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lui tornava

was coming back, used to come back, was coming to mind, made sense, added up

→ tornare
torn return, go back, come back + ava 3rd-person singular imperfect
verb · 3rd-person singular, imperfect tense Rare #21,906
was coming back, used to come back The imperfect form can describe an ongoing or habitual action in the past.
IT: Tornava a casa ogni sera.
EN: He was coming home every evening.
was coming to mind Used in the expression tornare in mente, meaning that something comes to mind or is remembered.
IT: Quel nome mi tornava spesso in mente.
EN: That name often came to mind.
made sense, added up Often used negatively: non tornava means that something did not make sense or add up.
IT: La sua spiegazione non tornava.
EN: His explanation didn't add up.
Conjugation of tornare
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
First tornavo —
Third tornava tornavano

Ma tornava a farlo.

But he did it again.

— Sorry, Baby (2025)

La mattina in cui tornava era sempre un gran caos.

The morning she came back was always a complete mess.

Beveva e se ne tornava a casa.

He would drink and go back home.

— I lunedì al sole (2002)

Tornava dall'aeroporto dov'era andato ad attendere Christian.

He was coming back from the airport, where he had gone to wait for Christian.

— Effetto notte (1973)

Sono rimasto, ma non tornava.

I stayed, but he didn't come back.

— Andhadhun (2018)

Ha detto che tornava a casa.

He said he was going home.

— Un giorno di ordinaria follia (1993)

Nessuno fu aggredito mentre tornava a casa.

No one was attacked while returning home.

La storia di Tom non tornava.

Tom's story didn't add up.

Tornava a casa ubriaco fradicio, e faceva stare male mamma.

He came home dead drunk, and made Mom feel sick.

— Viaggio a Tokyo (1953)

C’era qualcosa che non tornava nel Rubricum, ma non riuscivo a capire cosa.

Something was off about the Rubricum, but I couldn’t figure out what.

La gente mangiava, poi tornava a casa.

People ate, then went home.

La morte gli tornava sempre in mente.

Death kept coming back to him.

— It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012)

Quindi è qui che tornava sempre.

So this is where he always came back.

— TRON: Ares (2025)

Sapevi che quando tornava la vecchia mi serviva la vetrina.

You knew that when the old lady came back I needed the display case.

— Fuck you, prof! (2013)