Quando ero in albergo, controllavo la valigia ogni mattina per sicurezza.

When I was in the hotel, I used to check my suitcase every morning for safety.

Breakdown of Quando ero in albergo, controllavo la valigia ogni mattina per sicurezza.

• io: I
• essere: to be
• ogni: every
• la mattina: the morning
• in: in
• per: for
• quando: when
• la mia: my
• la valigia: the suitcase
• l'albergo: the hotel
• controllare: to use to check
• la sicurezza: the safety

Questions & Answers about Quando ero in albergo, controllavo la valigia ogni mattina per sicurezza.

Why is ero used here instead of something like sono stato?

In Italian, ero is the imperfect form of essere, which indicates a continuous or repeated condition in the past. By using ero, the speaker suggests that staying in the hotel was an ongoing situation, rather than a single, completed event (which could use sono stato).

Why is controllavo in the imperfect tense?

Controllavo is the imperfect form of controllare. The imperfect tense often describes repeated or habitual actions in the past. Here, it shows that checking the suitcase was something done every morning as a routine.

Why is it la valigia (singular) instead of a plural form?

In Italian, you can refer to your luggage collectively with a singular noun (la valigia), especially if you imagine it as one primary suitcase. It’s very common to use the singular even when referring to baggage in general.

What does per sicurezza mean in this context?

It literally means for safety or for security. It's an idiomatic way to say just to be sure or to be on the safe side in English.