Imperfect Tense (Παρατατικός) in Greek

In Brief

The Greek imperfect, παρατατικός, presents an action as ongoing, repeated, or part of the background in the past: έγραφα can mean “I was writing” or “I used to write.” For many verbs, start from the present-tense stem, apply past stress or the augment ε- where needed, and add imperfect endings. Use the aorist instead when you present an event as a complete whole.

Overview

The imperfect is a past tense with imperfective aspect. “Aspect” means the way a speaker chooses to view an action: from inside as it unfolds, as a repeated routine, or from outside as one complete event. The Greek name παρατατικός is related to the idea of extension or continuation.

At A2, the most useful beginner rule is simple: use the imperfect for was/were doing, used to do, and repeated past habits. It also describes states and supplies background information in a story. Thus Έβρεχε και περίμενα το λεωφορείο means “It was raining and I was waiting for the bus.” Neither action is presented with a completed endpoint.

English does not have one form that always matches the Greek imperfect. Depending on context, διάβαζα may be “I was reading,” “I used to read,” or simply “I read” when the English sentence describes a habit. Choose the Greek tense from the meaning of the whole situation, not by translating an isolated English verb form.

How It Works

The core pattern for Group A verbs

For many verbs whose basic present form ends in unstressed -ω, the imperfect uses the present stem and these endings:

Person	Ending	γράφω (“write”)
εγώ	-α	έγραφα
εσύ	-ες	έγραφες
αυτός / αυτή / αυτό	-ε	έγραφε
εμείς	-αμε	γράφαμε
εσείς	-ατε	γράφατε
αυτοί / αυτές / αυτά	-αν or -ανε	έγραφαν / γράφανε

Greek commonly leaves out the subject pronoun because the ending already identifies the person. Έγραφες; therefore means “Were you writing?” The pronouns in the table are labels, not words that must appear in every sentence.

The stem is the stable part of a verb to which endings attach. For γράφω, it is γραφ-. The singular and third-person plural forms above also show an augment, an added ε- associated with past forms.

Stress and the augment

The augment is best understood together with Greek stress. In ordinary modern Greek imperfect forms, stress needs to stand no farther back than the third syllable from the end.

• If the form would otherwise be too short to carry stress far enough back, add stressed έ-: γράφω → έγραφα, τρέχω → έτρεχα.
• Before the longer plural endings, an augment is often unnecessary: γράφαμε, γράφατε.
• A longer verb may shift its stress without adding ε-: δουλεύω → δούλευα, καταλαβαίνω → καταλάβαινα.

Do not attach έ- mechanically to every verb. Learn the imperfect aloud so the stress and the form become one unit. Written accents are especially important here: έγραφα and γράφαμε do not stress the same syllable.

Contracted verbs: μιλάω / μιλώ

Many common verbs with present forms in -άω/-ώ or -ώ form the imperfect with stressed -ούσ- plus person endings. For μιλάω/μιλώ (“speak”):

Person	Form
εγώ	μιλούσα
εσύ	μιλούσες
αυτός / αυτή / αυτό	μιλούσε
εμείς	μιλούσαμε
εσείς	μιλούσατε
αυτοί / αυτές / αυτά	μιλούσαν / μιλούσανε

Other frequent examples include αγαπάω → αγαπούσα (“love”), ρωτάω → ρωτούσα (“ask”), and θεωρώ → θεωρούσα (“consider”). The present forms vary, so it is useful to learn each new verb with its imperfect rather than trying to infer everything from the dictionary ending alone.

Common irregular or stem-changing forms

Some of the most frequent verbs do not follow a fully predictable beginner pattern.

Present	Imperfect, 1st person singular	Meaning
είμαι	ήμουν	I was
έχω	είχα	I had
πάω / πηγαίνω	πήγαινα	I was going / used to go
λέω	έλεγα	I was saying / used to say
τρώω	έτρωγα	I was eating / used to eat
βλέπω	έβλεπα	I was seeing/watching / used to see
ξέρω	ήξερα	I knew

The full imperfect of είμαι is particularly important: ήμουν, ήσουν, ήταν, ήμασταν, ήσασταν, ήταν. In informal speech, longer variants such as ήμουνα and ήτανε also occur.

