Breakdown of Mia sorella aveva una bambola e io avevo un orsacchiotto.
io
I
un
a / an (masculine)
una
a / an (feminine)
e
and
Questions & Answers about Mia sorella aveva una bambola e io avevo un orsacchiotto.
Why do we use the imperfetto (aveva and avevo) here instead of the passato prossimo?
The imperfetto is used to describe ongoing states, habits, or situations in the past. Owning a toy as a child is an ongoing state over an indefinite period of time. If you used the passato prossimo (ha avuto or ho avuto), it would sound like you received or owned the toy for one specific, completed event.
Is the word io necessary before avevo?
Normally, you can drop subject pronouns in Italian because the verb ending tells you who is acting (avevo always means "I had"). However, io is included here to emphasize the contrast between the two people: "My sister had a doll, and I had a teddy bear."
Why is there no article before Mia sorella? Shouldn't it be La mia sorella?