Lesson 20 · Review
A cluster of first-declension nouns for the Niobe reading, plus one indeclinable number and an adjective. Watch the correlative pair nōn sōlum … sed etiam — two little signposts that frame "not only … but also."
English builds the past-progressive with a helper word — was, were. Latin does it with a single syllable slipped inside the verb: the tense sign -bā-. Learn where it goes and the whole imperfect falls out of the present stem you already know.
Where English adds separate auxiliary words (was, shall, will) to mark tense, Latin adds an element to the verb stem itself. Such an added element is a tense sign, and it carries the force of an English auxiliary.
English "I was loving" = three words; Latin amābam = one word doing the same job.
The tense sign of the imperfect is -bā-, added to the present stem. Every imperfect form therefore has three parts — present stem, tense sign, personal ending — and takes the personal endings -m, -s, -t / -mus, -tis, -nt.
| Person | I. amō (was loving) | II. moneō (was advising) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 sg. | amābam | monēbam |
| 2 sg. | amābās | monēbās |
| 3 sg. | amābat | monēbat |
| 1 pl. | amābāmus | monēbāmus |
| 2 pl. | amābātis | monēbātis |
| 3 pl. | amābant | monēbant |
amā- + bā + m → amābam · monē- + bā + mus → monēbāmus. Both conjugations use the identical tense sign.
The imperfect describes a past act as going on or in progress — exactly like the English past-progressive "was / were ___-ing." It is the regular tense for painting a past situation or lasting condition, not a single finished event.
Niobē erat superba — "Niobe was proud" (a state going on in past time); habēbat septem fīliōs — "she had (kept having) seven sons."
The long ā of -bā- is shortened before -nt, and before -m and -t when these are final. So the vowel is short in amābam, amābat, amābant but stays long in amābās, amābāmus, amābātis. (The stem's own vowel — the ā of amā- — is untouched throughout.)
amābam, amābat, amābant (short) — but amābās, amābāmus, amābātis (long).
Six out of six before you start the exercises.
Question 1
From amō, amāre, the imperfect "they were loving" is —
Right. Present stem amā- + tense sign -bā- + ending -nt, with the tense-sign vowel shortened before -nt → amābant (Rules 2 & N.B.). amant = "they love" (present); amābāmus = "we were loving."
Not quite — the imperfect needs the tense sign -bā-, and "they" is third person plural (ending -nt).
Question 2
Which added element is the tense sign that marks a verb as imperfect?
Right. -bā- is the imperfect's tense sign, slipped between the present stem and the personal ending (Rules 1 & 2): amā-bā-mus. The endings -m, -s, -t… mark person and number, not tense.
Not quite — look for the piece that appears in every imperfect form (amābāmus, monēbātis) but in no present form.
Question 3
The imperfect monēbam is best translated —
Right. The imperfect names an action going on in past time, so monēbam = "I was advising" (Rule 3). "I advise" would be the present moneō; "they were advising" would be monēbant (ending -nt).
Not quite — the tense sign -bā- puts the action in the past-progressive, and the ending -m means "I."
Question 4
From videō, vidēre (second conjugation), "we were seeing" is —
Right. Second-conjugation stem vidē- + -bā- + -mus → vidēbāmus; the tense sign is identical to the first conjugation's (Rule 2). vidēmus = "we see" (present); vidēbam = "I was seeing."
Not quite — add the same -bā- you used for amō, then the "we" ending -mus.
Question 5
Why is it amābat ("he was loving"), with a SHORT a before the -t, and not amābāt?
Right. The tense-sign ā is shortened before -nt and before final -m and -t: hence amābam, amābat, amābant, but long in amābās, amābāmus, amābātis (N.B.). The tense sign is still present — only its vowel is short.
Not quite — the tense sign stays; think about what happens to its long ā right before a final -t (or -m, -nt).
Question 6
In "rēgīna superba erat," why does Latin use the imperfect erat to describe the queen?
Right. The imperfect paints a lasting past situation or condition — the queen's pride going on in past time — rather than a single finished act (Rule 3). That is why it is the natural tense for description in the Niobe reading.
Not quite — recall what the imperfect claims about an action: is it a one-moment event, or something in progress / continuing?
Answered correctly: 0 / 6