THE IMPERFECT: THAT SHEEPISH TENSE :), THE VIDEO PAST

The imperfect shows past time--something that happened maybe yesterday (hērī), or any time in the past.
The imperfect shows something that happened over time, over and over again, or was in the process of unfolding in the past--just like a video.
We can translate it in several ways:
spectābās = 'You were looking'; 'You used to look at'; 'You kept looking'.
To make the imperfect, take the stem:
1st conjugation, like portā-
2nd conjugation, like parē-
3rd conjugation, like discēdē-
4th conjugation, like veniē-
N.B. (Nota Bene = Note well): all stems end in long vowels. One way that the imperfect is 'sheepish'!
Then add the infix -bā- (again, sheepish!)
Then add the person marker (-m for 1st person singular, then -s, -t, -mus, -tis, -nt). Remember that some person markers will knock off the macron! Only the person markers that end in -s are Sweet and Soft, and leave the macron be.
Another way to think of it is stem + bam, bās, bat, bāmus, bātis, bant.
Have fun with the questions below!