Lesson 22 of 40 · win the Time Machine Pilot badge
C'era una volta — l'imperfetto
The imperfetto: describing how things used to be
Adam finds an old photo of five-year-old him with truly heroic hair. Step into the time machine and describe how things used to be.
🎯 By the end you can…
- Describe what life was like when you were little
- Use the imperfetto of essere, avere and regular verbs
- Set the background scene of a story
🎬 Listen to the scene
Tap a line to hear it, then say it back louder than Luna barks.
What was your house like as a child, Adam?
It was small but we had a huge garden.
And Luna? As a puppy, how did she behave?
She always slept and stole socks.
🔑 The imperfetto endings
| -are (parlare) | -ere (avere) | -ire (dormire) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| io | parlavo | avevo | dormivo |
| tu | parlavi | avevi | dormivi |
| lui/lei | parlava | aveva | dormiva |
| noi | parlavamo | avevamo | dormivamo |
| voi | parlavate | avevate | dormivate |
| loro | parlavano | avevano | dormivano |
Adam's tip: Essere is the one irregular star: ero, eri, era, eravamo, eravate, erano.
🧩 When to reach for the imperfetto
- Descriptions in the past: era grande, faceva freddo
- Habits and repeated actions: da piccolo giocavo sempre fuori
- Age and time in the past: avevo sei anni, erano le tre
🤯 Wow fact
The imperfetto is the tense of memories — it paints the background, like the soft colours behind the main character in a cartoon.
🗣️ Say it fast, say it silly
Ero piccolo, avevo un cane, giocavo sempre fuori!
Three times in a row without tripping = you win.
🧠 Puzzle time
Answer in your head first, then tap to check. 0 of 6 checked
Put the verb in the imperfetto.
Correct the mistake.
😂 Barzelletta — Luna's joke
Com'era Luna da cucciola?
🚀 Your mission today
Ask someone older than you what their town or school was like when they were a kid — and answer in Italian yourself too.
🎲 Play it with someone
When I was little...
Each student describes their five-year-old self in three imperfetto sentences: where they lived, what they liked, what they were scared of.
Luna the puppy
In pairs, invent Luna's puppy backstory using at least four imperfetto verbs. Share the silliest one with the class.
For teachers & grown-ups
Encourage era/aveva/faceva/dormiva as an easy starter set.
🧪 End-of-lesson quiz
Eight quick questions. Get 6 right to win the Time Machine Pilot badge.
This lesson belongs to Unit 8 — Il passato (Course Two). Pass every quiz in the unit — and know 1150 words — to be promoted to the next level.
💪 Keep the streak going
- Flashcards, Set 30 — family and childhood
- Interview a grandparent (or Adam) about their childhood using the imperfetto
Word sets for this lesson
