Ducebamus

Ducebamus is a Latin verb form: the first person plural imperfect indicative active of the verb ducere, meaning to lead, conduct, or bring. The form indicates a past, ongoing, or habitual action, roughly translated as “we were leading” or “we used to lead.” It belongs to the third conjugation; the imperfect is built from the present stem duc- with the marker -eba- and the personal ending -mus, yielding ducebamus.

In Latin, the imperfect tense expresses past duration or repeated past action rather than a simple completed event. Ducebamus would typically appear in narrative or descriptive passages to set background or contrast with a later completed action (e.g., a subsequent perfect form such as duximus, “we led”). The subject is often understood from context, since Latin frequently omits the pronoun.

Syntax and usage notes: ducebamus takes a direct object in the accusative when describing what was led (for example, an army or troops) and can be followed by a prepositional phrase or clause indicating direction or destination. Like other imperfect forms, ducebamus contrasts with ducemus or duximus to mark different aspects or points in time within a narrative sequence.

Example: Ducebamus exercitum in castra. Translation: We were leading the army into the camp. This illustrates the combination of the direct object exercitum and the directional phrase in castra, common in Latin verb construction.

Related topics: Latin verb conjugations (third conjugation), imperfect tense, aspect in Latin, and the broader paradigm of ducere.