A finite verb form that normally provides a clue as to the time setting (present, past, future) for an action or event: andremo a New York ‘we will go to New York’; i miei amici ci sono stati ‘my friends have been there’. Occasionally the gram- matical verb tense does not correspond to the time setting – for example the future can be used for a present time setting: Sono le 4.00. Mio marito sarà già a Palermo ‘It’s 4.00. My husband will be at Palermo by now’ – and the imperfect can be used to express a polite request: volevo un francobollo da 2 euro ‘I wanted a 2 euro stamp’.