Latinimperfect

Latin imperfect is a past tense in Latin that describes actions in progress in the past, habitual past actions, or background circumstances. It is commonly used to set scene, indicate repeated past actions, or describe ongoing states.

In the active voice, the imperfect is formed from the present stem with the imperfect marker -ba- and the standard personal endings. For most 1st and 2nd conjugation verbs, the forms are amābam, amābās, amābat, amābāmus, amābātis, amābant. In the 3rd and 4th conjugations, the marker before the endings lengthens to -ē-, giving forms such as regēbam, regēbās, regēbat, regēbāmus, regēbātis, regēbant (and ducēbam, ducēbās, ducēbat, ducēbāmus, ducēbātis, ducēbant). The imperfect passive uses the same -ba- pattern with passive endings: -bar, -bāris, -bātur, -bāmur, -bāminī, -bantur (e.g., amābar, amābābāris, etc.).

Irregulars include the imperfect of sum: eram, erās, erat, erāmus, erātis, erant. Other verbs with irregular stems in the present may show corresponding irregularities in the imperfect, but the endings and the general use of -ba- or -ē- are consistent.

Uses include describing an ongoing past action, a habitual action in the past, or background circumstances in narratives. It also appears in indirect speech when the original statement is in the past and the surrounding context requires backshifting of tense.

Etymology derives from Latin imperfectus, meaning not completed, reflecting the sense of ongoing or non-punctual past action. The imperfect contrasts with the perfect, which denotes completed past action.