Repeating a Verb for Duration

Level 6Sounds Like povtorenie na glagola

To say that something went on and on, say the verb twice: Чакахме, чакахме и накрая си тръгнахме. (We waited and waited and finally left.)

How It Works

1. The shape. Say the same verb form twice, with a comma between the copies, then add what happened in the end:

  • Чакахме, чакахме и накрая си тръгнахме. (We waited and waited and finally left.)
  • Мисли, мисли и накрая реши да остане. (He thought and thought and finally decided to stay.)

2. Use an imperfective verb. The repetition paints the action as a long process, so the verb is usually imperfective: чаках, търсих, вървяха, чакаше. A perfective verb such as прочета names one finished result, so repeating it cannot show duration. The exception is a perfective with по- that means "for a little while": Помисли, помисли и каза ... (He thought for a while and said ...). See perfective and imperfective aspect and the imperfective aorist.

3. The turning point. The pattern usually leads to a change, introduced by и, и накрая, и най-после or the connective та: Вървяха, вървяха, та стигнаха до една река. (They walked and walked until they reached a river.) The verb of the turning point is often perfective, because it names the one event that finally happened.

4. Where you hear it. The pattern belongs to lively storytelling. Folk tales use it with reported forms: Вървял, вървял и стигнал до една гора. (He walked and walked and came to a forest.) See reported forms in folk tales. It also works in the present for an action that is still going on: Звъня, звъня, никой не вдига. (I keep calling and calling, but nobody picks up.)

Punctuation: put a comma between the two copies of the verb, as between any two verbs listed without a conjunction.

Examples (6)

  1. Чакахме, чакахме и накрая си тръгнахме.

    We waited and waited and finally left.

  2. Търсих, търсих ключовете и най-после ги намерих под дивана.

    I searched and searched for the keys and finally found them under the sofa.

  3. Мисли, мисли и накрая реши да остане.

    He thought and thought and finally decided to stay.

  4. Вървяха, вървяха, та стигнаха до една река.

    They walked and walked until they reached a river.

    Та moves the story on from the long walk to where it led.

  5. Звъня, звъня, никой не вдига.

    I keep calling and calling, but nobody picks up.

    In the present, the repetition shows an action that is still going on.

  6. Вървял, вървял и стигнал до една гора.

    He walked and walked and came to a forest.

    The typical folk-tale version, with reported forms.

Common Mistakes

  • Repeating a perfective verb.

    Прочетох, прочетох книгата и накрая заспах.
    Четох, четох книгата и накрая заспах.

    Прочетох names one finished act of reading, so saying it twice cannot show a long process. Use the imperfective четох for reading that went on and on.

  • Leaving out the comma between the repeated verbs.

    Чакахме чакахме и накрая си тръгнахме.
    Чакахме, чакахме и накрая си тръгнахме.

    The two copies of the verb are listed without a conjunction, so a comma separates them.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Repeating a Verb for DurationLevel 6

Learn This First

Repeating a verb follows the imperfective aorist.