Quaerebam

Quaerebam is a Latin verb form meaning “I was seeking” or “I used to seek,” and can also be understood as “I was asking” in contexts where to seek or inquire is intended. It is the first-person singular imperfect active indicative of the verb quaerō, quaerere, quaesīvī, quaesītum, which means “to seek, to inquire, to ask,” and more broadly “to obtain.”

Form and basic use: As a third-conjugation verb, quaerō forms the imperfect with the thematic vowel plus the standard imperfect endings, yielding quaerēbam (often written without macrons as quaerebam) for the 1st person singular. The imperfect conveys a past action that was ongoing, repeated, or customary, e.g., quaerēbam causam (I was seeking/asking for a reason) or quaerēbam ubi esset (I was seeking where he was). The sense can range from physical searching to inquiring about information.

Etymology and range: The word is built from the root quaer- and is related to other Latin senses of inquiry and pursuit. Quaerō covers both physical searching and more abstract seeking, and quaerebam typically appears in narrative or reflective past contexts in classical and late Latin.

Translation and nuance: English renderings depend on context; quaerebam most often renders “I was seeking,” but can express “I kept asking” when the object is a question or inquiry. The imperfect form contrasts with the perfect quaesīvī, “I sought/ I have sought,” which denotes completed action.

See also: quaerō, quaerere, quaesīvī, quaesītum; Latin verb conjugation; imperfect tense.