Imperfetto vs Passato Prossimo

The big past-tense decision in Italian: a completed action or an ongoing scene?

Use passato prossimo for…	Use imperfetto for…
A specific event that happened and ended	An ongoing or repeated past action
Ieri sono andato al cinema. (I went — once)	Andavo al cinema ogni sabato. (I went — always)
Ho mangiato una pizza. (I ate, once)	Mangiavo sempre la pizza il venerdì. (I always ate)
A sudden, interrupting action	A description, background, the weather, age

A classic pairing: imperfetto for the scene, passato prossimo for the interrupting action.

Ero a casa quando il telefono ha suonato. "I was at home when the phone rang."

Choose the correct tense

Fill in the blank: choose the right past tense

Translate the mix