ќе + Imperfect for Past Habits

Past Habits with Ќе

Level 4Sounds Like ḱe + imperfekt za navika vo minatoto

Ќе + imperfect can mean "would" for repeated past actions: Секоја вечер ќе седнеше до прозорецот и ќе читаше. (Every evening she would sit by the window and read.)

How It Works

English has two ways to tell past habits: "she used to read" and "she would read". Macedonian has a similar pair.

1. The plain imperfect (имперфект: читав; одев; носев): Секоја вечер читаше. (Every evening she read.) This is the neutral choice.

2. Ќе + imperfect: Секоја вечер ќе читаше. (Every evening she would read.) This sounds like a memory or a story about how things used to go. It is especially useful when you list the steps of a routine, because each step can be a perfective verb in the imperfect (see имперфект од свршени глаголи):

  • Штом ќе дојдеше дома, ќе ја фрлеше торбата и ќе истрчаше надвор. (As soon as he got home, he would throw down his bag and run outside.)

Linking two habits. Inside the time clause, use кога ќе or штом ќе with the imperfect too, just as you use кога ќе with the present for the future (кога ќе).

Same form, other meanings. Ќе + imperfect also means "would have" or "was going to" (ќе + имперфект). Ќе одевме на море alone usually means "we were going to go to the seaside". Add a word of repetition, such as секое лето, to make the habit meaning clear: Секое лето ќе одевме на море.

Forms. The imperfect endings are the usual ones: -в, -ше, -ше, -вме, -вте, -а. With perfective verbs: станев, станеше, станевме; седнев, седнеше. After ќе never use the aorist: ќе седнеше, not ќе седна in the past.

Examples (5)

  1. Секоја вечер ќе седнеше до прозорецот и ќе читаше.

    Every evening she would sit down by the window and read.

    Word by Word: Every evening would sat-down by window-the and would read.

  2. Кога бевме деца, баба ќе станеше рано и ќе ни направеше палачинки.

    When we were children, Grandma would get up early and make us pancakes.

    Word by Word: When we-were children, grandma would got-up early and would us made pancakes.

  3. Штом ќе дојдеше дома, ќе ја фрлеше торбата и ќе истрчаше надвор.

    As soon as he got home, he would throw down his bag and run outside.

    Word by Word: As-soon-as would came home, would it threw bag-the and would ran-out outside.

    The time clause also uses ќе with the imperfect.

  4. Секое лето ќе заминевме на село кај дедо.

    Every summer we would go off to the village to stay with Grandpa.

    Word by Word: Every summer would we-left to village at grandpa.

  5. Понекогаш ќе се налутеше без причина, а потоа ќе се смееше.

    Sometimes he would get angry for no reason and then he would laugh.

    Word by Word: Sometimes would himself angered without reason, and then would himself laughed.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting an aorist after ќе.

    Секоја вечер ќе седнав до прозорецот.
    Секоја вечер ќе седнев до прозорецот.

    Ќе never takes the aorist. For a past habit, use the imperfect: седнев, седнеше.

  • Using ќе + imperfect for one finished past event.

    Вчера ќе одев на пазар.
    Вчера отидов на пазар.

    Вчера ќе одев на пазар means "Yesterday I was going to go to the market", so it suggests you did not go. For one event that happened, use the aorist отидов.

How It Connects

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

ќе + Imperfect for Past HabitsLevel 4Past Habits with Ќе

Learn This First

Past habits with ќе combine the imperfect, habits and ќе.

Words in This Pattern