Passato prossimo or imperfetto? Italian exercises
A free B1 (intermediate) Italian exercise on Passato prossimo o imperfetto? (choosing between the two past tenses): 60 multiple choice questions in 4 sets, from core practice to a mixed review, each with the answer and a short explanation. Or take a random round of 10. No account needed.
The rule in brief
Both tenses talk about the past, but they show it from different angles. The passato prossimo presents a completed event: something that happened at a definite moment (ieri ho chiamato Marta, all’improvviso è entrato il capo). It is also used for actions repeated a counted number of times or lasting a closed period (sono andata a Roma tre volte, ha lavorato lì per dieci anni).
The imperfetto describes the background: habits (da bambino giocavo a calcio), descriptions of people, places, weather and feelings (era stanca, faceva freddo), and actions in progress at a given moment (ieri alle otto cenavo).
In a story the two work together. The imperfetto sets the scene or shows an action in progress; the passato prossimo interrupts it with a new event: mentre studiavo, è arrivato un messaggio. Look for the time cues in the sentence before you choose.
| Cue | Tense | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ieri, l’anno scorso, all’improvviso | passato prossimo | All’improvviso è entrato il capo. |
| tre volte, per due anni | passato prossimo | Ha vissuto a Parigi per due anni. |
| da bambino, ogni estate, di solito | imperfetto | Da bambino andavo al mare. |
| mentre…, alle otto (in progress) | imperfetto | Mentre cucinavo, ascoltavo la radio. |
| description, weather, feelings | imperfetto | Era tardi e pioveva. |
- Mentre aspettavo l’autobus, ho incontrato Luca. · While I was waiting for the bus, I ran into Luca.
- Da ragazza Anna leggeva un libro alla settimana. · As a girl, Anna used to read a book a week.
- Quell’estate siamo andati in Grecia due volte. · That summer we went to Greece twice.
Exercises · 60 questions in 4 sets
Choose the passato prossimo or the imperfetto to complete each sentence.
Set 1 · Core practice
- 1
Da bambino Marco ogni estate dai nonni in Puglia.
As a child, Marco used to go to his grandparents’ in Puglia every summer.
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andava · Da bambino and ogni estate describe a habit in the past, which needs the imperfetto.
- 2
Ieri sera, mentre la cena, è andata via la luce.
Last night, while I was making dinner, the power went off.
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preparavo · Mentre introduces an action in progress; the power cut is the event that interrupts it.
- 3
Stavamo parlando tranquillamente quando all’improvviso il telefono .
We were chatting quietly when suddenly the phone rang.
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ha squillato · All’improvviso marks a sudden, single event that breaks into the scene: passato prossimo.
- 4
Quando Giulia era piccola, paura del buio.
When Giulia was little, she was afraid of the dark.
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aveva · A feeling or state that lasted through a period of childhood is background description, so imperfetto.
- 5
Ieri alle otto Paolo ancora in ufficio.
Yesterday at eight Paolo was still at the office.
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era · At a precise moment (alle otto) the situation was still going on, so the imperfetto describes it.
- 6
L’anno scorso Chiara a Roma tre volte per lavoro.
Last year Chiara went to Rome three times for work.
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è andata · A counted number of trips (tre volte) in a closed period is a completed fact: passato prossimo.
- 7
Faceva freddo e forte quando siamo usciti dal cinema.
It was cold and snowing hard when we came out of the cinema.
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nevicava · Weather that forms the background to an event is described with the imperfetto, like faceva freddo.
- 8
Mio nonno in fabbrica per quarant’anni, poi è andato in pensione.
My grandfather worked in a factory for forty years, then he retired.
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ha lavorato · Per quarant’anni gives a closed, finished period, so the whole span is seen as one completed event.
- 9
Mentre i bambini in giardino, i genitori chiacchieravano in terrazza.
While the children were playing in the garden, the parents were chatting on the terrace.
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giocavano · Two actions in progress at the same time are both in the imperfetto.
- 10
Stamattina il capo e gli ho chiesto un giorno di ferie.
This morning I called my boss and asked him for a day off.
