accipiebatis

accipiebatis is a Latin verb form, the imperfect active indicative, second-person plural, of the verb accipere (to receive, to accept). It expresses an ongoing or repeated past action directed at “you (plural).” In Latin, accipere is an -io verb, so its imperfect forms occur with the -iebat/-iebatis endings corresponding to the imperfect tense. Thus accipiebatis literally means “you all were receiving” or “you all used to receive.”

Morphology and formation: accipiebatis is built from the present stem accip- with the thematic vowel -ie- and the imperfect personal ending -batis. This pattern is typical of many -io verbs in the imperfect, where the usual -bas, -bat endings are replaced by -ibas, -ibatis (examples include capiebas, capiebatis from capio). The form is regular in classical Latin and used across prose and poetry to describe past, ongoing action.

Usage and meaning: The form denotes a past imperfect aspect—an activity in progress in the past rather than a completed past event. It can describe routine past actions, parallel actions, or background circumstances in narration. It is often contrasted with other tenses to clarify duration or repetition of the action of receiving or accepting something.

Examples:

- Litteras accipiebatis cotidie. (You all were receiving letters daily.)

- Nuntii venerunt, sed vos accipiebatis monita ab eis. (The messengers arrived, but you were receiving their warnings.)

Related forms include the present accipitis (you receive), the imperfect accipiebam (I was receiving), and the perfect acceperatis (you had received), illustrating the pattern of Latin -io verbs in the imperfect.