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When it comes to grammar, one area that I hear complained about the most is deciding whether to use the imperfect tense or the past tense in various situations.
I wrote this article on their main differences to help you do that, but problems like this aren’t easily solved by one article.
So in this podcast episode, I give you ten questions and you have to decide whether to use the imperfect tense or the past tense.
Below you’ll find the questions and the answers to this quiz.
Questions
(Translate the sentences below from English to Italian.)
1.) Have you ever read the book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho?
2.) Yesterday I saw a documentary on TV.
(Fill in the blank with using the verb in parentheses in either the imperfect or past tense.)
3.) Quando ero piccolo non mi (piacere) giocare a scacchi, perché (perdere) sempre.
4.) Io (lavorare) lì da tre mesi.
5.) Quando (vivere) con mia madre, lei mi preparava il pranzo quando (tornare) da scuola.
6.) Non mi ricordo dove (mettere) le chiavi.
7.) Ieri Franca (rimanere) tutto il giorno al lavoro.
8.) Giovanni (nascere) a Torino.
9.) Juan (vivere) per molti anni a Napoli.
10.) Il nostro gatto (morire) da quattro anni.
Answers
1.) Hai mai letto L’alchimista di Paulo Coelho? – Passato prossimo
2.) Ieri ho visto un documentario alla TV. – Passato prossimo
3.) Quando ero piccolo non mi piaceva giocare a scacchi, perché perdevo sempre. Imperfetto
4.) Io lavoravo lì da tre mesi. – Imperfetto
5.) Quando vivevo con mia madre, lei mi preparava il pranzo quando tornavo da scuola. Imperfetto
6.) Non mi ricordo dove ho messo le chiavi. – Passato prossimo
7.) Ieri Franca è rimasta tutto il giorno al lavoro. – Passato prossimo
8.) Giovanni è nato a Torino. – Passato prossimo
9.) Juan ha vissuto per molti anni a Napoli. – Passato prossimo
10.) Il nostro gatto è morto da quattro anni. – Passato prossimo
Other quizzes & exercises:
— http://www.impariamoitaliano.com/imp12.htm
— http://www.quia.com/quiz/1483784.html
— http://italian.tolearnfree.com/free-italian-lessons/free-italian-exercise-60926.php
WOuldn’t it be better to use the verb Abitare in the instances above? From what I understood when I lived in Italy, Vivere was used to describe the state of being alive: Vivo in pace. Vivo una vita felice, Voglio viper a novant’anni. But Abitare is used to show places you lived: Abitavo con la mia madre. Abito a Bologna. etc.
Ciao Tracey! Great question. In these situations, they’re synonymous. This breakdown might help understand why –> http://www.livinglanguage.com/community/discussion/531/when-does-one-use-abitare-and-vivere/p1
C
In many of these sentences, either tense would be correct. For example, you could say, “Non mi ricordo dove mettevo le chiavi,” if you meant, “I don’t remember where I used to put the keys,” or, “I don’t remember where I would put the keys.”
I find quizzes like this, which pretend that only one tense is correct at any given time, counterproductive anyway. If that were the case, the distinction would be completely meaningless. Choosing between the imperfect and the present perfect isn’t just pointless busywork. These two tenses actually convey information to the reader or listener. What you should do is show the sentences in both tenses and then explain how changing the tense changes the meaning.
Hey Tom! Would you be interested in putting something like what you suggested together for the readers? It would be great to have a resource like that to provide.
Sure. Should I just leave it here in the comments?
Nope, you can just email it to cher@icebergproject.co and then I’ll get it over to my editor. :] Thanks!