Breakdown of Guardavo la signora impaziente che gesticolava.
la signora
lady, madam, Mrs.
guardare
to look at / to watch
che
who, that (relative pronoun)
gesticolare
to gesticulate
impaziente
impatient
Questions & Answers about Guardavo la signora impaziente che gesticolava.
Why use che gesticolava instead of a gerund like gesticolando to mean gesticulating?
In English, we say watching the lady gesticulating. However, in Italian, after verbs of perception like guardare, you do not use the gerund to describe what the object is doing. Instead, the standard structure is the pseudo-relative clause taught in this lesson: che followed by a verb in the imperfect tense, like gesticolava.
Could I say Guardavo la signora impaziente gesticolare instead?
Yes, using the infinitive gesticolare is the other correct way to phrase this. Both work beautifully after perception verbs. The che gesticolava version just puts a slightly stronger spotlight on the ongoing, in-the-moment nature of her gestures while you watched.
How does the grammar show that the lady is the one gesticulating, not me?
Why are both guardavo and gesticolava in the imperfect tense?
They are both in the imperfect to show two simultaneous, ongoing actions in the past. You were in the middle of watching her, and she was in the middle of making gestures. If you had just glanced at her as a completed, one-time event, you might say Ho guardato la signora che gesticolava, but here both actions are continuous.
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