Tense Imperfect¶

Glossary¶

Imperfect is a verb tense-form in which the speaker describes an action as imperfective, (describing the action as a process or incomplete). The imperfect almost always describes actions which took place in the past. (e.g., he was eating, they were sleeping, she was running).

Example:

V-TI-1 Example of Imperfect Tense

Example of Imperfect Tense John 6:2¶
ἠκολούθει	δὲ	αὐτῷ	ὄχλος	πολύς
ēkolouthei	de	auto	ochlos	polys
It was following	and	him	crowd	large

Now a great crowd was following him

Article¶

Overview¶

The Tense of a verb is used to indicate the speaker’s perspective or viewpoint of an action or event:

Imperfect tense

The imperfect only occurs in the Indicative mood. Generally, it refers to continuous (or incomplete) action in past time.

The continuous aspect may be used to portray an event that has occurred in the past as it was in the process of occurring. See Example V-TI-5

The continuous aspect may refer to an event that occurs on an iterative basis in the past, See Exampli V_TI-6 or

The imperfect may be used to describe an event that generally occurs (or may be reasonably expected to occur), See Example V-TI-7 or

Occurs over a long period of time, See Example V-TI-8, or

even to an action that never occurs but is only contemplated. See Example V-TI-9

The Inceptive imperfect describes an event as it begins to occur.

Form:¶

The basic form for a verb in the Imperfect indicative tense is given in Table 4 - Primary and Secondary Endings of Verbs , and Table 5 - Master Verb Tense Chart - Present and Imperfect Tenses of the Master Verb paradigms.

Form¶

The Imperfect Active Indicative for a verb is formed by using:

Table V-TI-2 Formation of Imperfect Active Indicative for Thematic Verbs¶

Table V-TI-2 Formation of Imperfect Active Indicative for Thematic Verbs
Augment	+	Present Active Stem	+	Connecting Vowel	+	Secondary Active Personal Ending	->
ε	+	λυ	+	ο	+	ν	->	ἔλυον
I was loosing (or They were loosing)

Table V-TI-2a Formation of Imperfect Middle/Passive Active Indicative¶

Table V-TI-2a Formation of Imperfect Middle/Passive Active Indicative for Thematic Verbs
Augment	+	Present Active Stem	+	Connecting Vowel	+	Secondary Middle/passive Personal Ending	->
ε	+	λυ	+	ο	+	μην	->	ἐλυόμην
I was being loosed

The present tense stem for a verb may be determined by deleting the connecting vowel and personal ending from a present tense verb. If a verb has a prefix or an augment such as in the imperfect tense, the prefix or augment must also be deleted.

The Secondary Active personal endings are shown in Table V-TI-3 and in the upper right quadrant of the Verb Master Chart Table 4.

The Secondary middle/passive personal endings are shown in Table V-TI-3b below and the lower right quadrant (Quadrant 4) of the Verb Master Chart Table 4.

Table V-TI – 3 -Quadrant 2 of the Master Chart Table 4 Secondary Active endings¶

Table V-TI-3 Master Chart 4 - Quadrant 2
	Secondary Active Personal Endings
Active	Regular	Connecting Vowel	Personal Ending	Alternate Ending
Singular	Quadrant 2
1 person	ἔλυον	ο	ν
2 person	ἔλυες	ε	ς
3 person	ἔλυε (ν)	ε	-
Plural
1 person	ἐλύομεν	ο	μεν
2 person	ἐλύετε	ε	τε
3 person	ἔλυον	ο	ν	σαν

[Note] The “-” in the 3 person singular indicates that no personal ending is used.

Table V-TI-3b - Quadrant 4 of the Master Chart Table 4 Secondary Middle/Passive endings¶

Table V-TI-3b Master Chart 4 - Quadrant 4 Secondary Middle/Passive Endings of Verbs
Middle/Passive	Secondary Personal Endings
	Regular	Connecting Vowel	Personal Ending	Alternate Ending
Singular	Quadrant 4
1 person	ἐλυόμην	ο	μην
2 person	ἐλύου	ε	* σο
3 person	ἐλύετο	ε	το
Plural
1 person	ἐλυόμεθα	ο	μεθα
2 person	ἐλύεσθε	ε	σθε
3 person	ἐλύοντο	ο	ντο

[Note] * In almost every case the sigma (σ) drops out because it is between two vowels. The resulting two vowels contract. “ε” and “ο” will contract to “ου” as in ελύου.

