09.06.25: Level 1; readings [16]: the good old days; imperfect tense 1st / 2nd conjugation [1]

Demaratus talks about the time when his country wasn’t occupied by the Romans:

“Multa saecula Athēnae, patria mea, līberae erant. Nōs Graecī līberī erāmus cūnctī, dum in nostrīs oppidīs līberī habitābāmus. Interdum tyrannī in nōnnūllīs oppidīs rēgnāre studēbant, sed Graecī vītam līberam valdē amābant et tyrannōs ut adversāriōs fugāre solēbant.”

Tum Epicharmus: “Pīsistratus quidem multōs annōs imperium Athēnārum obtinēbat, quod bonus et iūstus erat…”

Sed Mārcus: “Dionȳsius autem Syrācūsānīs totidem ferē annōs imperābat, quamquam neque bonus neque iūstus, sed iniūstus et malus erat: Populum enim iniūriīs terrēbat, multōs virōs integrōs necābat. Dionȳsiō quidem magnum rēgnum, magnae dīvitiae erant; neque tamen beātus, immō vērō miser erat, quod semper īnsidiās timēbat.”

[1] This text uses the imperfect tense; this tense describes:

[i] what somebody was doing i.e. an action that was incomplete

[ii] what somebody used to do i.e. an action that happened frequently in the past

[iii] an action that took place or a situation that existed over a period of time with no real sense of beginning or end e.g. what the character of a person was like

dum in nostrīs oppidīs … habitābāmus │ while we were living / used to live in our towns

Nōs Graecī līberī erāmus …│ We Greeks were / used to be free

semper īnsidiās timēbat │ he always feared / used to fear treachery

bonus et iūstus erat │ he was good and just

Pīsistratus … multōs annōs imperium … obtinēbat │ Pisistratus … held political power … for many years

Dionȳsius autem Syrācūsānīs totidem ferē annōs imperābat │ Dionysius ruled the Syracusans for almost as many years.

[2] a verb to look out for is soleō, -ēre [2]: to be accustomed (to doing something); it is used with an infinitive and can translate as somebody who usually does or did something i.e. the verb conveys a frequentative meaning.

Graecī … adversāriōs ¦ fugāre ¦ solēbant │literally: the Greeks ¦ were accustomed ¦ to putting ¦ enemies to flight = the Greeks usually chased their enemies away

[3] Links to all posts on the imperfect tense:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/permalink/469186202359320/

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/07/220824-maxey-11-2-past-tenses-2.html

[4] Latin tutorial: imperfect tense

https://youtu.be/3-OLocTTe50