Negatives and questions

Use δεν before the imperfect to make a negative statement:

• Δεν δούλευα χθες. — “I wasn’t working yesterday.”
• Δεν πηγαίναμε συχνά. — “We didn’t use to go often.”

A yes/no question normally keeps the same word order and is marked by intonation in speech and a question mark in writing:

• Δούλευες τότε; — “Were you working then?”
• Μιλούσαν ελληνικά; — “Did they speak Greek?”

With a question word, place it naturally before the verb: Τι έκανες; (“What were you doing?” or, depending on context, “What did you do?”).

The three central uses

1. An action in progress: Στις οκτώ μαγείρευα. — “At eight I was cooking.”
2. A repeated habit: Κάθε Κυριακή τρώγαμε μαζί. — “Every Sunday we used to eat together.”
3. A past state or background: Το σπίτι ήταν μικρό και είχε κήπο. — “The house was small and had a garden.”

Words such as κάθε μέρα (“every day”), συχνά (“often”), πάντα (“always”), and τότε (“then”) often support an imperfect reading. They are clues, not automatic rules: the speaker’s view of the event remains decisive.

Examples in Context

Greek	English	Note
Έγραφα ένα γράμμα όταν χτύπησε το τηλέφωνο.	I was writing a letter when the phone rang.	Ongoing action interrupted by a complete event
Μιλούσε στο τηλέφωνο όλο το πρωί.	He/She was talking on the phone all morning.	Extended activity
Πηγαίναμε κάθε μέρα στη θάλασσα.	We used to go to the sea every day.	Past routine
Όταν ήμουν μικρός, έπαιζα συχνά εδώ.	When I was young, I often played here.	State plus repeated action; a female speaker says μικρή
Στις δέκα ακόμα δούλευαν.	At ten they were still working.	Action in progress at a past time
Έβρεχε και φυσούσε δυνατά.	It was raining and the wind was blowing hard.	Scene-setting background
Δεν καταλάβαινα την ερώτηση.	I didn’t understand the question.	Past mental state
Κάθε βράδυ διαβάζαμε πριν κοιμηθούμε.	Every evening we used to read before going to sleep.	Regular habit
Τι έκανες όταν σε είδα;	What were you doing when I saw you?	Question about an activity in progress
Η Άννα φορούσε ένα κόκκινο παλτό.	Anna was wearing a red coat.	Description in a past scene
Περιμένατε πολλή ώρα;	Were you waiting for a long time?	Second-person plural or polite plural
Παλιά δεν είχαμε αυτοκίνητο.	We didn’t have a car in the past.	Continuing past possession
Ενώ μαγείρευα, τα παιδιά έβλεπαν τηλεόραση.	While I was cooking, the children were watching television.	Two simultaneous ongoing actions
Ο δάσκαλος εξηγούσε και εμείς κρατούσαμε σημειώσεις.	The teacher was explaining, and we were taking notes.	Parallel background activities

Common Mistakes

Using the present tense after a past-time expression

• Wrong: Χθες γράφω ένα γράμμα όλο το απόγευμα.
• Right: Χθες έγραφα ένα γράμμα όλο το απόγευμα.
• Why: The action belongs to the past and is viewed as unfolding through the afternoon, so it needs the imperfect.

Adding έ- to every form

• Wrong: εγράφαμε
• Right: γράφαμε
• Why: In standard modern Greek, the longer ending lets the stress fall correctly without an augment. Compare singular έγραφα with plural γράφαμε.

Keeping the present-tense stress

• Wrong: δουλεύα
• Right: δούλευα
• Why: Imperfect formation can move the stress. Learn the written accent and pronunciation with the complete form.

Using the imperfect for every English simple past

• Wrong: Χθες αγόραζα ένα βιβλίο when you mean one completed purchase.
• Right: Χθες αγόρασα ένα βιβλίο. — “Yesterday I bought a book.”
• Why: A single purchase viewed as complete normally takes the aorist. The imperfect αγόραζα would focus on an ongoing or repeated buying activity and needs a suitable context.

Assuming “for a long time” always requires the imperfect

• Wrong rule: duration automatically means imperfect.
• Contrast: Δούλευα εκεί για δέκα χρόνια views the period from within or as background; Δούλεψα εκεί για δέκα χρόνια presents the ten-year period as one completed chapter.
• Why: Duration matters less than aspect: how the speaker frames the event.

