CHAPTER XXVII

212. The Habitual Past represents an action as habitually or regularly done in the past. It does not usually refer to a particular act of the past, nor to an act as going on in the past. It is not correct to call this tense ``Past Imperfect'' or ``Progressive Past'', as has been done by almost all the grammarians. Modern Hindi usage does not warrant this nomenclature. See below 216. It differs from the Simple Past (202) in as much as the latter refers to a particular act of the past, whereas the Habitual Past refers to a general fact :

The Verbs of the two senternces are not inter-changeable.

213. The Habitual Past is formed by combining

with the present participle forms of the Verb (Which, of course, are affected by the Number and Gender of the subject, see 196.) The Habitual Passt forms are not affected by Person.

214. The forms of the root ��� `go' will, thus, be :-

1. with a Masculine Subject :

Singular Plural


I Person	��� ������ ��� ۟� ����ܽ �ܽ
II Person	�ܻ ������ ��� �ܺ�� ����ܽ �ܽ
III Person	��� ������ ��� �ܽ ����ܽ �ܽ



2. with a Feminine Subject :-

Singular Plural

214. A special form of the Habitual Past is obtained by omitting the auxiliaries ���, �ܽ, ���, ���. It is used almost exclusively in narrating a repeated act of the past.

۟� ��ܽ�� �ܝܽ�� �� ���ܿ ����ܽ ��� ��ܡ�� �ţ�ܽ �ܾ� ��ܟ� ��ܽ ��ܾ��ܽ ��� ��ܾ�� �ţ�ܽ

`we would (we used to) go there every morning and return in the evening.' This form may be called `Frequentative' or `Repetitive' Past.

Note :- In the Fem. Pl. of the Frequentative Past, the present participle has a - ��� instead of the usual - ��� :

�ܽ ������ `they (Fem,) would go'.

1. The `Frequentative' forms are not tobe confused with the contingent forms (233) with which they are apparently identical.

214. (a) The above forms are terminate, not progressive : they do not represent the act as going on in the past. Their use as progressive (``Imperfect'' or ``Continuous'') forms is archaic or dialectic.

(b) The progressive forms are made, as in the present (190) by replacing the ��� by ��� :


���, �ܻ, ��� ��� ��� ��� (��� ���)	`I, thou, he, she, it was going',
۟�, �ܺ��, �ܽ ��� �۽ �ܽ (��� ���)	`we, you, they were going' etc.


These, however, represent the progressive aspect of the simple past rather than of the habitual. See 325 (b).
215. (a) The Past Habitual (including the ``Frequentative'') is restricted to the present (191-92) with the help of ���� and ơ��. The Auxiliaries ���, �ܽ, ��� however, are not omitted :
     

     ��܎��ܽ �ܫ�� ۟� ���ܿ ���� ���ܽ �ܽ	`last year, we did not use to come here',
     ��� �ڛ�ܽ� ơ�� �ܺ�� ���ť� �ܽ� �܁��ܽ �ܽ	were you, then, studying in a school?'