§470. Tenses of the Indicative

The Imperfect denotes an action or a state as continued or repeated in past time:—

• hunc audiēbant anteā; (Manil. 13), they used to hear of him before.
• [Sōcratēs] ita cēnsēbat itaque disseruit (Tusc. 1.72), Socrates thought so (habitually), and so he spoke (then).
• prūdēns esse putābātur (Lael. 6), he was (generally) thought wise. [The perfect would refer to some particular case, and not to a state of things.]
• iamque rubēscēbat Aurōra (Aen. 3.521), and now the dawn was blushing.
• āra vetus stābat (Ov. M. 6.326), an old altar stood there.

• Haeduī graviter ferēbant, neque lēgātōs ad Caesarem mittere audēbant (B. G. 5.6), the Hædui were displeased, and did not dare to send envoys to Cæsar. [Here the Imperfects describe the state of things.] But,—
• id tulit factum graviter Indūtiomārus (id. 5.4), Indutiomarus was displeased at this action. [Here the Perfect merely states the fact.]
• aedificia vīcōsque habēbant (id. 4.4), they had buildings and villages.