The Imperfective Aorist

Level 3Sounds Like aorist na nesvʺršen vid

Вчера цял ден четох. (Yesterday I read all day.) The aorist of an imperfective verb says the activity happened and is over, not that it reached a result.

How It Works

1. Three ways to talk about reading in the past.

  • Вчера цял ден четох. Imperfective aorist: the activity, seen as a whole.
  • Вчера прочетох книгата. Perfective aorist: the book is finished.
  • Когато той дойде, аз четях. Imperfect: the activity in progress (see aorist versus imperfect).

2. Time spans. Phrases like цял ден, два часа, пет години, цялата сутрин go with the imperfective aorist, not with a perfective verb that names a finished result, such as прочета or напиша: Пет години учих в Германия. (Perfectives with по- that mean for a while are different: Поседяхме два часа.)

3. Activity without result. The imperfective aorist can describe effort that did not finish: Писах писмото цял час, но не го завърших. When the task was finished, use the perfective: Написах писмото и го изпратих.

4. "It happened." It also states simply that something took place: Вече говорих с него. (I have already talked to him.)

5. Forms. The endings are the ordinary aorist ones: четох, чете, чете, четохме, четохте, четоха; чаках, чака, чака, чакахме, чакахте, чакаха. See aspect for how the verb pairs work.

Examples (6)

  1. Вчера цял ден четох.

    Yesterday I read all day.

  2. Два часа чакахме.

    We waited for two hours.

  3. Цялата сутрин работих в градината.

    I worked in the garden all morning.

  4. Пет години учих в Германия.

    I studied in Germany for five years.

  5. Писах писмото цял час, но не го завърших.

    I was writing the letter for a whole hour, but I did not finish it.

    The imperfective aorist names the effort, not a finished result.

  6. Вече говорих с него.

    I have already talked to him.

    It simply states that the conversation took place.

Common Mistakes

  • Using result-focused прочета to express the duration of reading.

    Вчера цял ден прочетох.
    Вчера цял ден четох.

    Цял ден measures an activity, so use the imperfective четох. Прочетох needs an object and names a finished result.

  • Using the imperfective when the task was completed.

    Писах писмото и го изпратих.
    Написах писмото и го изпратих.

    You could send the letter only after finishing it, so use the perfective написах. Писах only says that you spent time writing.

How It Connects

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The Imperfective AoristLevel 3

Learn This First

The imperfective aorist combines aspect with the past tenses.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.