When we talk about hopes, fears, doubts, or desires in the past, the action in the dependent clause must take the imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto). You'll need this tense whenever the main verb is a past tense (like the imperfetto or passato prossimo) that triggers the subjunctive.
To form the regular imperfect subjunctive, drop the infinitive ending (-are, -ere, -ire) and add these endings. Notice the signature double s!
| Pronoun | -are | -ere | -ire |
|---|
| io / tu | -assi | -essi | -issi |
| lui / lei | -asse | -esse | -isse |
| noi | -assimo | -essimo | -issimo |
| voi | -aste | -este | -iste |
| loro | -assero | -essero | -issero |
Note that the *io and tu forms are identical, so subject pronouns are sometimes included to avoid confusion.*
Hopes, Beliefs, and Fears in the Past
When you describe how you felt, what you believed, or what you feared in the past, follow your main verb with che and the imperfect subjunctive.
Wants and Impressions
This pattern works exactly the same for verbs of wanting or impersonal expressions (like "it seemed that..."). Look closely at how the endings attach to the -ere (distruggere) and -ire (scoprire) verbs below.
"What if...?"
The imperfect subjunctive isn't only used after che. You can also use it directly after e se to mean "what if...?" This is the standard way to propose hypothetical, unlikely, or imaginary scenarios in Italian.