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loro stessero

were

ˈs t e s . s e . r o → stare
stess be; stay + ero they imperfect subjunctive
auxiliary · 3rd-person plural, imperfect tense Rare #26,595
were Used with a gerund to form the past progressive, often after expressions of doubt, thought, or appearance.
IT: Pensavo che stessero aspettando l’autobus.
EN: I thought they were waiting for the bus.
Conjugation of stare
Subjunctive imperfect
SingularPlural
Third stesse stessero
stessi

Io ho sempre avuto la sensazione che Tom e Mary stessero nascondendo qualcosa.

I always had the feeling that Tom and Mary were hiding something.

Immagino che stessero tutti mentendo.

I guess they were all lying.

Non penso che Tom e Mary si stessero nascondendo.

I don't think Tom and Mary were hiding.

Sembrava che stessero discutendo di una questione di grande importanza.

It seemed like they were discussing a matter of great importance.

Non avevo idea che Tom e Mary ci stessero mentendo.

I had no idea Tom and Mary were lying to us.

È come se il mio cervello e il mio corpo non stessero parlando.

It’s as if my brain and my body aren’t talking to each other.

— Together (2025)

Penso che Tom e Mary stessero parlando in francese.

I think Tom and Mary were speaking French.

Sembrava che loro stessero discutendo di una questione di grande importanza.

It seemed like they were discussing a matter of great importance.

I giapponesi, è come se stessero tagliando le palle ai coreani.

It’s as if the Japanese were cutting the Koreans’ balls off.

— Assassination (2015)

Pensavo mi stessero già arrestando.

I thought they were already arresting me.

— Quei bravi ragazzi (1990)

Io non pensavo che Tom e Mary stessero dormendo.

I didn’t think Tom and Mary were sleeping.