The Perfective Imperfect
Щом влезеше, всички ставаха. (Whenever he came in, everyone stood up.) A perfective verb in the imperfect marks a completed event that kept repeating, and it appears only in a dependent clause.
How It Works
1. The forms. Perfective verbs take the ordinary imperfect endings on the present stem: дойда → дойдех, дойдеше, дойдехме, дойдехте, дойдеха; вляза → влезех, влезеше; кажа → кажех, кажеше; прочета → прочетях, прочетеше.
2. Repeated completed events. After щом, когато, като or ако (in the sense of "whenever"), it describes a trigger that kept happening. The main clause describes what regularly followed:
- Щом влезеше, всички ставаха. (Whenever he came in, everyone stood up.)
- Когато дойдеше, винаги донасяше подарък. (Whenever he came, he always brought a present.)
3. Unreal conditions and wishes. After ако it can describe an imagined event, as in ако + минало несвършено време: Ако дойдеше утре, щях да се радвам. After да it can express a wish, as in да + минало за желание: Да се обадеше поне веднъж! (If only he would call just once!)
4. Never in a main clause. A perfective imperfect cannot stand alone. For a completed action that repeated every day in a main clause, use a secondary imperfective: Всеки ден прочитах по една книга. (Every day I read a whole book.)
5. Compare with the aorist. Щом влезе, всички станаха describes one occasion: as soon as he came in, everyone stood up. Щом влезеше, всички ставаха describes a habit.
Examples (6)
- Щом влезеше, всички ставаха.
Whenever he came in, everyone stood up.
Влезеше is perfective; ставаха is the imperfective result.
- Когато дойдеше, винаги донасяше подарък.
Whenever he came, he always brought a present.
- Щом прочетях нова книга, разказвах я на всички.
Whenever I finished a new book, I told everyone about it.
- Ако кажеше нещо смешно, всички се смеехме.
Whenever he said something funny, we all laughed.
Ако here means "whenever" in the past.
- Ако дойдеше утре, щях да се радвам.
If he came tomorrow, I would be glad.
An imagined event after ако.
- Да се обадеше поне веднъж!
If only he would call just once!
Common Mistakes
Using a perfective imperfect in a main clause.
Всяка вечер той прочетеше една глава.Всяка вечер той прочиташе една глава.A perfective imperfect needs a dependent clause. In a main clause, use an imperfective verb, here the secondary imperfective прочитам.
Using the aorist when you mean "whenever".
Щом влезе, всички ставаха.Щом влезеше, всички ставаха.With the aorist влезе the sentence describes one occasion: as soon as he came in, people were getting up. To say that this happened every time he came in, put the trigger in the imperfect too: влезеше.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The perfective imperfect combines habits and perfective dependent clauses.
- The Imperfect for Past Habits
It describes repeated past events.
Level 3 - The Perfective Present
It uses perfective verbs in dependent clauses.
Level 3 - да + Imperfect or PluperfectUnreal Wishes with Да
Past wishes after да include perfective imperfect forms such as Да се обадеше.
Level 4 - Secondary Imperfectives
Secondary imperfectives express repeated completed actions in an independent main clause.
Level 4
Related Patterns
Words in This Pattern
Practice The Perfective Imperfect in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Bulgarian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
