Ongoing Versus Completed Actions

Level 2

rašiau = I was writing (in progress). parašiau = I wrote it (done).

How It Works

Lithuanian does not have separate tenses for I was writing and I wrote. Instead, many verbs have a prefixed partner.

1. Plain verb: the process. Use it for an action in progress, a habit, or an action that lasted a while: Vakar rašiau laišką. (Yesterday I was writing a letter.) Visą vakarą skaičiau knygą. (I was reading a book all evening.)

2. Prefixed verb: the finished result. Use it for one complete action: Vakar parašiau laišką. (Yesterday I wrote the letter.) Perskaičiau knygą per vieną vakarą. (I read the book in one evening.)

3. Common pairs. Each verb has its own usual prefix:

  • rašyti → parašyti (write), daryti → padaryti (do), valgyti → pavalgyti (eat)
  • skaityti → perskaityti (read through)
  • gerti → išgerti (drink up), virti → išvirti (cook)
  • pirkti → nupirkti (buy), valgyti → suvalgyti (eat up)

See pa-, per- and iš-. A prefix usually adds some meaning too, so the wrong prefix can change the word: išrašyti means to write out a prescription or an invoice, not to write a letter.

4. Time words help. A length of time in the accusative, like visą vakarą (all evening), often accompanies an activity viewed as a process. Per + a time, like per vieną vakarą (in one evening), often accompanies a completed result.

5. The present tense. For writing in progress right now, use the plain verb: Dabar rašau. (I am writing now.) A prefixed verb in the present usually describes a repeated finished action; see prefixed verbs in the present.

This system is looser than in Russian or Polish. Many verbs simply have no pair, and the plain past can also just report that something happened.

Examples (6)

  1. Vakar rašiau laišką.

    Yesterday I was writing a letter.

    Word by Word: Yesterday I-was-writing letter.

    The plain verb shows the process. We do not know whether the letter was finished.

  2. Vakar parašiau laišką.

    Yesterday I wrote the letter.

    Word by Word: Yesterday I-wrote letter.

    Parašiau tells us the letter is finished.

  3. Visą vakarą skaičiau knygą.

    I was reading a book all evening.

    Word by Word: Whole evening I-read book.

    A length of time goes with the plain verb.

  4. Perskaičiau knygą per vieną vakarą.

    I read the whole book in one evening.

    Word by Word: I-read-through book in one evening.

    Per + a time says how long it took to finish.

  5. Ar jau pavalgei?

    Have you eaten yet?

    Word by Word: Q already you-ate?

    The prefixed verb asks about a finished meal.

  6. Mama virė sriubą, o aš dengiau stalą.

    Mom was cooking soup, and I was setting the table.

    Word by Word: Mom cooked soup, and I set table.

    Two plain verbs describe two actions in progress at the same time.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the prefixed verb with a length of time.

    Visą vakarą parašiau laišką.
    Visą vakarą rašiau laišką.

    Visą vakarą (all evening) describes a process, so it needs the plain verb.

  • Choosing the wrong prefix.

    Vakar išrašiau draugui laišką.
    Vakar parašiau draugui laišką.

    Išrašyti means to write out a prescription or an invoice. The finished partner of rašyti a letter is parašyti.

  • Using parašau when you specifically mean writing is currently in progress.

    Dabar parašau laišką.
    Dabar rašau laišką.

    Rašau expresses writing in progress. Parašau can present a bounded act in other contexts, but it is not the form for the ongoing-process meaning intended here.

How It Connects

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

Ongoing Versus Completed ActionsLevel 2

Learn This First

Aspectual pairs contrast an action as a process with a resultative partner.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

And 3 more in the full list.

Words in This Pattern

rašytiparašyti