Da bambino, pensavo che un abito elegante fosse troppo scomodo.

As a child, I used to think that an elegant dress was too uncomfortable.

Breakdown of Da bambino, pensavo che un abito elegante fosse troppo scomodo.

• io: I
• essere: to be
• il bambino: the child
• che: that

Questions & Answers about Da bambino, pensavo che un abito elegante fosse troppo scomodo.

Why do we say Da bambino instead of Da bambina?

We use Da bambino if the speaker is a male referring to his childhood. If the speaker is a female, we would say Da bambina. Italian adjectives and some expressions change form depending on the gender of the person speaking or being described.

Why is pensavo in the imperfect tense?

In Italian, the imperfect (imperfetto) is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as well as continuous mental or emotional states. Here, pensavo conveys that the thinking was habitual or lasted for a certain time when the speaker was a child—similar to saying I used to think or I was thinking in English.

Why do we use fosse instead of era?

Fosse is the imperfect subjunctive form (congiuntivo imperfetto) of essere. After verbs expressing thought or opinion—like pensare—in Italian, a subjunctive form is often required in the dependent clause. So pensavo che... fosse carries the nuance of subjectivity or uncertainty, while era would be more direct and indicative, not showing that sense of opinion as strongly.

What is the difference between abito and vestito?