Italian grammar
Indossava, era, sembrava, camminava
Describe someone you saw.
From the scene Indossava un cappotto lungo (He was wearing a long coat)
In short
Describe someone you saw with the imperfetto: indossava, era, sembrava, camminava.
- he/she was wearing indossava
- it was (description) era
- it looked like sembrava
- he/she was walking camminava
Your turn
Which one goes with it was (description)?
Options: indossava · sembrava · era
Show answer
it was (description) → era
How it works
To describe someone you saw — clothes, looks, what they were doing — use the imperfect.
Good to know
Indossava (was wearing), era (was), sembrava (looked like), camminava (was walking).
he/she was wearing indossava
Tomás
Indossava un cappotto lungo e un berretto.
He was wearing a long coat and a cap.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
(blank) un cappotto lungo e un berretto.
Options: Indossava · Era · Sembrava
Show answer
Tomás
Indossava un cappotto lungo e un berretto.
He was wearing a long coat and a cap.
it was (description) era
Tomás
Scuro. Era un cappotto molto lungo.
Dark. It was a very long coat.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
Scuro. (blank) un cappotto molto lungo.
Options: Era · Indossava · Sembrava
Show answer
Tomás
Scuro. Era un cappotto molto lungo.
Dark. It was a very long coat.
it looked like sembrava
Tomás
No, sembrava un'ombra nel buio.
No, it looked like a shadow in the dark.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
No, (blank) un'ombra nel buio.
Options: era · sembrava · indossava
Show answer
Tomás
No, sembrava un'ombra nel buio.
No, it looked like a shadow in the dark.
he/she was walking camminava
Tomás
Camminava piano, come se fosse molto stanco.
He was walking slowly, as if very tired.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
(blank) piano, come se fosse molto stanco.
Options: Era · Camminava · Indossava
Show answer
Tomás
Camminava piano, come se fosse molto stanco.
He was walking slowly, as if very tired.
Watch out
Don't use the passato prossimo for a description — indossava, not ha indossato, since it's the background, not an event.
Common mistake
Not Indossa or Ha indossato here. Description of what he had on.
Indossava un cappotto lungo e un berretto.
He was wearing a long coat and a cap.
Practise it in the story
Meet this rule inside a short animated scene. Answer as it plays, then say the lines yourself.
Practise free in the appSee all forms
| he/she was wearing | indossava |
|---|---|
| it was (description) | era |
| it looked like | sembrava |
| he/she was walking | camminava |
More lines from the story
- ElenaE come camminava? Veloce?And how was he walking? Fast?