecchia.
Marco was ten years old in the old photo.
La mamma di Sofia tante foto.
Sofia's mum was taking lots of photos.
Era tardi e Tommaso la torta.
It was late and Tommaso ate the cake.
Quando le luci sono andate via, io al banco.
When the lights went out, I was at the stall.
Da piccolo, Marco ogni giorno.
As a child, Marco used to play every day.
Sabato ero stanco ma bene.
On Saturday I was tired but I worked well.
Sabato ero stanca ma bene.
On Saturday I was tired but I worked well.
La signora Rossi o chiudeva gli occhi?
Was Mrs Rossi sleeping or closing her eyes?
Practice 3/6 · Fill the gaps
Complete the messages
Fill the gaps with the words from the box.
La mamma di Sofia tante foto.
Sofia's mum was taking lots of photos.
Era tardi e Tommaso la torta.
It was late and Tommaso ate the cake.
Quando le luci sono andate via, io al banco.
When the lights went out, I was at the stall.
Da piccolo, Marco ogni giorno.
As a child, Marco used to play every day.
Sabato ero stanco ma bene.
On Saturday I was tired but I worked well.
Sabato ero stanca ma bene.
On Saturday I was tired but I worked well.
La signora Rossi o chiudeva gli occhi?
Was Mrs Rossi sleeping or closing her eyes?
Practice 4/6 · Building sentences
Build a sentence
Put the words in order.
Yesterday evening it was very dark.
Marco was ten years old in the old photo.
Sofia's mum was taking lots of photos.
It was late and Tommaso ate the cake.
When the lights went out, I was at the stall.
As a child, Marco used to play every day.
Practice 5/6 · In situations
What would you say?
Choose the right words for the situation.
Yesterday evening it was very dark.
You say:
Use the meaning and Italian pattern explained in this unit.
Yesterday evening it was very dark.
You say:
Use the meaning and Italian pattern explained in this unit.
Marco was ten years old in the old photo.
You say:
Use the meaning and Italian pattern explained in this unit.
Marco was ten years old in the old photo.
You say:
Use the meaning and Italian pattern explained in this unit.
Sofia's mum was taking lots of photos.
You say:
Use the meaning and Italian pattern explained in this unit.
Sofia's mum was taking lots of photos.
You say:
Use the meaning and Italian pattern explained in this unit.
It was late and Tommaso ate the cake.
You say:
Use the meaning and Italian pattern explained in this unit.
It was late and Tommaso ate the cake.
You say:
Use the meaning and Italian pattern explained in this unit.
Practice 6/6 · Matching
Connect messages and meanings
Match the pairs.
Unit complete
