Imperfetto Subjunctive for Past Tense (Part 3) : Speak Italian!

               The Italian subjunctive mood is easy to conjugate for use with the Italian past tense,but tricky to use!

Speak Italian: How to Use the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

Can you speak Italian? By now, many of you have passed the beginning stages of learning to speak Italian and can read and comprehend quite a bit of the Italian language. Meraviglioso!

But have you tried to take the next step to speak Italian fluently? Can you use the Italian subjunctive mood when you are speaking in the past tense?  To express complex feelings in Italian correctly, it is important to use the Italian subjunctive mood. Using the subjunctive mood is difficult for English speakers, as we only rarely use this tense in English, and this is something that I am always working on! This is the third blog in the “Speak Italian” series that willfocus on how to conjugate and use the imperfetto subjunctive mood,or “il congiuntivo”for speaking  in the past tense.

Let’s take that giant step from simple beginning sentences to more complex and fluid sentences in Italian by using the imperfetto subjunctive moodwhile speaking in the past tense.In this segment, we will discuss when the helping verbs dovere, potereand volere take the subjunctive mood. 

We will also repeat the Italian  conjugation of the imperfetto subjunctive form  for the regular and irregular  -are, -ere, and -ire verbs and then  present the conjugation of the modal, or helping, verbs  dovere , potere , and volere . Finally, we will revisit the trapassatosubjunctive mood from our previous blog on Italian hypothetical phrases.   Example sentences will follow!

Speak Italian: How to Use the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

In each blog in the  “Speak Italian” series about the imperfetto  Italian subjunctive mood ( “il congiuntivo”),  we will first present phrases that take the Italian subjunctive mood.

Then,  we will review how to conjugate the imperfettosubjunctive mood.

Finally, we will present common phrases from daily life that take the imperfettosubjunctive mood.

Remember these examples as “anchors” in your knowledge for when you must speak Italian and try out the imperfettosubjunctive mood in your next Italian conversation!

Enjoy the third blog in this series, “Imperfetto Subjunctive for Past Tense (Part 3): Speak Italian!”
—Kathryn Occhipinti

Some of this material is adapted from our textbook,  Conversational Italian for Travelers © 2012 by Stella Lucente, LLC, found on www.learntravelitalian.com . Special thanks to Italian instructors Simona Giuggioli and Maria Vanessa Colapinto.

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Speak Italian: How to Use the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood (Part 3)

Once Again… Italian Phrases That Take the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

Italian has a subjunctive mood that is used to express beliefs, thoughts,or hopes with the verbs credere, pensare,and sperare.

The subjunctive mood is also said to “open up” a conversation to discussion about a particular topic by expressing doubt, uncertainty, desire, or a feeling.

Certain phrases are commonly used to start a sentence in order to introduce the subjunctive mood, and these initial phrases will be in the indicative tense (the “usual” present or past tense).  These initial phrases imply uncertainty and trigger the subjunctive mood in the phrase to follow.

We have already learned to use the imperfettosubjunctive mood with the conditional tense in our blogs about Italian hypothetical phrases!   Now, as stated before, we will focus on the use of the imperfettosubjunctive mood after introductory phrases that are in the past tense.

In our first blog about the imperfettosubjunctive mood, we learned that these initial phrases fall into several groups. We discussed Groups 1  through Group 6, which are given below for review.

In our  second blog about the imperfettosubjunctive mood, we discussed Groups 7 and 8.

These groups are again listed  below for review.

In this blog, we will discuss phrases that express feelings (any emotion, fear, or surprise) in Group 9 and describe the situations in the past in which they are used to  introduce the imperfettosubjunctive mood.

We will also now discuss Group 10, in which we list individual words that refer to the purpose or timing of an action that, when in the past, must be followed by the imperfettosubjunctive mood. These words are part of “adverbial clauses” that modify verbs. As such, they are often used in the phrase that completes a sentence, but can also be found at the beginning of a sentence. Many of these words are easy to recognize since they end in -che.

Finally, Groups 11 and 12 are individual adjectives or pronouns that can introduce another clause and when describing the past must be followed by the imperfetto  subjective mood.

