Budowano

Budowano is a Polish verb form derived from budować (to build). It represents the imperfective past tense in the passive voice, used when the agent performing the construction is unknown or not specified. In English it is often rendered as “was being built” or, in some contexts, simply “was built,” with emphasis on the process rather than the completion.

In usage, budowano appears in historical narration, descriptive prose, and reportage to describe construction activity without naming the contractor or exact subjects. It is contrasted with zbudowano, which conveys a completed result (the construction has been finished). The form is compatible with impersonal constructions, making the agent implicit or general. Examples include statements about infrastructure projects, urban development, or architectural work described as ongoing in the past: “W latach 1920–1925 budowano nową szkołę” or “Na tamtej ulicy budowano most.”

Semantically, budowano signals process and duration rather than a concluded event. Its translation depends on context and may be rendered as “was being built,” “were being built,” or, when the emphasis is on the outcome, “was built” in a neutral sense. Related forms include budować (the infinitive), budowa (construction in noun form), and zbudowano (the perfective passive counterpart indicating completion). The form is typical in encyclopedic, archival, and descriptive texts where the ongoing character of construction is relevant to the narrative.