The principles of Latin grammar; comprising the ... - Essan.org

94 THE VERB.—TENSES. § 44nos bella gerebam, " for so many years I had been, and thenstill was waging war."3. Sometimes it denotes an action desired, intended, or attempted,but not accomplished; as, Porsena eum terrebat,"Porsena attempted to frighten him."4. It is sometimes used hypothetically, instead of the imperfect or pluperfect subjunctive ;as, anceps certamen erat, nisiequites supervenissent, " the battle would have been doubtful,unless, &o." 141, and 624-5.5. The same observations made in 158, in reference to thepresent passive, are applicable in all their extent to the imperfect;as, amabatur, "he was loved;" domus cedificabatur," the house was building," not " was built," nor " was beingbuilt ;" opus peragebdtur, " the work was finishing," &c.161.—III. The Perfect tense is used in twodifferent senses, Definite and Indefinite.162.—The Perfect-definite represents an actionor event as completed at the present time, or ina period of time of which the present forms aTiujus ad me-part ; as, scrvpsi, u I have written fmoriam nostoam momimenta manserunt duo, " tw«">monuments of him have remained to our time."163.—The Petfeet-indefinite represents an actionor event simply as past ; as, scripsi, " Iwrote."164.—The first, or Perfect-definite, corresponds to the English presentperfect (An. and Pr. Gr., 407) ;—the second, or Perfect-indefinite, correspondsto the English past tense (An. and Pr. Or., 415). In this sense, iti3 commonly used in historical narratives like the Greek aorist; thus, Ccesarexercitum finibus Italice admovit, Rubicon transiit, Romam occupdvit," Caesar marched his army,"