At the end of the list, we will also include the topic of a series of blogs on Italian hypothetical phrases,  to complete our discussion of specific words or phrases that can be used to introduce the subjunctive mood.

Groups 1-9: “Noun Clauses”

Group 10: “Adverbial Clauses”

Groups 11 and 12: “Adjective/Pronoun Clauses”

1. 1. 1. Phrases that use the verbs  credere (to believe), pensare (to think),and sperare (to hope). These verbs use the pattern: [verb +  di+ infinitive verb ]  to describe the beliefs, thoughts, or hopes that one has. When the subject in the introductory phrase is not the same as the subject in the subjunctive clause that follows, the pattern changes to:  [verb+ che+ subjunctive verb ].*
      2. Impersonal constructions that begin with, “It is…”such as, “È possibile che…”
      3. Phrases that express a doubt, such as, “I don’t know…”or “Non so che…”
      4. Phrases that express suspicion, such as, ” I suspect that…”or “Sospetto che…”
      5. Phrases that express uncertainty, such as, “It seems to me…”or “Mi sembra che…”and ” To wonder if…” or  “Chiedersi se… “
      6. Impersonal verbs followed by the conjunction che,such as, “Basta che…” “It is enough that,”or “Si dice che…” “They say that…
      7. Phrases that use the verbs volere, desiderare, chiedere, esigere when the subject in the introductory phrase is not the same as the subject in the clause that follows. In this situation, these verbs will be followed by che.
      8. Phrases that use the verbs piacereand dispiacerewhen the subject in the introductory phrase is not the same as the subject in the clause that follows. In this situation, these verbs will be followed by che.
      9. Phrases that express feelings (any emotion, fear, surprise) and use the pattern: [avere, essere, or augurarsiverb  +   di+ infinitive verb ].  When the subject in the introductory phrase is not the same as the subject in the clause that follows, the pattern changes to:  [avere, essere,or augurarsi verb + che+ subjunctive verb ].
      10. Sentences that begin with words that end in – ché,or complex conjunctions that end with  che: affinché, perché (so as, so that, in order that), purché (as long as, provided that, only if)**, a meno che, senza che (unless), può darsi che (it may be possible that, possibly, maybe), prima che (before that). Also the many words that mean  although/even though,one of which ends in -che: benché (also sebenne, malgrado, nonostante).***
      11. Sentences that begin with adjectives or pronouns that include the idea of  anyin a description of a person, place or thing:   qualsiasi, qualunque (any), chiunque (whoever), dovunque (anywhere).
      12. Sentences that begin with adjectives or pronouns that include the idea of nothingor only in a description of a person, place, or thing: niente che, nulla che (nothing that), nessuno che (nobody that), l’unico, il solo, a che (the only one that).

Hypothetical Phrases:  Phrases that begin with se (if)in certain situations. Phrases that begin with  come se (as if), magari (if only)and ammesso che (assuming that).

As usual, there are summary tables in the next section that shows how to use these  phrases.  The present tense is in the left  columns.  The imperfettopast tense has been chosen for the right columns, although in some situations, the passatto prossimopast tense can be used as well. We will then present examples for the past tense.

Points to remember about the subjunctive mood:

In Italian, the introductory phrases  that take the subjunctive mood (those that trigger doubt, uncertainty, desire, or a feeling)   usually end with a linking word, also known as a conjunction, which will be  che.  In this situation, chemeans  that. The clause that follows our introductory phrase will then describe what the uncertainty is about.

We now see from Group 9 that some introductory words or phrases already have  -chéor cheintegrated into the word itself. In these cases, cheis not repeated.  

*When the speaker in the introductory phrase will carry out the action in the phrase to follow, Italian will use the following construction to link the phrases for credere, pensare,and sperare :   di + infinitive verb. Example: Penso di andare a Roma domani.  =  I think I will go to Rome tomorrow. (Use   pensare a  when thinking ABOUT something or someone.)

