Imperfectum is a past tense. Its formation is simple: we take the 3rd person plural present and change -ant into -abam, and both -ent, -unt into -ebam.
The endings of this tense are like in praesens, except -m in the 1st pers. activi and -r in the 1st pers. passivi.
Examples :
I conjugation: voco, vocare, vocant:
person | singular | plural |
1 | vocabam | vocabamus |
2 | vocabas | vocabatis |
3 | vocabat | vocabant |
II conjugation: video, videre, vident:
person | singular | plural |
1 | videbam | videbamus |
2 | videbas | videbatis |
3 | videbat | videbant |
In the IV conjugation the 3rd person plur. ends in -iunt :
person | singular | plural |
1 | venio | venimus |
2 | venis | venitis |
3 | venit | veniunt |
III conjugation, regular verbs:
person | singular | plural |
1 | mittebam | mittebamus |
2 | mittebas | mittebatis |
3 | mittebat | mittebant |
III conjugation, verbs adding -i-:
person | singular | plural |
1 | faciebam | faciebamus |
2 | faciebas | faciebatis |
3 | faciebat | faciebant |
The verb sum forms imperfectum irregularly:
person | singular | plural |
1 | eram | eramus |
2 | eras | eratis |
3 | erat | erant |
Similarly : possum, potest > poteram, prosum, prodest > proderam, absum, abest > aberam.
Other irregular verbs :
ire and its forms with prefixes have -ibam : ire > ibam, abire > abibam
Another exception, similar to possum, posse is: prosum, prodesse (prosum, prodes, prodest, prosumus, prodestis, prosunt).
The verb eo, ire is conjugated like a regular verb of III conjugation, but it has e- before endings -o and -unt.
The other verbs form imperfectum regularly :
fero, ferre, ferunt > ferebam
volo, velle, volunt > volebam
nolo, nolle, nolunt > nolebam
malo, malle, malunt > malebam
fio, fieri, fiunt > fiebam
aio, aiere, aiunt > aiebam
inquam has only a form of 3rd person sing. inquiebat.
Imperfectum passivi has passive endings after -ba- : -bar, -baris, -batur, -bamur, -bamini, -bantur:
person | singular | plural |
1 | vocabar | vocabamur |
2 | vocabaris | vocabamini |
3 | vocabatur | vocabantur |