Imperfect Passive: amabar
Imperfect stem plus -ba- plus a passive ending.
How It Works
| Person | Latin | English |
|---|---|---|
| I | amabar | I was loved |
| you (one) | amabaris | you were loved |
| he, she, it | amabatur | he was loved |
| we | amabamur | we were loved |
| you (all) | amabamini | you were loved |
| they | amabantur | they were loved |
The other conjugations follow their active imperfect: habebar, ducebar, capiebar, audiebar.
The English can be was loved, was being loved or used to be loved: Marcus a patre amabatur says that Marcus was loved by his father.
For something that happened once and was finished, use the perfect passive: Marcus a patre amatus est.
Examples (5)
- Marcus a patre amabatur.
Marcus was loved by his father.
Amabatur is the third person singular imperfect passive.
- Puellae a magistra docebantur.
The girls were being taught by the teacher.
Docebantur is the third person plural imperfect passive of doceo.
- Liber a Livia legebatur.
The book was being read by Livia.
Legebatur is the imperfect passive of lego.
- Oves a pastore custodiebantur.
The sheep were guarded by the shepherd.
Custodiebantur is the imperfect passive of custodio.
- Psalmi in ecclesia cantabantur.
Psalms were sung in the church.
Cantabantur is the imperfect passive of canto.
Common Mistakes
Using the future ending -bor for the past.
A patre amabor.A patre amabar.Amabor ends in -bor and is the future: I will be loved. The imperfect passive ends in -bar. The intended meaning was: I was loved by my father.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The imperfect passive is the imperfect with passive endings.