**solo sealso means only ifbut does NOT take the subjunctive mode.

*** anche sealso means even though/ifbut does NOT take the subjunctive mode.

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How to Express One’s Feelings with “Di” and “Che” and the Italian Subjunctive Mood – Present Tense

Phrases Used to Express Feelings with “Di” in Italian

When expressing one’s feelings in Italian in the first person ( ioconjugation), many common Italian expressions are followed by di (of). In this case, when diis followed by another verb, the verb in the second phrase will be in the infinitive tense (if you remember, infinitive verbs end in -are, -ere, -ire, and translate as  “to…”).  Below are some examples of these phrases, along with example sentences, adapted from Chapter 7 of the Conversational Italian for Travelers textbook.

avere bisogno di	to have need of	Ho bisogno di … riposare.
	*	*
avere paura di	to be afraid/have fear of	Ho paura di … guidare.
	*	*
avere voglia di	to feel like	Ho voglia di … mangiare una pizza.
	*	*
essere certo di	to be certain of	Sono certo(a) di … ricordare il tuo nome.
	*	*
essere sicuro di	to be certain of	Sono sicuro(a) di … ricordare questo posto.
	*	*
essere felice di	to be happy to	Sono felice di … incontrare mio cugino oggi.
	*	*
essere fortunato di	to be lucky to	Sono fortunato(a) di … mangiare questa cena.
	*	*
essere libero di	to be free to	Sono libero(a) di … viaggiare.
	*	*
essere stanco di	to be tired of	Sono stanco(a) di … lavorare.
	*	*
temere di…	to be afraid of	Temo di … essere in ritardo.
	*	*
augurarsi di…	to wish/to hope (of)	Mi auguro di … fare una buona vacanza.

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How to Express One’s Feelings with “Di” and “Che” and the Italian Subjunctive Mood – Past Tense

Phrases Used to Express Feelings with “Che” and the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

Some of the expressions listed in the following table are most commonly used with the same subject for the second phrase. As noted in our previous discussions, these phrases will be followed with “di”and an infinitive verb. They are reprinted here to correspond with the previous table, followed by an asterisk and an explanation in parentheses.

For most of the expressions of feeling that we have been talking about, though, it is possible to express a feeling that the speaker (io)has regarding another person or people . In this case, then, these expressions must be followed by che , and the subjunctive mood should be used  for the verb in the second phrase.

The above rule for using che + subjunctiveapplies whether the introductory phrase is in the present tense or the past tense.However, if the introductory verb is in the past tense, the imperfetto subjunctiveform is the form to follow!

In our example table, we will illustrate this by following the Italian phrases in which the subjects can be different with .. .che tu, which we know means …that you, although of course, this rule follows no matter which subject pronoun we use.

Phrases Used to Express Feelings with “Che” and the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mode

Present Tense Subjunctive  Phrase Group 8			Past Tense Subjunctive Phrase Group 8
Ho bisogno… che tu	I need… that you* *(This expression is not commonly used in Italian to tell another person what needs to be done; voglio cheis used instead.)		Avevo bisogno… che tu	I needed… that you* *(This expression is not commonly used in Italian to tell another person what needs to be done; volevo cheis used instead.)
Ho paura… che tu	I am afraid… that you		Avevo paura…   che tu	I was afraid… that you
Ho voglia di… *	I feel like… * *(always used with the same subject + diin both phrases)		Avevo voglia … *	I felt like…* *(always used with the same subject + di in both phrases)
Non sono certo(a)… che tu	I am not certain… that you		Non ero certo… che tu	I was not certain… that you
Non sono sicuro(a)… che tu	I am not certain… that you		Non ero sicuro… che tu	I was not certain… that you
Sono felice… che tu	I am happy… that you		Ero felice… che tu	I was happy… that you
Sono fortunato(a)… che tu	I am happy… that you		Ero fortunato(a)… che tu	I was fortunate… that you
Sono libero(a) di… *	I am free… * *(always used with the same subject + diin both phrases)		Ero libero(a)… *	I was free… * *(always used with the same subject + di in both phrases)
Sono stanco(a) di…	I am tired…* *(always used with the same subject + diin both phrases)		Ero stanco(a)… *	I was tired…* *(always used with the same subject + di in both phrases)
Temo… che tu	I am afraid… that you		Temevo… che tu	I was afraid… that you
Mi auguro… che tu	I hope… that you		Mi auguravo… che tu	I hoped… that you

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Idiomatic Use of the Italian Subjunctive Mood

The final group of words in the table below take the subjunctive mood when used to start a sentence. These conjunctions, adjectives, and pronouns imply that a second phrase is necessary to complete the sentence.

