ferebam

Ferebam is a Latin verb form representing the imperfect indicative active of the verb ferre, meaning to bear, carry, or bring. As an imperfect, it expresses a past action that was ongoing, habitual, or in the background of a narrative. In Classical Latin, the form ferebam corresponds to the first-person singular of the imperfect, with the full paradigm ferebam, ferebas, ferebat, ferebamus, ferebatis, ferebant. The verb ferre is irregular in the present tense, but its imperfect uses the regular imperfect endings with the fer- stem, producing these forms.

Usage and meaning: Ferebam takes a direct object in the accusative to indicate what is being carried or borne. It can also be used with other complements to specify destination or manner. For example, Librum in manibus ferebam translates as “I was bearing a book in my hands.” In narrative, ferebam sets the scene and describes ongoing actions in the past, often preceding a subsequent past event described with another tense.

Notes on the verb: ferre is a productive root in Latin, giving rise to many compound verbs such as refero, confero, offero, and effero. Ferebam is a standard, well-attested form in classical Latin grammars and is not treated as a separate lexical item; it is simply the imperfect tense conjugation of ferre.