The Imperfect Tense

First let’s review the Present Tense . .

Remember that verbs use personal endings. For the present tense they are:

O – I -mus - we

s- you -tis - you

t- he, she it nt - they

Present Tense

1st Conjugation

2nd

Conjugation

3rd Conjugation

4th

Conjugation

1st person voco debeo contendo venio2nd person vocās debēs contendis venis3rd person vocāt debēt contendit venitplural

1st person vocāmus debēmus

contendimus

venimus

2nd person vocātis debētis contenditis venitis3rd person vocānt debēnt contendun

tveniunt

The Imperfect Tense

The Imperfect Tense describe actions in the PAST that:

are continuous

are repeated or

are incompleteMercury – the messenger of the gods.

The Imperfect tense

is translatedWAS, WERE,

USED TO

The Imperfect Tense is easy

to recognize; look for

BA.

BA means was, were, used to.H

vocabam I was callingI used to call

vocabamus We were callingWe used to call

vocabasyou were callingyou used to call

vocabatisyou were callingyou used to call

vocabathe was callinghe used to call

vocabantthey were callingthey used to call

Hercules as a baby.

The Imperfect Tense - BA

1st

Conjugation

2nd

Conjugation3rd

Conjugation4th

Conjugation

1st per.

vocabam debebam contendebam

veniebam

2nd per.

vocābas debēbas contendebas veniebas

3rd per.

vocābat debēbat contendebat veniebat

plural

1st per.

vocābamus

debēbamus

contendebamus

veniebamus

2nd per.

vocābatis debētis contendebatis

veniebatis

3rd per.

vocābant debēnt contendebant

veniebant

So when translating, remember your personal endings and that BA means was, were or used to.

you were owing

You used to owe

debebatis

postulabant

they were demanding

They used to demand

Finally, you need to memorize the verb ‘to be’ in the Imperfect.

eram eramuseras eratiserant erant

I was We were

You were You were

He, she was

They were