The above rule for using che + subjunctiveapplies whether the introductory phrase is in the present tense or the past tense. However, if  the introductory verb is the past tense, the imperfetto subjunctiveform is the form to follow!

Only the most commonly used have been given in the table.  For a more complete list, see the list in the first section of this blog.

Present Tense Subjunctive  Phrase Groups 9, 10, 11
Prima che	Before that  ( Prima cheis used to mean “before that” and followed by the subjunctive when the subject in the first phrase is different from the subject in the second phrase; use Prima di + infinitive verb when the subject of both phrases is the same.)
Benché, Sebbene	Although, Even though, If
Può darsi che	It may be possible that, Possibly, Maybe
Affinché	So as, So that, In order that
Perché	So that ( Perchéis only used in the subjunctive mood when it means “so that.” Other meanings of perchéinclude “why”and “because,”and in these cases, the subjunctive mood is not used.)
Purché	As long as, Provided that, Only if

Finally, our usual reminder:

DO NOT USE THE SUBJUNCTIVE WITH THE FOLLOWING THREE PHRASES!

Forse = Perhaps     

Per me= For me

Secondo me= According to me

The above may seem like exceptions to the rule, but perhaps… because these phrases already express doubt or your personal opinion… in the Italian way of thinking, it would be redundant to use these phrases along with the subjunctive!

And, two more  phrases we can now add that DO NOT take the subjunctive mood:

Solo se= Only if

Anche se= Even though/if

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Speak Italian: Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood (Part 3)

How to Conjugate the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood for -are, -ere, and -ire Verbs

Luckily, there are only a few irregular stem forms to learn for the  imperfetto subjunctive mood, making it an easier tense to learn than the present, future, and conditional tenses.

Also, the  imperfetto subjunctive mood endings are always regular and will be the same for all three conjugations!

To change any regular infinitive verb into the imperfettosubjunctive mood, first drop the final -re, from our infinitive -are, -ere,and -ireverbs to create the stem.

This will create stems that end in the letters  –a for the  –are verbs,  -e for the  –ere verbs, and –i for the  –ire verbs.  Then add the endings given in the first table below to the stem that has been created. Examples for each verb type are given in the second table below. *

The word che is included in parentheses in the subject pronoun column as a reminder that these verb forms typically are used with the conjunction  che. Also, use the subject pronoun in your sentence after chefor clarity, since the endings for the singular forms are all the same!

Practice the subjunctive verbs out loud by saying che, the subject pronoun and then the correct verb form that follows!

Subjunctive Mood – Imperfetto Endings

io	ssi
tu	ssi
Lei/lei/lui	sse
noi	ssimo
voi	ste
loro	ssero

The following table will put together our stems with our  imperfetto subjunctive mood endings.  A few notes about this:

When pronouncing the  imperfetto subjunctive mood verbs, the stress will always be on the syllable that begins with the last two letters of the stem and will incorporate one –s letter from the ending. (Remember the rule for Italian double consonants: one consonant will go with the syllable before and the second with the syllable after, in effect also stressing the double consonant itself.) The stressed syllables are underlined in our example table below.

Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood – Example Verb Conjugations

	Abitare (to live) (lived/were living)	Vedere (to see) (saw/had seen)	Finire (to finish) (finished/were finishing)
(che) io	abi t a s si	ve des si	fi n i s si
(che) tu	abi t a s si	ve des si	fi n i s si
(che) Lei/lei/lui	abi t a s se	ve des se	fi n i s se
(che) noi	abi t a s simo	ve des simo	fi n i s simo
(che) voi	abi t a s te	ve des te	fi n i s te
(che) loro	abi t a s sero	ve des sero	fi n i s sero

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How to Conjugate the Italian Subjunctive Mood Imperfetto Tense for the Modal Verbs

Here are the  Italian imperfettosubjunctive forms for the modal verbs.  If you remember, modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that are also called “helping verbs.” These verbs are often used in the subjunctive mood in written and spoken Italian. As you no doubt recall, these three helping verbs give additional information about the main verb in the phrase. In the subjunctive mood, volerecan also be translated as “to need.”

