What is the difference between Imperfetto and Passato Prossimo in Italian? Both Imperfetto and Passato Prossimo are used to talk about the past. Let’s find out the difference together!
The difference between Imperfetto and Passato Prossimo
Basically, you need to know that the imperfetto is characterized by indeterminacy or unboundedness. The passato prossimo is in turn characterized by definiteness or boundedness. From this basic rule, one can list certain cases where one or the other tense is used:
States vs. actions
| HOW WAS IT? General description of states, persons, things, places | WHAT HAPPENED? Unique and completed actions |
| imperfetto | passato prossimo |
| C’era il sole e faceva caldo, It was sunny and warm | così ho fatto una passeggiata. so I took a walk |
| Ieri non stavo bene, Yesterday I did not feel well, | per questo non sono andata al lavoro. So I didn’t go to work. |
| Mia nonna aveva molti gatti. My grandmother had many cats. | Mia nonna ha adottato molti gatti. My grandma adopted many cats. |
Several times or once?
| HABIT, ANY NUMBER OF TIMES It happened regularly, it was a habit, it happened any number of times (unspecified number). | ONCE, COUNTABLE Once and completed actions, also several times, but a certain number of times. |
| imperfetto | passato prossimo |
| Da bambino andavo a scuola a piedi, As a child I used to walk to school, | ma una volta/due volte/tre volte ho preso l’autobus. but once/twice/three times I took the bus. |
| Prima facevo sport quasi tutti i giorni. I used to play sports almost every day. | Questo mese ho fatto sport solo due volte. I only did sports twice this month. |
Progressive (MENTRE)
| MENTRE + IMPERFETTO, IMPERFETTO Both actions happen simultaneously | MENTRE + IMPERFETTO, PASSATO PROSSIMO Something happens suddenly while another action is in progress (and interrupts it) |
| imperfetto | passato prossimo |
| Mentre studiavo, mia figlia leggeva. While I was studying, my daughter was reading. | Mentre studiavo, è arrivato mio marito. While I was studying, my husband arrived. |
| Mentre Maria camminava, ascoltava la musica. While Maria was walking, she was listening to music. | Mentre Maria camminava, ha iniziato a piovere. While Maria was walking, it started to rain. |
Examples with ESSERE
| INDEFINITE | DEFINITE |
| imperfetto | passato prossimo |
| Nel 2018 ero a Roma. In 2018, I was in Rome. | Nel 2018 sono stata a Roma. In 2018, I was in Rome. |
| Context: I was in Rome all of 2018 and maybe I have been there since 2017 and maybe I stayed there in 2019. Nel 2018 ero a Roma, studiavo filosofia all’università . | Context: I was in Rome sometime in 2018 (one day/one week/one month…). Nel 2018, credo a maggio, sono stata a Roma con mio marito. È proprio una bella città ! |
| INDEFINITE | DEFINITE |
| imperfetto | passato prossimo |
| Era una bella giornata. It was a beautiful day. | È stata una bella giornata. It was a beautiful day. |
| Context: general description to build the background of the narrative. What is meant here is the weather. Ieri era una bella giornata, così sono andata a Milano con le mie amiche. | Context: delimitation of the description, focus on the end. What is meant is that you have spent a nice day. Ieri sono andata a Milano con le mie amiche. È stata una bellissima giornata! |
Esercizio
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Passato prossimo e imperfetto di ALMA EDIZIONI
How do you form the passato prossimo and the imperfetto in Italian? When do you use which tense and when do you combine them? These questions are addressed in the exercise book Passato prossimo e imperfetto with the help of clear explanations of the grammatical rules as well as numerous examples and exercises with solutions.
