The imperfect tense describes the past as it was unfolding: "I was loving", "she used to walk", "they were building".
Can recognize Imperfect tense recognition in a short Latin prompt
Schau dir diese Beispiele an. Kannst du das grammatische Muster erkennen?
The boys used to play in the street.
Cicerō used to write letters every day.
Achte auf die hervorgehobenen Teile. Was haben sie gemeinsam?
The imperfect tense describes the past as it was unfolding: "I was loving", "she used to walk", "they were building". Where the perfect reports a finished event, the imperfect paints a background scene or a repeated habit. Its recognition sign is one of the friendliest in Latin: the syllable -ba-.
Every imperfect verb carries -bam, -bas, -bat, -bamus, -batis, -bant:
| Ending | Person | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -bam | I was ...ing | amabam |
| -bas | you were ...ing | amabas |
| -bat | he/she was ...ing | amabat |
| -bamus | we were ...ing | amabamus |
| -batis | you (pl.) were ...ing | amabatis |
| -bant | they were ...ing | amabant |
Examples:
For English speakers: English needs a helper word for this idea ("was", "were", "used to"), so you may look for a second word that Latin never supplies. It is all in the -ba-. Translate a single ambulabat as "he was walking" or "he used to walk", choosing whichever fits the context: ongoing action or repeated habit. Do not confuse the imperfect -bam with the future -bo / -bis / -bit of first and second conjugation verbs (amabo = "I will love"): the imperfect's giveaway is specifically the -ba- before the ending.
Wende diese Grammatik in den Übungen des Kurses A1 an
ÜbungsaufgabenThe boys used to play in the street.
The -ba- marker means repeated or ongoing action - close to English 'used to' or 'was playing'.
Cicerō used to write letters every day.
Scribebat against scripsit: habitual against a single completed act. English marks this with its own past forms.
Im Kurs üben
Wende diese Grammatik in den Übungen des Kurses A1 an