Question: How Do You Say "I Used to Go" in Latin?
Forum poster Rolo asked, "Could anybody please tell me if Latin has a verb for 'use' as in 'I used to go to the beach'?"
Answer: Latin uses the indicative imperfect for this type of construction. The indicative imperfect is used for habitual action and for action that has not been completed. The perfect is used for completed action. "Used to go" is an habitual action. The Latin is ibam. Another way to translate ibam is "I went." The perfect form of this is ivi (or ii), which can also be translated "I went." Latin doesn't have the equivalent of English auxiliary verbs, so there is not an auxiliary verb in Latin that translates as "used (to)."
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