Breakdown of Gli imperatori non rispettavano sempre la legge.
non
not
sempre
always
rispettare
to respect
l'imperatore
the emperor
Questions & Answers about Gli imperatori non rispettavano sempre la legge.
This lesson is about the passato remoto. Why does this sentence use the imperfetto (rispettavano) instead of the passato remoto (rispettarono)?
The key is the word sempre (always). The passato remoto is used for completed, one-time events in the distant past. Since not respecting the law was a continuous, ongoing habit or state rather than a single isolated event, Italian requires the imperfetto.
Why is the article gli used here instead of i?
Imperatore (emperor) is a masculine word, so its plural is masculine too. For masculine plural nouns that start with a vowel, Italian always uses the definite article gli instead of i.
Why does sempre come after the verb here, unlike English where "always" comes before the verb?