ε + λυ + ε + σο then becomes

ε + λυ + ε + ο (the sigma drops out)

ε + λυ + ου ( the ε and ο contract to form ου)

Formation of The Imperfect Tense of εἴμι (I am)¶

Table V-TI-4 εἴμι -Imperfect tense Indicative mood
Singular
1 person	ἤμην
2 person	ἦς
3 person	ἦν
Plural
1 person	ἦμεν, ἤμεθα
2 person	ἦτε
3 person	ἦσαν

Imperfect tense – Examples¶

Example: V-TI-5- past event in the process of occurring¶

The continuous aspect of the imperfect tense may be used to portray an event that has occurred in the past as if it were in the process of occurring.

The most frequent use of the imperfect tense is to describe a continuing action that occurred in the past. It is therefore described as continuous (or imperfective). Continuous action is action that is viewed as ongoing, continuous, or as a process from the speaker’s point of view.

Example V-TI-5 John 7:30¶
ἐζήτουν	οὖν	αὐτὸν	πιάσαι
ezētoun	oun	auton	piasai
They were seeking	therefore	him	to seize/arrest

Therefore, they were seeking to arrest him

Example V-TI-6 - Imperfect - Iterative basis¶

The continuous aspect may refer to an event that occurs on an iterative basis in the past

The iterative imperfect describes repeated action occurring in the past. These repeated actions may have been repeated by a single person (or agent) or multiple persons (or agents).

Example V-TI-6 Acts 3:2¶
καί	τις	ἀνὴρ	…	ὃν	ἐτίθουν	καθ’	ἡμέραν	πρὸς	τὴν	θύραν
kai	tis	anēr	…	hon	etithoun	kath’	hēmeran	pros	tēn	thyran
and	a certain	man	…	whom	they were placing	every	day	before	the	door/entrance

And a certain man … whom each day they placed at the gate

Example V-TI-7 - Imperfect - Event that generally occurs¶

The imperfect may be used to describe an event that generally occurs (or may be reasonably expected to occur).

Similar to the iterative imperfect, the imperfect may also be used to describe an event that generally occurs (or may be reasonably expected to occur).

Example V-TI-7 Mark 15:6¶
κατὰ	δὲ	ἑορτὴν	ἀπέλυεν	αὐτοῖς	ἕνα	δέσμιον
kata	de	heortēn	apelyen	autois	hena	desmion
according to/during	and	festival	he usually released	to them	one	prisoner

Now during the festival, he usually released to them one prisoner…

[Note:] In this case the term “usually” was used to reflect the use of the imperfect “describing an event that generally occurs”.

Example V- TI-8- Imperfect - Event over long period of time¶

The Imperfect tense used to describe an event that occurs over a long period of time.

The imperfect tense may be used to describe an event that occurs over an extended period of time.

Example V-TI-8 Romans 6:17¶
ὅτι	ἦτε	δοῦλοι	τῆς	ἁμαρτίας	ὑπηκούσατε	δὲ	ἐκ	καρδίας
hoti	ēte	douloi	tēs	hamartias	hypēkousate	de	ek	kardias
because	you were continually	slaves	of	sin	you obeyed	but	from	[the] heart

For you were slaves of sin, but you listened from [the] heart.

Example V-TI-9 - Imperfect - event only wished to occur¶

Imperfect tense may be used for an event that is only thought about, but that never occurs.

Example V-TI-9 Luke 1:59¶
καὶ	ἐκάλουν	αὐτὸ	ἐπὶ	τῷ	ὀνόματι	τοῦ	πατρὸς	αὐτοῦ	Ζαχαρίαν
kai	ekaloun	auto	epi	tō	onomati	tou	patros	autou	Zacharian
and	they were going to call	him	after	the	name	of	father	his	Zacharia

They were going to call him after the name of his father, Zechariah.

Example V-TI-10 Inceptive Imperfect¶

The Inceptive imperfect describes an event as it begins to occur.

Example V-TI-10 Matthew 5:2¶
καὶ	ἀνοίξας	τὸ	στόμα	αὐτοῦ	ἐδίδασκεν	αὐτοὺς
kai	anoixas	to	stoma	autou	edidasken	autous
and	having opened	the	mouth	his	he began teaching	them

And having opened his mouth, he taught them

Or, in order to reflect the inceptive aspect of the imperfect tense in this instance, it could be translated “he began teaching them”, or “he began to teach them”