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ho chiamato · A single action at a definite time, followed by another completed action, takes the passato prossimo.
- 11
Al liceo Sara in biblioteca quasi tutti i pomeriggi.
At secondary school Sara went to the library almost every afternoon.
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andava · Quasi tutti i pomeriggi signals a repeated habit with no fixed count, so imperfetto.
- 12
Sofia suo marito nel 2015, a una festa di amici.
Sofia met her husband in 2015, at a friends’ party.
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ha conosciuto · Conoscere in the passato prossimo means met for the first time, a single dated event.
- 13
La casa dove abitavamo un giardino enorme.
The house where we lived had an enormous garden.
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aveva · Describing what a place was like is background description, so the imperfetto is used.
- 14
Lucia la patente nel 2019, al secondo tentativo.
Lucia got her driving licence in 2019, at the second attempt.
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ha preso · A one-off achievement with a date is a completed event: passato prossimo.
- 15
Ieri sera ero molto stanca, quindi a letto alle nove.
Last night I was very tired, so I went to bed at nine.
Show answer
sono andata · Ero stanca is the background; going to bed at nine is the single event that followed, so passato prossimo.
15 questions.
Set 2 · More practice
- 16
Ogni domenica mattina mio padre i giornali al bar sotto casa.
Every Sunday morning my father used to buy the newspapers at the café downstairs.
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comprava · Ogni domenica mattina describes a regular habit with no fixed number of times, so imperfetto.
- 17
Il mese scorso Valentina un nuovo lavoro in una casa editrice.
Last month Valentina found a new job at a publishing house.
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ha trovato · Il mese scorso places a single, completed event at a definite time: passato prossimo.
- 18
Quando sono entrata in aula, gli studenti ancora il compito.
When I walked into the classroom, the students were still writing the test.
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scrivevano · Ancora shows the writing was in progress when I came in, so imperfetto.
- 19
Sabato scorso in montagna con alcuni colleghi.
Last Saturday we went to the mountains with some colleagues.
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siamo andati · Sabato scorso is a single, definite occasion, so the trip is a completed event: passato prossimo.
- 20
Il ristorante dove abbiamo cenato piccolo ma molto accogliente.
The restaurant where we had dinner was small but very welcoming.
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era · Saying what a place was like is description, which takes the imperfetto.
- 21
Mentre Davide la tesi, la sera lavorava anche in un bar.
While Davide was writing his thesis, he was also working in a bar in the evenings.
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scriveva · Mentre links two actions going on over the same period, so both are in the imperfetto.
- 22
Ieri tre ore per finire la relazione per il cliente.
Yesterday it took me three hours to finish the report for the client.
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ho impiegato · Ieri and a closed length of time (tre ore) present the task as finished: passato prossimo.
- 23
Quando ero studente, sempre in mensa con i miei compagni.
When I was a student, I always ate in the canteen with my classmates.
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mangiavo · Quando ero studente and sempre describe a routine of that period, so imperfetto.
- 24
Nel 2020 Federica a Torino per motivi di lavoro.
In 2020 Federica moved to Turin for work.
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si è trasferita · Moving house is a one-off event with a date, so passato prossimo.
- 25
Il cielo era grigio e un vento gelido.
The sky was grey and an icy wind was blowing.
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tirava · Weather that sets the scene, like il cielo era grigio, is described with the imperfetto.
- 26
Stavo uscendo di casa quando mia sorella.
I was leaving the house when my sister phoned.
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ha telefonato · Stavo uscendo is the action in progress; the phone call is the new event that interrupts it.
- 27
Da ragazzi Matteo e Simone a pallavolo tutti i pomeriggi.
As teenagers Matteo and Simone played volleyball every afternoon.
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giocavano · Da ragazzi and tutti i pomeriggi describe a past habit, so imperfetto.
- 28
Il concerto quasi tre ore, ma nessuno si è annoiato.
The concert lasted almost three hours, but nobody got bored.
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è durato · The whole concert is seen from start to finish as one closed event, so passato prossimo.
- 29
Quando l’ho visto alla festa, Nicola una camicia azzurra.
When I saw him at the party, Nicola was wearing a light-blue shirt.
