THE IMPERFECT TENSE

The Imperfect Tense: Expresses action that took place repeatedly or customarily in the past Is often translated with the helping verb “was” or “were” Has a special set of verb endings

The imperfect tense endings: bam bas bat bamus batis bant

Add the imperfect endings to an infinitive, minus the -re amare - re = ama + bam amabam=I used to love

The capital of Roman Gaul was Lugdunum.

imperfect of amare amabam amabas amabat amabamus amabatis amabant

imperfect of tenere tenebam tenebas tenebat tenebamus tenebatis tenebant

Lugdunum is present-day Lyon, France.

imperfect of dicere dicebam dicebas dicebat dicebamus dicebatis dicebant

The imperfect of fourth conjugation verbs and third “-io” verbs has an IE before the imperfect endings: Capiebam, faciebas, audiebat, veniebat, etc.

imperfect of salire saliebam saliebas saliebat saliebamus saliebatis saliebant

This bridge is in France It was built by the Romans

The imperfect tense of esse and posse is irregular!

imperfect of esse eram eras erat eramus eratis erant

imperfect of posse poteram poteras poterat poteramus poteratis poterant

The imperfect of ire and its compounds have an “i” before the imperfect endings.

Imperfect of ire ibam ibas ibat ibamus ibatis ibant

Imperfect of exire exibam exibas exibat exibamus exibatis exibant

Gaul was added to the Roman Empire by Julius Caesar

FINIS