Latin/Lesson 1-Imperfect

Imperfect Active Indicative The imperfect is a construct like: I was seeing. In Latin it would look like this: Videbam. English has a similar construct called progressive past. Actions seem incomplete, and so the imperfect label. For example, "I was running," "We were sailing," "They were calling." Note that 'to be' is always there. Latin, however, would sometimes use imperfect like simple past; accordingly, "We were sailing" could be translated as "We sailed." Other translations of imperfect can be used to/kept such as "We used to sail/We kept sailing." Regardless of language, the concept of an imperfect is important. Imperfect is called imperfect for a reason - in Latin, the verb "perficere" means to finish/complete, which is what perfect is from. Thus, imperfect, in the grammatical sense, means not finished - that the action could be or could not be completed. Perfect instead means it has been finished - I saw. You have already seen, and it is now completed. I was seeing implies that the action is not yet completed. The perfect tense, which we will learn later, is a more immediate reference to the past. The name, imperfect, helps you remember its use: in situations where you can't say when an event started or ended or happened, you must use the imperfect. In situations where you can know when an event started or ended or happened, use the perfect. You conjugate the imperfect tense this way: verb + ba + personal ending The endings for imperfect are: -bam -bas -bat -bamus -batis -bant Note that the only thing we add are ba + the personal endings (the same as in the present tense) to the infinitive stem. This gives us the imperfect conjugation. Note that in third and fourth conjugations, you will have to form it differently. There is *no* rule to explain this, it just is, although there are memorization techniques that can help. venire is 4th conjugation and is formed like: veniebam veniebas veniebat veniebamus veniebatis veniebant For third conjugation, an example used in some textbooks/study guides is: capere (to capture or seize) capiebam capiebas capiebat capiebamus capiebatis capiebant Note that it is easiest to think of what the endings -ere and ire lack. The imperfect -ba + the personal ending, which we can call the imperfect conjugation, must be prefixed by ie. Lesson Vocabulary Latin English amo, amare to love moneo, monere to warn vinco, vincere to win, defeat capio, capere to capture, seize pello, pellere to drive sedeo, sedere to sit lego, legere to read adsum, adesse to be present emo, emere to buy tristis, triste sad redeo, redire to return, go back cena, -ae dinner paratus, -a, -um ready mater, matris mother paro, parare to prepare A few examples: amabam - I was loving (A-conjugation--1st) monebatis - You were warning [object/personage] (of something negative) (Pl.) (2nd Conjugation) vincebamus - We were defeating (long I-conjugation--3rd conjugation) capiebant - They were catching (short I-conjugation--3rd conjugation) pellebat - She/he/it was propelling (drive something (not a vehicle), propel something) (consonantic conjugation) (Wiki-reading tips: See discussion. Some of the above may be unclear, however the clarifying '--' and '/' indicate verification. We may not know what the original author intended, but we know what conjugations the examples are.) Conjugation in the Imperfect tense 1st 2nd 3rd mixed 4th Irregular Infinitive: amare sedere legere capere venire ire velle esse Singular 1st person: amabam sedebam legebam capiebam veniebam ibam volebam eram 2nd person: amabas sedebas legebas capiebas veniebas ibas volebas eras 3rd person: amabat sedebat legebat capiebat veniebat ibat volebat erat Plural 1st person: amabamus sedebamus legebamus capiebamus veniebamus ibamus volebamus eramus 2nd person: amabatis sedebatis legebatis capiebatis veniebatis ibatis volebatis eratis 3rd person: amabant sedebant legebant capiebant veniebant ibant volebant erant Exercises Translate from Latin to English. dum sol fulgebat, puer ambulabat ad forum in foro multus cibus aderat et femina cibum vendebat puer cibum emere volebat sed satis pecuniae (enough money) non habebat puer se vertit (turned (lit. himself) around) et tristis domum redibat sed ubi domum rediit (returned) cena parata erat quod mater semper cenam parat while the sun shone, the boy was walking to the forum in forum (market) there was much food and a woman was selling food the boy wanted to buy food but he didn't have enough money the boy turned around and sadly was returning home but when he returned home the dinner was prepared, as his mother always prepares the dinner