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indossava · What someone was wearing at a given moment is description, so imperfetto.
- 30
Stamattina il treno con venti minuti di ritardo.
This morning the train arrived twenty minutes late.
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è arrivato · A single arrival at a definite time (stamattina) is a completed event: passato prossimo.
15 questions.
Set 3 · Trickier cases
- 31
Ieri che Marta aspetta un bambino: me l’ha detto lei stessa.
Yesterday I found out that Marta is expecting a baby: she told me herself.
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ho saputo · In the passato prossimo sapere means found out, a single moment; sapevo would mean I already knew.
- 32
Non sono venuta alla riunione perché non che l’avevano spostata a lunedì.
I didn’t come to the meeting because I didn’t know they had moved it to Monday.
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sapevo · Not knowing something is a state of mind at that time, so sapere goes in the imperfetto.
- 33
Ieri restare in ufficio fino alle dieci, così ho perso il concerto.
Yesterday I had to stay at the office until ten, so I missed the concert.
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ho dovuto · Ho dovuto means the obligation was actually carried out, as the missed concert shows; dovevo would leave that open.
- 34
Oggi incontrare il cliente alle tre, ma lui ha annullato l’appuntamento.
Today I was supposed to meet the client at three, but he cancelled the appointment.
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dovevo · Dovevo expresses a plan that did not happen (was supposed to); ho dovuto would mean the meeting took place.
- 35
Paolo comprare quella casa, ma la banca non gli ha concesso il mutuo.
Paolo wanted to buy that house, but the bank didn’t give him the mortgage.
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voleva · Voleva describes an intention that was never fulfilled; ha voluto would suggest he went ahead and bought it.
- 36
Mia madre benissimo il quartiere, perché ci era cresciuta.
My mother knew the neighbourhood really well, because she had grown up there.
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conosceva · Conoscere in the imperfetto means knew (a lasting state); ha conosciuto would mean met for the first time.
- 37
Mia zia per tutta la vita nella stessa casa, in via Garibaldi.
My aunt lived in the same house on Via Garibaldi all her life.
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ha abitato · Per tutta la vita sums up a whole, closed span of time, so passato prossimo even though it was long.
- 38
Da piccolo in Giappone una volta sola, con i miei genitori.
As a child I went to Japan only once, with my parents.
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sono stato · Da piccolo looks like a habit cue, but una volta sola counts a single event, so passato prossimo.
- 39
Quando a casa tardi, mia madre mi aspettava sempre alzata.
Whenever I came home late, my mother always waited up for me.
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tornavo · Here quando means whenever: sempre shows a repeated situation, so both verbs are in the imperfetto.
- 40
Quando siamo arrivati in piazza, già moltissima gente.
When we got to the square, there were already lots of people.
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c’era · The crowd was already there when we arrived: it describes the scene, so imperfetto.
- 41
La festa di sabato un successo: sono venuti più di cento invitati.
Saturday’s party was a success: more than a hundred guests came.
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è stata · A verdict on a whole event that is over is a completed fact, so passato prossimo, not description.
- 42
Dopo un’ora di attesa, finalmente parlare con il medico.
After an hour’s wait, I was finally able to speak to the doctor.
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ho potuto · Ho potuto means the chance came and was used at that moment; finalmente marks the single event.
- 43
Mi dispiace, non offenderti: era solo una battuta.
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you: it was only a joke.
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volevo · Non volevo describes the intention you had at the time, so volere goes in the imperfetto.
- 44
In quel periodo Andrea moltissimo e dormiva pochissimo.
At that time Andrea was working a great deal and sleeping very little.
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lavorava · In quel periodo describes an ongoing situation over an open period, parallel to dormiva: imperfetto.
- 45
Quando ho cominciato a lavorare in quell’azienda, i colleghi quasi tutti più grandi di me.
When I started working at that company, my colleagues were almost all older than me.
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erano · Describing what the colleagues were like is background description, so imperfetto.
15 questions.
Set 4 · Mixed review
- 46
Quando abitavo a Londra, la metropolitana tutti i giorni, ma non mi sono mai abituato alla folla.
