Esatto, eravamo vicino alla finestra.

Eravamo is the imperfetto of essere. It means we were.

The imperfect forms of essere are:

• ero = I was
• eri = you were
• era = he/she/it was
• eravamo = we were
• eravate = you were
• erano = they were

Eravamo gives a background description or an ongoing state in the past: we were near the window.

Italian often uses the imperfect for:

• descriptions
• situations in progress
• scene-setting in past narration

Siamo stati would sound more like a completed past fact, with more emphasis on the whole event rather than the background situation.

So if someone is recalling where people were in a scene, eravamo is very natural.

Because Italian usually drops subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who the subject is. Eravamo already tells you the subject is we.

You can say Noi eravamo vicino alla finestra, but adding noi gives extra emphasis, contrast, or clarification.

Alla is the contraction of a + la.

• a = to / at / near, depending on the expression
• la = the, feminine singular

Since finestra is a feminine singular noun, a + la finestra becomes alla finestra.

Compare:

• al tavolo = a + il tavolo
• alla porta = a + la porta

Because vicino normally goes with the preposition a when it means near.

The pattern is:

vicino a + noun

So:

• vicino a casa
• vicino al museo
• vicino alla finestra

That is why alla is needed here: it includes the a required by vicino.

Because vicino does not describe finestra here. It describes the people who were near the window.

So if it agrees, it agrees with the subject, not with finestra:

• vicini for a masculine or mixed group
• vicine for an all-female group

So the agreeing versions would be:

• Eravamo vicini alla finestra
• Eravamo vicine alla finestra

Not vicina, because that would incorrectly make it agree with finestra.

In careful, textbook-style grammar, many teachers would prefer eravamo vicini/vicine alla finestra, with agreement.

However, in modern Italian, vicino a is also very often used in an invariable way, especially in speech, so eravamo vicino alla finestra is also common and easily understood.

A useful learner rule is:

• use vicini/vicine if you want the clearest standard agreement
• be aware that vicino a without agreement is also common in real Italian

Yes. Accanto alla finestra means next to the window and is often a little more specific than vicino alla finestra.

• vicino alla finestra = near the window
• accanto alla finestra = right next to / beside the window

So both are possible, but accanto suggests closer physical position.