In this lesson, we will learn the imperfect tense for active indicative verbs.
IMPERFECT TENSE
The imperfect tense is a past progressive tense. This means that the action happened in the past but has not been completed yet. It is also used to describe a continuous action in the past as opposed to a single, completed event. It is translated into English as “was/were -ing” or “used to X.”
Some examples in English are:
I was driving to work when the accident happened.
I used to go to school every day but I have now graduated.
In the first example, the past action of “driving” was still occurring when an accident happened. In the second example, “used to go to school” was a continuous action in the past vs. the one-time event of graduating.
FORMATION OF IMPERFECT TENSE
In Gaulish, the verbal root remains unchanged when forming the imperfect tense. Thus, the imperfect verbal root is the same as the root of the present tense. To designate the verb is imperfect tense, the imperfect endings for each particular class of verbs are added to the verbal root.
The imperfect indicative active endings for each verb class are listed below.
AI Verbs
| nessānna | I was approach |
| nessātās | you were approaching |
| nessāto | he/she/it was approaching |
| nessāmes | we were approaching |
| nessātē | you (all) were approaching |
| nessānto | they were approaching |
AII VERBS
| arcinna | I was asking |
| arcītās | you were asking |
| arcīto | he/she/it was asking |
| arcīmes | we are asking |
| arcītē | you (all) were asking |
| arcīnto | they were asking |
BI Verbs
| auedonna | I was making |
| auedetās | you were making |
| auedeto | he/she/it was making |
| auedomes | we were making |
| auedetē | you (all) were making |
| auedonto | they were making |
BII VERBS
| garionna | I was summoning |
| garietās | you were summoning |
| garieto | he/she/it was summoning |
| gariomes | we were summoning |
| garietē | you (all) were summoning |
| garionto | they were summoning |
BIII VERBS
| danconna | I was showing |
| dancetās | you were showing |
| danceto | he/she/it was showing |
| dancomes | we were showing |
| dancetē | you (all) were showing |
| danconto | they were showing |
BIV Verbs
| barnanna | I was judging |
| barnatās | you were judging |
| barnato | he/she/it was judging |
| barnames | we were judging |
| barnatē | you (all) were judging |
| barnanto | they were judging |
BV Verbs
| linunna | I was flow |
| linutās | you were flowing |
| linuto | he/she/it was flowing |
| linumes | we were flowing |
| linutē | you (all) were flowing |
| linunto | they were flowing |
NOTE: The only difference between the present and imperfect tenses for the 2nd person plural is the final -ē (long E) for the imperfect and the final -e (short E) for the present. This is why it is important to use macrons (long marks) when applicable.
APPLYING WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED
Going forward, we will be using a Gaulish dictionary for the vocabulary that we don’t already know. This will help you become familiar with looking up words in a Gaulish dictionary.
Exercises
Translate the following sentences into English.
1. bardoi canonto molātūs dēuobos ad ulidū rīges.
2. rēdonna epon isaron ad treban atros mou.
3. abonā reneto ācus samū extos nu renet liscā.
Click for answer key.
1. The bards were singing praises to the Gods at the feast of the king.
2. I was riding a swift horse to the home of my father.
3. The river was flowing fast during the summer but now it flows slow.
Translate the following sentences into Gaulish. For some of the English vocabulary below, there is more than one Gaulish word with the English meaning. Choose the best Gaulish word that conveys what the English means and how it is being used in the sentence.
1. I used to live with my mother but now I live alone. (Feminine Subject)
2. The wheels of the wagon were becoming fragile because they were old.
3. It was snowing yesterday and today the sun is shining.
Click for answer key.
1. atrebânna con matri mou extos nu atrebâiû santrâ.
2. rotoi uegni dîbuionto briscoi pon eiânt senoi.
3. sniuetoid dês etic sindiû sonnos candet.
Gaulish Paganism 