Distinguish Latin's two main past tenses — the imperfect (ongoing/repeated past action) and the perfect (completed past action) — plus the pluperfect (past before the past).
Estimated Time: 40–50 minutes
The imperfect describes ongoing, repeated, or habitual actions in the past. Formed by adding -bam, -bās, -bat, -bāmus, -bātis, -bant to the present stem:
| Person | 1st: amō | 2nd: videō | 3rd: dūcō | 4th: audiō |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | amābam | vidēbam | dūcēbam | audiēbam |
| you | amābās | vidēbās | dūcēbās | audiēbās |
| he/she/it | amābat | vidēbat | dūcēbat | audiēbat |
| we | amābāmus | vidēbāmus | dūcēbāmus | audiēbāmus |
| you (pl.) | amābātis | vidēbātis | dūcēbātis | audiēbātis |
| they | amābant | vidēbant | dūcēbant | audiēbant |
eram, erās, erat, erāmus, erātis, erant — I was, you were, he/she/it was, we were, you (pl.) were, they were. Very common and very regular once you know it.
The perfect describes completed actions. It uses the third principal part as its stem and has its own set of endings:
| Person | Ending | amō → amāvī | videō → vīdī | dūcō → dūxī |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | -ī | amāvī | vīdī | dūxī |
| you | -istī | amāvistī | vīdistī | dūxistī |
| he/she/it | -it | amāvit | vīdit | dūxit |
| we | -imus | amāvimus | vīdimus | dūximus |
| you (pl.) | -istis | amāvistis | vīdistis | dūxistis |
| they | -ērunt | amāvērunt | vīdērunt | dūxērunt |
Unlike the imperfect (totally regular), perfect stems must be memorized from the 3rd principal part: amō → amāvī (added -v), videō → vīdī (vowel change), dūcō → dūxī (consonant change), mittō → mīsī (stem change). No shortcuts — just learn them!
The pluperfect describes actions completed before another past action. Use the perfect stem + -eram, -erās, -erat, -erāmus, -erātis, -erant:
| Person | amō (amāv-) | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| I | amāveram | I had loved |
| you | amāverās | you had loved |
| he/she/it | amāverat | he/she had loved |
| we | amāverāmus | we had loved |
| you (pl.) | amāverātis | you had loved |
| they | amāverant | they had loved |
The pluperfect endings are just the imperfect of sum (eram, erās, erat…) stuck onto the perfect stem. If you know the imperfect of sum and the perfect stem, you can form the pluperfect instantly.
| Imperfect | Perfect |
|---|---|
| Ongoing: "was doing" | Completed: "did" |
| Repeated: "used to do" | Single event: "has done" |
| Background: "it was raining" | Foreground: "he entered" |
| Description / setting | Action / event |
Mīlitēs in castrīs dormiēbant cum hostēs oppugnāvērunt.
(The soldiers were sleeping [imperfect — ongoing] in the camp when the enemies attacked [perfect — sudden event].)
1. What is the sign of the imperfect tense?
2. "Vīdistī" means:
✦ Imperfect = ongoing/repeated past. Sign: -ba- infix. Totally regular across all conjugations.
✦ Perfect = completed past. Uses 3rd principal part. Endings: -ī, -istī, -it, -imus, -istis, -ērunt.
✦ Pluperfect = "had done." Perfect stem + eram/erās/erat… (imperfect of sum).
✦ Perfect stems are unpredictable — always memorize the 3rd principal part.
✦ Imperfect = background/description. Perfect = foreground/action.