Most English speakers who decide to learn Italian shudder at the mere mention of the imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto). It corresponds pretty neatly to the indicative imperfect tense, and some aspects of its use can be tricky to master. Don’t worry, though. With some practice, it will begin to come naturally.
In this lesson we will be looking in depth at the congiuntivo imperfetto. Ready? Let’s start!Using the congiuntivo imperfetto
Just like the congiuntivo presente, the Italian congiuntivo imperfetto is to be used whenever talking about hopes, doubts, desires, opinions and fears, but in the past.
The Italian imperfect subjunctive is used to:
| Pensavo che Élodie fosse francese | I thought Élodie was French |
| Credevo che Amelia fosse più giovane | I thought Amelia was younger |
| Se fossi in te, non mi fiderei di Arianna | If I were you, I wouldn’t trust Arianna |
| Desideravo solo che mi dicessi la verità | I just wanted you to tell me the truth |
| Elvira voleva che la aiutassimo a tinteggiare le pareti di casa | Elvira wanted us to help her paint her house walls |
| Perché sono passati tutti questi giorni senza che nessuno facesse nulla? | Why have all these days gone by without anyone doing anything about it? |
| Elisa sperava che tu fossi sincero con lei | Elisa hoped you were sincere with her |
| Speravo che non si arrivassea questo punto | I hoped we wouldn’t get to this point |
| Temevo che Loredana perdesse l’aereo | I was afraid that Loredana missed the plane |
| Avevo i miei dubbi che Angelica fosse onesta | I suspected that Angelica was not honest |
| Volevo solo che mi lasciaste in pace | I just wanted you to leave me alone |
As you can see above, the Italian imperfect subjunctive is used when the verb in the main clause is in the indicative present perfect tense (passato prossimo), imperfect tense (imperfetto) or remote past tense (passato remoto).
The hypothetical period
The congiuntivo imperfetto is also used to express hypotheses in the hypothetical period (periodo ipotetico). In this case, it is used in a dependent clause introduced by se (if) when we have the condizionale presente in the main clause, to talk about something that might happen.
The hypothetical phrase is made of two clauses. The subordinate clause expresses a supposition, whereas the main clause expresses a consequence. You can use this construction to talk about improbable yet possible situations.
Let’s see some examples:
| Se avessi una casa più grande, adotterei altri due cani | If I had a bigger house, I would adopt two more dogs (I am talking about what I would do in an imagined situation) |
| Cosa faresti se vincessi la lotteria? | If you won the lottery, what would you do? |
| Se quelle malelingue sapessero quello che penso di loro, parlerebbero di me ancora peggio | If all those rumour-mongers knew what I think of them, they’d talk about me even worse |
Constructing the congiuntivo imperfetto
The imperfect subjunctive of regular verbs is formed by dropping the infinitive endings and adding the appropriate endings.
To make the congiuntivo imperfetto of regular verbs ending in -are, take off the infinitive ending to find the stem of the verb and add the following endings:Tornare (to return, to go back)
(che) io tornassi
(che) tu tornassi
(che) lui/lei tornasse
(che) noi tornassimo
(che) voi tornaste
(che) loro tornasseroTo make the congiuntivo imperfetto of regular verbs ending in -ere, take off the infinitive ending to find the stem of the verb and add the following endings:
Vendere (to sell)
(che) io vendessi
(che) tu vendessi
(che) lui/lei vendesse
(che) noi vendessimo
(che) voi vendeste
(che) loro vendesseroTo make the congiuntivo imperfetto of regular verbs ending in -ire, take off the infinitive ending to find the stem of the verb and add the following endings:
Fornire (to provide)
(che) io fornissi
(che) tu fornissi
(che) lui/lei fornisse
(che) noi fornissimo
(che) voi forniste
(che) loro fornisseroAs you might have noticed, the endings are the same for all conjugations, except for the characteristic vowel that each conjugation maintains. The first and the second persons singular are the same.
The main stress falls on the second syllable from the end except for the “noi” and “loro” forms, which have the stress on the third vowel from the end.
Irregular verbs in the imperfect subjunctive
Some verbs are irregular in the imperfect subjunctive, which means that they do not follow the regular conjugation patterns.
