Word
Da adolescenti eravamo sempre in cortile.
Meaning
As teenagers we were always in the courtyard.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Da adolescenti eravamo sempre in cortile.
essere
to be
in
in / made of (material)
sempre
always
da
as a (child/teenager), when one was
Questions & Answers about Da adolescenti eravamo sempre in cortile.
Why is eravamo used here instead of the passato prossimo?
Eravamo is the imperfetto (imperfect) tense of essere (to be) for "we". The imperfetto is used to describe ongoing states or repeated, habitual actions in the past. Because the sentence says we were "always" (sempre) in the courtyard as teenagers, it is a past habit, not a single completed event.
Why does da translate to "as" in da adolescenti?
In Italian, you use the preposition da followed by a stage of life or a profession to mean "as a..." or "when I was a...". So, da adolescenti means "as teenagers". You will also see this in common phrases like da bambino (as a child) or da giovane (as a young person).
Why is it just in cortile and not nel cortile?
For many common rooms or areas around a house, Italian uses the simple preposition in without combining it with a definite article (like "the"). Just like you say in cucina (in the kitchen) or in giardino (in the garden), you say in cortile (in the courtyard).
Why does adolescenti end in "-i"?