 Dovere – to have to/must – Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

(che) io	do ves si	I had to
(che) tu	do ves si	you (familiar) had to
(che) Lei (che) lei/lui	do ves se	you (polite) had to she/he had to
(che) noi	do ves simo	we had to
(che) voi	do ves te	you all had to
(che) loro	do ves sero	they had to

che) io	po tes si	I was able to/could
(che) tu	po tes si	you (familiar) were able to/could
(che) Lei (che) lei/lui	po tes se	you (polite) were able to/could  she/he was able to/could
(che) noi	po tes simo	we were able to/could
(che) voi	po tes te	you all were able to/could
(che) loro	po tes sero	they were able to/could

(che) io	vo les si	I wanted/needed
(che) tu	vo les si	you (familiar) wanted/needed
(che) Lei (che) lei/lui	vo les se	you (polite) wanted/needed she/he wanted/needed
(che) noi	vo les simo	we wanted/needed
(che) voi	vo les te	you all wanted/needed
(che) loro	vo les sero	they wanted/needed

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The Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

Commonly Used Regular and Irregular Verbs

A review from the second blog in this series:

Luckily, most verbs are regular in the  imperfetto subjunctive mood.  So, there are many, many more regular than irregular verbs! Below are some commonly used regular verbs, some of which are irregular in the present tense and most other tenses! Practice saying them out loud and listen to how each conjugated verb sounds.

	Andare (to go) (went/were going)	Sapere (to know) (knew/had known)	Venire (to come) (came/had come)	Vivere (to live) (lived/were living)
io	an das si	sa pes si	ve nis si	vi ves si
tu	an das si	sa pes si	ve nis si	vi ves si
Lei/lei/lui	an das se	sa pes se	ve nis se	vi ves se
noi	an das simo	sa pes simo	ve nis simo	vi ves simo
voi	an das te	sa pes te	ve nis te	vi ves te
loro	an das sero	sa pes sero	ve nis sero	vi ves sero

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The Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

Commonly Used Irregular Verbs

There are a few important irregular verbs to know in the  imperfetto subjunctive mood.  You will find them in the tables below. Practice saying them out loud and listen to how each conjugated verb sounds.

Fare –  to do/make –  Imperfetto  Subjunctive Mood

io	fa ces si	I did/ made
tu	fa ces si	you (familiar) did/made
Lei lei/lui	fa ces se	you (polite) did/made she/he did/made
noi	fa ces simo	we did/made
voi	fa ces te	you all did/made
loro	fa ces sero	they did/made

Dare –  to give – Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

io	des si	I gave
tu	des si	you (familiar) gave
Lei lei/lui	des se	you (polite) gave she/he gave
noi	des simo	we gave
voi	des te	you all gave
loro	des sero	they gave

Dire –  to say/tell – Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

io	di ces si	I said/told
tu	di ces si	you (familiar) said/told
Lei lei/lui	di ces se	you (polite) said/told she/he said/told
noi	di ces simo	we said/told
voi	di ces te	you all said/told
loro	di ces sero	they said/told

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How to Conjugate Italian Verbs “Essere,” “Avere,” and “Stare” in the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

A review from the first blog in this series:

In the tables below are the imperfettosubjunctive forms for the Italian auxiliary verbs avere, stare,and essere,which are often used in the subjunctive mood in written and spoken Italian. These are important verbs to commit to memory!

You will notice that averehas a regular conjugation in the imperfettosubjunctive mood, whereas  essere and starehave an irregular conjugation.

Avere—to have—Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

(che) io	a ves si	I had
(che) tu	a ves si	you (familiar) had
(che) Lei (che) lei/lui	a ves se	you (polite) had she/he had
(che) noi	a ves simo	we had
(che) voi	a ves te	you all had
(che) loro	a ves sero	they had

Essere—to be—Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

(che) io	fos si	I were
(che) tu	fos si	you (familiar) were
(che) Lei (che) lei/lui	fos se	you (polite) were she/he were
(che) noi	fos simo	we were
(che) voi	fos te	you all were
(che) loro	fos sero	they were

Stare—to stay/be—Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

(che) io	st es si	I stayed/were
(che) tu	st es si	you (familiar) stayed/were
(che) Lei (che) lei/lui	st es se	you (polite) stayed/were she/he stayed/were
(che) noi	ste s simo	we stayed/were
(che) voi	st e ste	you all stayed/were
(che) loro	st es s ero	they stayed/were

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The “Trapassato” Subjunctive Mood

 “Essere” or  “Avere” + Past Participle

To form the trapassatosubjunctive mood to describe an event that started and was completed in the past, simply use either essereor averein the imperfettoconjugation, and add the past participle of the verb.

