Breakdown of Correvo da un'ora senza prendere fiato.
uno
a / an (masculine special)
correre
to run
prendere
to take
senza
without
l'ora
the hour (f)
da
since, for (duration)
il fiato
the breath
Questions & Answers about Correvo da un'ora senza prendere fiato.
Why use the imperfect correvo with da un'ora instead of a compound tense like avevo corso?
In Italian, when an action started in the past and was still ongoing at a past reference point, you use the imperfect tense + da + the amount of time. English usually uses the past perfect continuous ("I had been running"). If you used avevo corso, it would imply the running had already completely finished before another past event.
Why is the verb prendere in the infinitive here?
In Italian, prepositions like senza (without) are followed by the infinitive when the subject of both actions is the same. While English uses the gerund form ("without catching"), Italian requires the infinitive (senza prendere).
Is prendere fiato a set phrase?
Yes, prendere fiato literally translates to "to take breath" and is the standard Italian idiom for "to catch one's breath" or "to take a breather."
Learn Correvo da un'ora senza prendere fiato and more in Italian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free