Did or Was Doing

Level 4

The aorist tells a finished event; the imperfect sets the scene or tells a habit.

How It Works

AoristImperfect
ნინომ წერილი დაწერა. (Nino wrote the letter.)ნინო წერილს წერდა. (Nino was writing a letter.)
გუშინ ერთი წიგნი წავიკითხე. (Yesterday I read one book.)საღამოობით წიგნებს ვკითხულობდი. (I used to read books in the evenings.)

Look at the cases in the first row: ნინომ and წერილი with the aorist, ნინო and წერილს with the imperfect.

The aorist usually has a preverb (და-, წა-, გა-). The imperfect adds none, because it is built on the present. It keeps only a preverb the present already has, as in მივდიოდი (I was going).

In a story, the imperfect paints the background and the aorist brings the events: თოვდა, როცა თბილისში ჩავედით (it was snowing when we arrived in Tbilisi).

Ask yourself whether it is a finished event or something going on. A finished event takes the aorist. Something going on, or done again and again, takes the imperfect.

Examples (5)

  1. როცა სახლში მივდიოდი, ლუკა შემხვდა.

    While I was going home, I ran into Luka.

    Background in the imperfect, the event in the aorist.

  2. ბავშვობაში ბევრს ვკითხულობდი.

    As a child, I used to read a lot.

    A habit: the imperfect.

  3. წვიმდა, როცა სახლიდან გავედი.

    It was raining when I left the house.

    The weather sets the scene.

  4. ნინო წერილს წერდა, მაგრამ არ დაამთავრა.

    Nino was writing a letter, but she didn't finish it.

    Going on, then not finished.

  5. მთელი დღე ვმუშაობდი და საღამოს ძალიან დავიღალე.

    I was working all day, and in the evening I got very tired.

    A long action, then a change.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the imperfect for a finished purchase.

    გუშინ ბილეთს ვყიდულობდი.
    გუშინ ბილეთი ვიყიდე.

    ვყიდულობდი means you were buying it. For I bought it, use the aorist, with the object in the nominative.

How It Connects

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

Did or Was DoingLevel 4

Learn This First

Did and was doing are two different pasts.