When I lived in London, I took the Tube every day, but I never got used to the crowds.
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prendevo · Tutti i giorni during the London years is a daily routine, so imperfetto; the final summing-up is passato prossimo.
- 47
L’estate scorsa un corso di fotografia che mi ha cambiato il modo di vedere le cose.
Last summer I took a photography course that changed the way I see things.
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ho seguito · The course is a complete experience placed in a closed past period (l’estate scorsa): passato prossimo.
- 48
Mentre il professore la lezione, due studenti sono usciti dall’aula senza dire niente.
While the teacher was giving the lesson, two students left the room without saying anything.
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spiegava · Mentre introduces the lesson in progress; the students leaving is the event that happens during it.
- 49
Negli anni Sessanta pochi italiani la macchina: si viaggiava soprattutto in treno.
In the 1960s few Italians had a car: people mostly travelled by train.
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avevano · The sentence describes how life was in an era, like si viaggiava, so imperfetto.
- 50
Ieri Beatrice il telefono in treno e ha passato la serata a bloccare la SIM.
Yesterday Beatrice lost her phone on the train and spent the evening blocking the SIM.
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ha perso · Losing the phone is a single event in a sequence of completed actions: passato prossimo.
- 51
Ho capito che qualcosa non andava perché Enrico in modo strano e non mi guardava negli occhi.
I realised something was wrong because Enrico was behaving strangely and wouldn’t look me in the eye.
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si comportava · His behaviour is the background that explains my realisation, parallel to non mi guardava: imperfetto.
- 52
Durante la riunione di ieri il direttore tre volte la stessa domanda, ma nessuno ha risposto.
During yesterday’s meeting the director asked the same question three times, but nobody answered.
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ha fatto · A repetition counted exactly (tre volte) within a finished event is passato prossimo.
- 53
La sera, dopo cena, i miei nonni a carte con i vicini, mentre noi bambini guardavamo la tv.
In the evenings, after dinner, my grandparents used to play cards with the neighbours while we children watched TV.
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giocavano · La sera, dopo cena describes a regular evening routine, so imperfetto, like guardavamo.
- 54
Ero sicuro di aver chiuso la porta, invece quando sono tornato aperta.
I was sure I had shut the door, but when I got back it was open.
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era · The open door is the state I found on my return, a description: imperfetto.
- 55
Nel 2008, quando è cominciata la crisi, mio padre ancora per una piccola ditta edile.
In 2008, when the crisis began, my father was still working for a small building firm.
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lavorava · Ancora shows the job was still going on when the crisis started, so imperfetto.
- 56
Siamo partiti alle sei perché la strada lunga e volevamo arrivare prima di sera.
We set off at six because the journey was long and we wanted to arrive before evening.
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era · The length of the road is a known fact given as the reason before leaving, alongside volevamo: imperfetto.
- 57
Quella notte per sei ore di fila e le strade del centro si sono allagate.
That night it rained for six hours non-stop and the streets in the centre flooded.
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ha piovuto · Weather is usually imperfetto, but per sei ore di fila closes the span and makes it an event: passato prossimo.
- 58
Da studentessa Irene sempre l’autobus delle sette; un giorno però l’ha perso ed è arrivata tardi a un esame.
As a student Irene always caught the seven o’clock bus; one day, though, she missed it and was late for an exam.
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prendeva · Da studentessa and sempre set up the habit; un giorno però introduces the single event that broke it.
- 59
Ho conosciuto Fabio a una conferenza: mentre lui sul palco, io prendevo appunti in prima fila.
I met Fabio at a conference: while he was speaking on stage, I was taking notes in the front row.
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parlava · Mentre joins two simultaneous actions in progress, so parlava matches prendevo.
- 60
Dopo la laurea Martina due anni in uno studio legale, ma non era soddisfatta e ha cambiato strada.
After graduating Martina spent two years at a law firm, but she wasn’t satisfied and changed direction.
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ha passato · Due anni is a closed period seen as a whole, so passato prossimo; non era soddisfatta is the background feeling.
15 questions.
Random 10
10 questions drawn at random from all 60. Repeat as often as you like: every round is different.