Habitual Meaning of the Imperfect
Use the imperfect for a repeated past habit viewed without a closed event boundary.
How It Works
De petit jugava al parc describes a childhood habit. Words such as sempre, sovint and cada dia often help establish repeated behavior, but they do not mechanically force one tense in every context.
The imperfect can leave the habit's limits in the background: abans anàvem a peu. A bounded summary can instead use a completed past, as in durant aquell mes hi vaig anar cada dia. Both sentences can contain repetition; the viewpoint differs.
For regular -ar verbs, the imperfect has -ava, -aves, -ava, -àvem, -àveu, -aven. Many other verbs use -ia forms, such as vivia and dormia. Keep the written accents in first- and second-person plural forms, which preserve the intended stress.
Examples (3)
- De petita llegia abans de dormir.
As a child I used to read before sleeping.
- Cada diumenge anàvem a casa dels avis.
Every Sunday we used to go to our grandparents’ home.
- Abans treballàveu al centre.
You used to work in the center.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Recognize person endings before learning imperfect paradigms.
Related Patterns
Practice Habitual Meaning of the Imperfect in Bubblegum
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