praeferbatis

Praeferbatis is the second-person plural imperfect indicative active form of the Latin verb praefero, praeferre, meaning to prefer. It translates as "you were preferring" or "you used to prefer." The imperfect aspect signals an ongoing or repeated action in the past rather than a completed event.

Etymology and meaning: The verb praefero combines prae- "before" with ferre "to carry, bear," conveying the sense of placing something before something else as more valuable or desirable. In this sense, praefero means "to prefer." The form praeferbatis carries with it the nuance of a past, continuing preference directed at the second-person plural subject.

Morphology and form: Praeferbatis is part of the hypothetical imperfect paradigm of praefero and is built from the stem praefer- plus the imperfect active ending -batis. In classical spelling with macrons, the form is often written praeferēbātis (praeferēbātis), though in unmarked texts it appears as praeferbatis. The voice is active, the mood is indicative, and the tense is imperfect.

Usage: This form appears in narratives and expository passages to describe a past tendency or choice. It is typically used when the speaker or writer wants to convey that the preference was part of a past habitual or ongoing situation and may be accompanied by an object representing what was preferred and, optionally, the alternative against which it was measured.