Unit 6: Imperfect Tense for 1 st and 2 nd Conjugation Verbs Notes 6.1

Learning Goals: By the end of the lesson students will be able to: 1.Understand the concept of the imperfect tense. 2.Recognize verbs that are imperfect tense in either English or Latin. 3.Conjugate and translate a Latin verb in the imperfect tense. 4.Translate words, phrases, and sentences that use the imperfect tense.

Do you remember…? Tense, when it relates to grammar, indicates the time of the action. Present tense indicates an action happening now. English has 3 present tenses (simple, progressive, and emphatic). I love I am loving I do love

It’s about time we learned a new tense! So far we have worked with verbs only in the present tense. We can deal with action happening only now. But what about some other tenses? How can we talk about something that has already happened?

Imperfect Tense Imperfect tense is kind of tricky because it doesn’t exist in English! The imperfect tense is a very specific kind of past tense. It shows a past action considered continuous, repeated, habitual, or customary.

Examples in English There are several things in English that come close to how the Latin Imperfect works, but none of them really do the job exactly. I used to travel on the Via Appia. I was traveling on the Via Appia. I kept on traveling on the Via Appia. All of these examples show something that already happened, but it happened over a span of time.

Summary: Imperfect tense may be translated in 3 different ways: “used to _____” “kept on _____-ing” “was _____-ing”

Imperfect tense in Latin As always, there is a rule to follow! Does this sound familiar? It should because it is the same rule as for the present tense. How can this be? If the rule is the same, then it must be that the endings are different. 2 nd p. part /drop the -re /add the endings

The endings: -bam -bas -bat -bamus -batis -bant

Look very carefully at the present tense endings and compare them to the imperfect tense endings. Do you see some similarities? Present: -o/-m-mus -s-tis -t-nt Imperfect: -bam -bamus -bas -batis -bat -bant Do you see that the second set actually includes the first set? The only thing added is the tense sign –ba. This is the signal of the imperfect tense.

Anatomy of an ending! bamus Tense signPersonal ending

Let’s see how it works: 1 st Conjugation: amo, -are, -avi, -atus – love amabam – I was loving I used to love I kept on loving amabas – you were loving you used to love you kept on loving amabat -- h/s/i was loving h/s/i used to love h/s/i kept on loving amabamus – we were loving we used to love we kept on loving amabatis – you were loving you used to love you kept on loving amabant – they were loving they used to love they kept on loving

2 nd Conjugation: habeo, -ēre, -ui, -itus – have habebam – I was having I used to have I kept on having habebas – you were having you used to have you kept on having habebat -- h/s/i was having h/s/i used to have h/s/i kept on having habebamus – we were having we used to have we kept on having habebatis – you were having you used to have you kept on having habebant -- they were having they used to have they kept on having

My level of understanding Check for understanding 4 I understand the concept of the imperfect tense; I can recognize a verb in the imperfect tense; AND I can conjugate 1 st and 2 nd conjugation verbs in the imperfect tense without my notes. 3 I understand the concept of the imperfect tense; I can recognize a verb in the imperfect tense; AND I can conjugate 1 st and 2 nd conjugation verbs in the imperfect tense with my notes. 2 I understand the concept of the imperfect tense AND I can recognize a verb in the imperfect tense. 1 I understand the concept of the imperfect tense. Quid agis? How are you doing?

Class Practice 6.1 I. Provide the imperfect tense in the person and number required by the subject. 1.dono (I) 2.monstro (we) 3.narro (you (sg)) 4.rideo ( she) 5.porto (they) 6.clamo (you (pl)) 7.ambulo (we) 8.laboro (I) 9.sedeo (he) 10.doceo (you (sg)) II. Translate the following sentence: Pueri fabulas de puellis narrabant.