Italian All-in-One For Dummies (164 page)

-ire
endings:
-issi, -issi, -isse, -issimo, -iste, -issero

Repeat these endings a few times to yourself, using a quick pace or a tune, so you begin to memorize them!

Here are some examples that show the different endings in action:

Vorrebbero
che
mangiassimo
da loro.
(
They'd like us to eat at their place.
)

Pensavo
che tu
avessi
fame.
(
I thought that you were hungry.
)

Ero
felice che Fabio
venisse
in Italia.
(
I was happy that Fabio was coming to Italy.
)

Era
bene che
studiaste
.
(
It was good that you
[plural]
studied.
)
Note:
This example is an
impersonal construction,
which means that it doesn't specify a subject.

The following tables show you the conjugations of the
-are,
-ere,
and
-ire
verbs in the imperfect subjunctive tense. You'll notice the word
che
(
that; like
), which precedes the verb in the imperfect subjunctive in these constructions.

Forming the imperfect subjunctive to express doubts, desires, and wants

Finding out how to form the imperfect subjunctive is important if you want to express doubts, desires, and wants. The verbs and constructions that require the present subjunctive also associate with the imperfect subjunctive. The tense of the verb in the main clause determines whether you use the present subjunctive or the imperfect subjunctive in the dependent clause. For example, if the verb in the main clause requires the subjunctive and is in the present tense, you use the present subjunctive or the past subjunctive in the dependent clause (flip to
Chapter 4
in Book V for details on the past subjunctive). If the verb in the main clause requires the subjunctive and is in the conditional, the imperfect, or the past subjunctive, you need to use the imperfect subjunctive in the dependent clause.

You usually use the imperfect subjunctive in dependent or subordinate clauses, introduced by the conjunction
che
(
that; like
). The verbs in the main clauses of these constructions are usually in one of two tenses:

The conditional:
In the sentence
Vorrei
che tu
stessi
zitto
(
I'd like you to be quiet
),
vorrei
is in the conditional, and
stessi
is in the imperfect subjunctive.

The imperfect:
In the sentence
Speravo
che
arrivassero
in tempo
(
I was hoping that they'd arrive in time
),
speravo
is in the imperfect, and
arrivassero
is in the imperfect subjunctive.

The following examples show the difference between using the present subjunctive and the imperfect subjunctive:

Credo
che lui
sia
intelligente.
(
I believe that he's intelligent.
)

Credevo
che lui
fosse
intelligente.
(
I believed that he was intelligent.
)

Here's an easy-to-access formula for the construction of the imperfect subjunctive:

subject + verb in conditional or imperfect +
che
+ imperfect subjunctive

In the previous section on the present subjunctive tense, you see all the different uses of this tense.
Table 6-2
gives you a working list of verbs and expressions appearing in the main clause of a sentence that require the present subjunctive in the dependent clause. Such a list will come in handy when working on the imperfect subjunctive. The same verbs and expressions in the main clause of a sentence tell you that the imperfect subjunctive is necessary, so you can refer to this table as necessary.