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La volta che ho cambiato corsia, ero troppo imbranato.

La volta che ho cambiato corsia, ero troppo imbranato.
The time that I changed lanes, I was too clumsy.
From Lesson 441:Colloquial temporal replacement (che)·Italian

Questions & Answers about La volta che ho cambiato corsia, ero troppo imbranato.

Why is che used here instead of in cui or quando?
In spoken and informal Italian, che is frequently used as a temporal relative pronoun to mean 'when' or 'in which'. Saying la volta che is much more natural in everyday conversation than the strictly grammatical la volta in cui or la volta quando.
Why is there no article before corsia? Shouldn't it be ho cambiato la corsia?
Just like in English where we say 'change lanes' without an article, Italian often drops the article after cambiare when talking about standard, routine switches. You will see this in common phrases like cambiare corsia, cambiare macchina (to change cars), or cambiare idea (to change your mind).
Why do we see the passato prossimo (ho cambiato) followed by the imperfetto (ero)?
This is a classic past-tense contrast. Ho cambiato is used for the specific, completed event of changing the lane. Ero troppo imbranato uses the imperfetto because it describes a continuous state or condition (being clumsy) that formed the background of that event.
Is imbranato a common word to use for 'clumsy'?
Yes, imbranato is a very common, colloquial adjective for someone who is clumsy, awkward, or inept. It fits perfectly with the casual tone set by the temporal che at the start of the sentence, though you would avoid it in formal writing.

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