Imperfective Aspect

Level 2Sounds Like nezakončanae tryvanne

Я чытаў кнігу ўвесь вечар. (I was reading the book all evening.) The imperfective shows the process, not the result.

How It Works

The imperfective is the verb you use when the end result is not the point. Its main uses are:

  • A process or a length of time. Я чытаў кнігу ўвесь вечар. (I was reading the book all evening.) Time words such as увесь вечар (all evening), дзве гадзіны (for two hours) and доўга (for a long time) usually call for the imperfective.
  • Habits and repetition. With часта (often), заўсёды (always), звычайна (usually) and кожны дзень (every day): Кожную раніцу ён піў каву. (Every morning he drank coffee.)
  • Just naming the action. When you only ask or say whether something happened: Ты глядзеў гэты фільм? (Have you seen this film?)
  • Two actions at the same time. Мама гатавала вячэру, а тата чытаў газету. (Mom was cooking dinner, and Dad was reading the newspaper.)

Present and future. Only imperfective verbs have a present tense: чытаю, раблю. Their future uses буду and the infinitive: Я буду чытаць. (I will be reading.) See the compound future.

After begin and finish. Verbs like пачаць (to begin) and скончыць (to finish) take an imperfective infinitive: Я пачаў вучыць беларускую мову. (I started learning Belarusian.) See aspect after begin and finish.

Negative commands also usually take the imperfective: the negative imperative. For the full picture, see verb aspect.

Examples (6)

  1. Я чытаў кнігу ўвесь вечар.

    I was reading the book all evening.

    Word by Word: I read book whole evening.

  2. Я часта хаджу ў кіно.

    I often go to the cinema.

    Word by Word: I often go to cinema.

  3. Ты глядзеў гэты фільм?

    Have you seen this film?

    Word by Word: You watched this film?

    The question is only whether it ever happened, so the imperfective is used.

  4. Мама гатавала вячэру, а тата чытаў газету.

    Mom was cooking dinner, and Dad was reading the newspaper.

    Word by Word: Mom cooked dinner, and dad read newspaper.

  5. Летам мы кожны дзень купаліся ў рацэ.

    In the summer we swam in the river every day.

    Word by Word: In-summer we every day bathed in river.

  6. Што ты будзеш рабіць заўтра?

    What will you be doing tomorrow?

    Word by Word: What you will do tomorrow?

Common Mistakes

  • Using a perfective verb with a word for often or usually.

    Я часта прачытаў газету.
    Я часта чытаў газету.

    Часта describes a repeated action, which needs the imperfective чытаў.

  • Using a perfective verb with a plain length of time.

    Я прачытаў кнігу ўвесь вечар.
    Я чытаў кнігу ўвесь вечар.

    Увесь вечар describes how long the reading lasted. Прачытаў кнігу means you got to the end of the book, which does not fit a stretch of time, so use the imperfective чытаў.

  • Putting a perfective infinitive after a verb of beginning.

    Я пачаў прачытаць кнігу.
    Я пачаў чытаць кнігу.

    Пачаць (to begin) is always followed by an imperfective infinitive.

How It Connects

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Imperfective AspectLevel 2

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The imperfective follows the aspect overview.

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Patterns that build on this one.