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The verbs ser (to be) and ir (to go) both exhibit irregularities in the present, imperfect and preterite forms (note that these two verbs have the same preterite fui). Together with ver (to see) and prever (to foresee), they are the only four verbs with irregular imperfect indicative.
The imperfect (abbreviated IMPERF) is a verb form that combines past tense (reference to a past time) and imperfective aspect (reference to a continuing or repeated event or state). It can have meanings similar to the English "was walking" or "used to walk". It contrasts with preterite forms, which refer to a single completed event in the past.
Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto or copretérito) amaba: amabas: amaba: amábamos: amabais: amaban: Preterite (Pretérito perfecto simple or Pretérito indefinido) amé: amaste [3] amastes / amaste [4] amó: amamos: amasteis: amaron: Future (Futuro simple or Futuro) amaré: amarás: amará: amaremos: amaréis: amarán: Conditional (Condicional ...
The preterite is used if this refers to a single action or event—that is, the person took a bath last night. Me bañé = "I took a bath" The imperfect is used if this refers to any sort of habitual action—that is, the person took a bath every morning. Optionally, solía bañarme can specifically express "I used to take baths".
The preterite was a common Semitic form, well attested in the Akkadian language, where the preterite almost always referred to the past and was often interchangeable with the perfect. [11] In the course of time the preterite fell into disuse in all West Semitic languages , leaving traces such as the "imperfect with waw-consecutive " in Hebrew ...
The preterite and past participle forms of irregular verbs follow certain patterns. These include ending in -t (e.g. build , bend , send ), stem changes (whether it is a vowel, such as in sit , win or hold , or a consonant, such as in teach and seek , that changes), or adding the [ n ] suffix to the past participle form (e.g. drive , show , rise ).
Regarding tense agreement, if the main clause uses the imperfect, preterite, or past perfect indicative, either the imperfect or past perfect subjunctive is used. However, if the event of the subordinate clause is timelessly true, the present subjunctive is optional: " Dios decretó que las serpientes no tengan patas " ("God decreed that snakes ...
evening sedn-eshe sit. PFV - PST. IPFV na on chardak-a veranda- DEF vecher sedn-eshe na chardak-a evening sit.PFV-PST.IPFV on veranda-DEF In the evening, he would sit down on the veranda. Here each sitting is an unanalyzed whole, a simple event, so the perfective root of the verb sedn 'sat' is used. However, the clause as a whole describes an ongoing event conceived of as having internal ...