The verbs essere (to be) forms the congiuntivo imperfetto irregularly.Essere (to be)
(che) io fossi
(che) tu fossi
(che) lui/lei fosse
(che) noi fossimo
(che) voi foste
(che) loro fossero
These are some more common irregular verbs:
Dare (to give)
(che) io dessi
(che) tu dessi
(che) lui/lei desse
(che) noi dessimo
(che) voi deste
(che) loro dessero
Fare (to do, to make)
(che) io facessi
(che) tu facessi
(che) lui/lei facesse
(che) noi facessimo
(che) voi faceste
(che) loro facessero
Dire (to say)
(che) io dicessi
(che) tu dicessi
(che) lui/lei dicesse
(che) noi dicessimo
(che) voi diceste
(che) loro dicessero
Stare (to stay)
(che) io stessi
(che) tu stessi
(che) lui/lei stesse
(che) noi stessimo
(che) voi steste
(che) loro stessero
Porre (to put, to set)
(che) io ponessi
(che) tu ponessi
(che) lui/lei ponesse
(che) noi ponessimo
(che) voi poneste
(che) loro ponessero
Bere (to drink)
(che) io bevessi
(che) tu bevessi
(che) lui/lei bevesse
(che) noi bevessimo
(che) voi beveste
(che) loro bevessero
Trarre (to pull)
(che) io traessi
(che) tu traessi
(che) lui/lei traesse
(che) noi traessimo
(che) voi traeste
(che) loro traessero
Tradurre (to translate)
(che) io traducessi
(che) tu traducessi
(che) lui/lei traducesse
(che) noi traducessimo
(che) voi traduceste
(che) loro traducessero
Fortunately, the verb avere (to have) is regular in the congiuntivo imperfetto:
Avere (to have)
(che) io avessi
(che) tu avessi
(che) lui/lei avesse
(che) noi avessimo
(che) voi aveste
(che) loro avessero
Which expressions require the congiuntivo imperfetto?
Here is a list of expressions that require the imperfect subjunctive in Italian:
| Magari potessi tornare idietro | If only I could turn back time |
| Magari fosse così semplice | If only it were so simple |
| Caso mai non vi rivedessi: buon pomeriggio, buonasera e buonanotte! (cit. The Truman Show) | In case I don’t see you: good afternoon, good evening, and good night! |
| Fa’ come se fossi a casa tua | Make yourself at home (Literally: do exactly as if you were at your home) |
| I miei cani mi amerebbero anche se fossi povero, brutto e malato | My dogs would love me even if I was poor, ugly and sick |
| Mi raccomando, comportati come se non sapessi niente! | Behave as if you know nothing, OK? |
| Se non potessi avere figli, valuterei senza dubbio l’adozione | If I couldn’t have children, I would surely consider adoption |
| Accompagnammo Andrea in ambulatorio affinché il medico controllasse lo stato della sua gamba | We took Andrea to the clinic to have the doctor check his leg |
| Ci sono voluti diciotto lunghi mesi prima che divorziassimo | It took eighteen long months before we divorced |
| Nel caso in cui riscontrassi delle irregolarità, ti preghiamo di segnalarcelo | Should you find any problems, please let us know |
When you use Italian verbs expressing hope, doubt, expectation and fear, the verb following che (that) should be in the subjunctive.
Here is a list of verbs that require the use of the subjunctive:
Pensare (to think)
Sapere (to know)
Sperare (to hope)
Dubitare (to doubt)
Temere (to fear)
Credere (to believe)
Desiderare (to wish)
Immaginare (to imagine)
Sospettare (to suspect)
Evincere, dedurre (to deduce)
Supporre (to suppose)
Desumere (to presume)
Let’s see some examples:
| La nonna pensava che partissimo oggi per le vacanze | Grandma thought we were leaving today for the holidays |
| Non sapevo che tu fumassi | I didn’t know you smoked |
| Non immaginavo che tu e Francesco vi conosceste | I didn’t imagine that you and Francesco knew each other |
As you might have noticed, the subject of the main verb is different from the one expressed by the congiuntivo imperfetto. When the subject is the same, the infinitive is used instead.
| Spero di poter collaborare nuovamente con voi | I hope to work again with you |
| Temo di non essere l’unica in questa situazione | I’m afraid I’m not the only one in this situation |
Typical phrases that call for the congiuntivo imperfetto include:
| Si diceva che gli spiriti maligni infestassero il castello | It was said that evil spirits haunted the castle |
| Non è detto che fosse la soluzione migliore | It wasn’t necessarily the best solution |
| Bastava che mi dessi un colpo di telefono | You only needed to give me a ring |
| Bisognava che Leonardo si impegnasse di più | It was necessary for Leonardo to work harder |
| Dopo dodici anni di fidanzamento, era ora che vi sposaste! | After twelve years together, it was time for you to marry! |
| Era meglio che la riunione si facesseoggi alle 16:00 | It was better to have the meeting today at 4pm |
| Non era giusto che Giuseppe ti trattasse così | It was so unfair for Giuseppe to treat you like that |
| Era un peccato che tu non potessi venire | It was a pity that you weren’t able to come |
| Era opportuno che andassi a trovare Barbara all’ospedale | It was appropriate for me to go and visit Barbara at the hospital |
| Alessandra era talmente pallida che sembrava che stesse per svenire | Alessandra was so pale that she looked like she was going to faint |
The congiuntivo imperfetto is also used in sentences introduced by:
| Ovunque andasse, l’ex marito la seguiva | Her ex-husband followed her wherever she went |
| L’unico che sapesse tener testa a quell’uomo era Rossano | Rossano was the only one who could stand up to that man |
| Niente che non si potesse risolvere | Nothing that couldn’t be solved |
To sum up…
| Speravo che stavolta la cena di Natale si facesse a casa mia | I hoped to have the Christmas dinner at my house this time |
| Se guadagnassi di più, assumerei dei collaboratori | If I earned more, I would hire employees |
Hope you learned about the congiuntivo imperfetto with this article. Keep practising!
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