In English, any event that started and was completed in the past simply needs “had” inserted in front of the past participle! This is a bit easier than Italian, but with a little practice, you will get used to the Italian in no time!

Visit our blog about   Italian hypothetical phrases in the past tense (Italian Subjunctive Part 5) for practice using this verb form with impossible hypothetical sentences.

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Below are the trapassatosubjunctive mood conjugations for the auxiliary verbs avereand essere,  using the past participles for two Italian verbs that are commonly used in this tense – fareand andare.

Remember that action verbs of direction, reflexive verbs, other verbs of growing and changing, and piacereall take essereas a helping verb when making these compound verbs.  All other verbs take avere. If you need a review of the use of helping verbs for the Italian past tense, please refer to our blog  Speak Italian: A Story About… Love!

You will notice  that averehas a regular conjugation in the imperfettosubjunctive mood, whereas  essere  has an irregular conjugation. The past participle for fare (fatto)is irregular, but that of andare (andato)is regular. If you need a refresher on how to form past participles, please refer to our blog  Speak Italian: A Story About… Love!

In hypothetical clauses, because the  trapassatosubjunctive mood is introduced by se, (se) is included in the subject pronoun column as a reminder. When conjugating these verbs, say “se”before the subject pronoun and each verb form to reinforce this way of thinking!

Avere  (to have) + Fare (to do/make) — Trapassato Subjunctive Mood

(se) io	a ves si   +      fatto	I had  +                                   made/done
(se) tu	a ves si  +       fatto	you (familiar) had  +       made/done
(se) Lei (se) lei/lui	a ves se  +       fatto	you (polite) had  +           made/done she/he had  +                     made/done
(se) noi	a ves simo  +  fatto	we had  +                          made/done
(se) voi	a ves te  +        fatto	you all had  +                  made/done
(se) loro	a ves sero  +   fatto	they had  +                       made/done

Essere (to be) + Andare (to go) — Trapassato Subjunctive Mood

(se) io	fos si  +     andato(a)	I had  +                               gone
(se) tu	fos si  +     andato(a)	you (familiar) had  +    gone
(se) Lei (se) lei/lui	fos se  +    andato(a)	you (polite) had  +        gone she/he had  +                  gone
(se) noi	fos simo  +  andati(e)	we had  +                         gone
(se) voi	fos te  +        andati(e)	you all had  +                 gone
(se) loro	fos sero  +   andati(e)	they had  +                      gone

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Speak Italian: How to Use the Italian Subjunctive Mood (Part 3)

Example Phrases Using the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood in the Past Tense

To follow are some examples of how the Italian subjunctive mood in the past tense might be used in conversation during daily life.

Notice that English sentence structure differs from Italian in most of these sentences.  We can make a similar sentence in English as in Italian, but it would be considered an “awkward” sentence.

The biggest difference is that we English speakers do not use the subjunctive form, whether or not the subject in the two phrases is the same or different.  Also, we often leave out the word “that” from our sentences that contain two phrases. But, the Italian word for “that,” “che,”  is not an option when linking two Italian phrases – except if the introductory word itself ends in -che.

For the translations, the Italian sentence structure is given first for some examples to help us to think in Italian. The correct English is in bold.

We will use the example introductory phrases  from earlier in this section. How many more combinations can you think of?

Ho voluto  che tu cucinassi  una cena speciale per la festa ieri sera.	I wanted  that you cook a special dinner for the party tonight. = I wanted  you to cook  a special dinner for the party last night.
	*
Ieri sera, ho avuto paura che lui  guidassi   troppo veloce.	Last night, I was afraid that he drove  too fast. = Last night, I was afraid, since he drove too fast.
Non ero certo che Lei ricordasse  quello giorno.	I was not certain that you remembered  that day.