Translating “used to” word for word

• Awkward: trying to add a separate Greek equivalent of English “used to” before πήγαινα.
• Right: Πήγαινα εκεί κάθε Σάββατο.
• Why: The imperfect itself, supported by context such as κάθε Σάββατο, expresses the old habit.

Usage Notes

The imperfect is common in both speech and writing. Spoken Greek often uses optional final -ε in third-person plural forms, such as γράφανε beside έγραφαν and μιλούσανε beside μιλούσαν. Both types are normal; the shorter form is a safe neutral choice in formal writing.

English can hide distinctions that Greek requires. “I worked there for ten years” may become either δούλευα or δούλεψα. The imperfect places you inside the situation or treats it as background; the aorist packages it as a completed whole. Conversely, English “I was writing” strongly points toward έγραφα, but even an English simple past may need the Greek imperfect when it describes a routine: “Every summer we stayed with our grandparents” → Κάθε καλοκαίρι μέναμε στους παππούδες μας.

Storytelling often alternates the two aspects. The imperfect paints the scene and ongoing circumstances; the aorist advances the sequence with completed events: Έβρεχε, ο κόσμος έτρεχε, και ξαφνικά έσβησαν τα φώτα (“It was raining, people were running, and suddenly the lights went out”). This is a useful tendency, not a rigid division between “description” and “action.”

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master all of these details at A2, but they explain forms you will meet later.

Imperfect versus aorist is a viewpoint choice

The same real-world situation can often be presented with either aspect. Compare:

Imperfect	Aorist	Difference in viewpoint
Διάβαζα το βιβλίο.	Διάβασα το βιβλίο.	I was reading it / I used to read it vs. I read and completed it
Έμενε στην Αθήνα για χρόνια.	Έμεινε στην Αθήνα για τρία χρόνια.	Ongoing background residence vs. one bounded, completed stay
Τηλεφωνούσα συχνά.	Τηλεφώνησα τρεις φορές.	Repeated habit vs. a counted set viewed as complete

Repetition does not by itself force the imperfect. An open-ended habit favors it, but a bounded count such as “three times” often favors the aorist because the repetitions form one complete set.

Internal augment in some compound verbs

In some learned or compound verbs with a prefix, the past augment can appear inside the word rather than at the very beginning: υπογράφω → υπέγραφα (“I was signing / used to sign”). These patterns are not fully predictable for a beginner. Record the imperfect when you learn such a verb and rely on exposure rather than inventing a form by analogy.

Politeness and softening

In conversation, a past imperfect can sometimes make a request or intention sound less abrupt: Ήθελα να ρωτήσω κάτι literally means “I wanted to ask something,” but often functions like the polite English “I wanted to ask something.” The speaker’s wish is not necessarily over. This is a pragmatic use—a use shaped by social context—built from the imperfect’s distancing effect.

Past situations that were expected or intended

With verbs such as θέλω (“want”) and πρέπει (“must”), imperfect forms can introduce an unrealized plan, obligation, or softened statement: Ήθελα να έρθω, αλλά δεν μπορούσα (“I wanted to come, but I couldn’t”). The following verb commonly appears with να, whose form belongs to a wider part of Greek grammar that can be studied separately.

Practice Tips

1. Build two short paradigms from memory. Conjugate γράφω and μιλάω through all six persons, saying each form aloud. Mark where the stress moves and where έ- appears.
2. Turn present routines into past routines. Change Κάθε μέρα πηγαίνω με τα πόδια into Όταν έμενα εκεί, κάθε μέρα πήγαινα με τα πόδια. This connects a familiar present pattern to the imperfect.
3. Retell a scene in two layers. Use three imperfect verbs for the weather, setting, and ongoing activity, then one aorist verb for the event that happened. This trains aspect as a storytelling choice rather than as a translation exercise.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Present Tense (Group A: -ω) — provides the present stems and person system used by many imperfect forms.
• Next step: Aorist vs. Imperfect Contrast — develops the aspect choice between complete events and ongoing or habitual situations.
• Next step: Temporal Connectors — links past actions with words such as “when” and “while.”