Breakdown of Eravamo bambini molto vivaci e pieni di energia.
essere
to be
e
and
molto
very
il bambino
the child
pieno
full
di
of, from
vivace
lively
l'energia
the energy (f)
Questions & Answers about Eravamo bambini molto vivaci e pieni di energia.
Why do we use the imperfetto verb eravamo here instead of the passato prossimo form siamo stati?
We use the imperfetto (eravamo) to describe ongoing states, conditions, or characteristics in the past. Since being a lively child describes how we used to be over a period of time, rather than a single completed event, the imperfetto is the right choice.
Why does vivaci end in an -i? Is it just because bambini is masculine?
Vivaci is the plural of vivace (lively). Adjectives that end in -e in the singular change to -i in the plural for both masculine and feminine nouns. So while it matches the plural bambini here, it would also be vivaci for feminine plural nouns like bambine.
Why is it pieni di energia and not just pieno di energia?
In Italian, adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. Because pieno (full) describes the masculine plural bambini, it has to change to its masculine plural form, pieni. Also, notice that pieno is almost always followed by the preposition di to mean "full of".
Do I need to include noi (we) at the beginning of the sentence?
You do not need it! In Italian, the subject pronoun is usually dropped unless you want to add special emphasis. The unique -vamo ending of eravamo already makes it completely clear that the subject is noi.
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