Non ero sicuro che noi ricordassimo  il posto corretto.	I was not sure that we remembered the right place.
Sono stato felice che voi abbiate incontrato   mio cugino oggi.	I was happy that  you all  have met my cousin today.= I was happy  you all  met my cousin today.
Sono stata fortunata  che voi abbiate mangiato  con me ieri sera per il mio compleanno.	I was lucky that you all ate  with me last night for my birthday.= I was lucky you all ate  with me last night for my birthday.

Temavo  che loro non fossero persone perbene.	I was afraid that they were not good people.
	*
Mi auguravo  che loro facessero una buona vacanza.	I was hoping  that they had a good vacation. = I was hoping  they had  a good vacation.

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The Italian Subjunctive Mood: Examples for Idiomatic Phrases and Modal Verbs

Here are some examples for the introductory phrases “before that” and “after that,” which, as we have discussed in the earlier section, should take the imperfettosubjunctive mood when the reference is to the past.

These phrases seem to be most useful in situations in which we talk about plans people would have liked to or had made  for themselves or others, and therefore helping verbs many times also come into play.

Lei ha dovuto prepare molto bene i tuoi  documenti prima che tu dovessi andare al lavoro.	She had to prepare your documents very well before (that) you had to come to work. = She had to prepare your documents very well before you had to go to work.
	*
Prima che mio figlio potesse andare dove ha voluto, io sono dovuto venire a casa.	Before (that) my son could go where he wanted to, I had to go home. = Before my son could go where he wanted to, I had to come home.
	*
Prima che noi dovessimo partire per Roma, è stato buono che avete  riposato un po’ in campagna.	Before ( that) we had to leave for Rome, it was good that you all rested a little bit in the country. = Before we had to leave for Rome, it was good that you all rested a little bit in the country.
	*
Prima che voi poteste  andare a trovare * i vostri parenti in America, tuo padre ha dovuto guadagnare  un sacco di soldi. **	Before (that) you all  could visit your relatives in America, your father had to make a lot of money. = Before you all could visit your relatives in America, your father had to make a lot of money.
	*
Il mio assistente ha dovuto portarli al riunione prima che loro possano mangiare la cena.	My assistant had to bring them to the meeting before (that) they could eat dinner. = My assistant had to bring them to the meeting before  they could eat dinner.

* andare a trovareis an idiomatic expression that means “to go to visit (someone).” Visitareis used when going to visit a place.

** un sacco di soldiis an idiomatic expression that means “a lot of money.”

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The  Italian Subjunctive Mood: Examples for Idiomatic Phrases

The final group of words that take the subjunctive mood on an idiomatic basis imply that a second phrase is necessary to complete the sentence. These are essential phrases to remember if we want to express complex thoughts in Italian. Here are some examples. How many more can you think of?

Benché io volessi andare in Italia, non è stato possibile l’anno scorso.	Although I wanted to go to Italy, it was not possible last year.
	*
Sebbene lui volesse andare all’università,  non ha ricevuto voti abastanza buoni al liceo.	Although he wanted to go to college, he did not get good enough grades in high school.
	*
Sebbene noi volessimo viaggiare ,  abbiamo dovuto lavorare nel’ristorante di famiglia per molti anni.	Though we wanted to travel,  we had to work in the family restaurant for many years.
	*
Perché la crostata fosse fatto  buona,  hai dovuto usare le fragole fresche.	So that the pie was made well, she had to use fresh strawberries. = She had to use fresh strawberries so that the pie was made well.
	*
Sono venuto alla festa, purché( lui non ci fosse.	I agreed to come to the party, provided that he was not (going to be)  there. = I agreed to come to the party, provided that he was not going to be there.

-Some of this material is adapted from Conversational Italian for Travelers, Chapter 7, “Idiomatic Expressions – Avereand Essere+ di+ Infinitive” © 2012 by Stella Lucente, LLC.

Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, is the author of the
Conversational Italian for Travelers series of books and a teacher of  Italian for travelers to Italy in the Peoria and Chicago area.
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Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood Past Tense (Part 3): Speak Italian!