Meanings
- not comparableOf, relating to or having the properties of the imperfective aspect.
Consider, then, the result of applying these tense morphemes to a perfective or an imperfective verb.
2012, Ronald W. Langacker, Essentials of Cognitive Grammar, Oxford University Press, page 1572 more examples
In the last chapter, we observed the rise of an imperfective marker in English, the Progressive, as the dominant and surviving member of a wider paradigm of imperfective aspectual functions in Old English, but which were no longer marked in the same way in later stages of the history of English.
2006, Debra Ziegeler, Interfaces with English Aspect: Diachronic and Empirical Studies, John Benjamins Publishing Company, page 89The former is the basic imperfective subjunctive, while the latter is prominent or intensified.[…]While the present subjunctive is imperfective in aspect, the perfect subjunctive is imperfective in aspect and spatially proximate.
2008, Constantine R. Campbell, Verbal Aspect and Non-indicative Verbs: Further Soundings in the Greek of the New Testament, Peter Lang, page 65
plural imperfectives
- The imperfective aspect; a verb having this aspect.
Examples of past imperfectives are shown in (42).
2005, Jane H. Hill, A Grammar of Cupeño, University of California Press, page 1322 more examples
These putative indeterminate imperfectives are innovative in form precisely because they add a manner meaning to the range of lexical meanings available to Proto-Slavic motion verbs.
2010, Viktoria Hasko, Renee Perelmutter, “Introduction: Verbs of motion in Slavic languages: Paths for exploration”, in Viktoria Hasko, Renee Perelmutter, editors, New Approaches to Slavic Verbs of Motion, John Benjamins Publishing Company, page 5Past imperfectives are also unproblematic because imperfectives are mass-like in nature, hence contractible.
2012, Ronald W. Langacker, Essentials of Cognitive Grammar, Oxford University Press, page 157
Synonyms & antonyms
nounaspect without regard to the beginning or completion of the action of the verb
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Bulgarian несвъ́ршен, несвъ́ршен вид
- несвъ́ршен (nesvắršen)related to the imperfective aspect
- несвъ́ршен вид (nesvắršen vid)imperfective aspect; verb with this aspect — see also imperfective aspect
Catalan imperfectiu, imperfectiu
- imperfectiurelated to the imperfective aspect
- imperfectiuimperfective aspect; verb with this aspect — see also imperfective aspect
Chinese Mandarin 非完整, 未完成式
- 非完整 (fēiwánzhěng)related to the imperfective aspect
- 未完成式 (wèiwánchéngshì)imperfective aspect; verb with this aspect — see also imperfective aspect
Czech nedokonavý, nedokonavý
- nedokonavýrelated to the imperfective aspect
- nedokonavýimperfective aspect; verb with this aspect — see also imperfective aspect
Finnish imperfektiivinen, imperfektiivi
- imperfektiivinenrelated to the imperfective aspect
- imperfektiiviimperfective aspect; verb with this aspect — see also imperfective aspect
French imperfectif
- imperfectifrelated to the imperfective aspect
German imperfektiv, imperfektiv
- imperfektivrelated to the imperfective aspect
- imperfektivimperfective aspect; verb with this aspect — see also imperfective aspect
Hebrew לֹא מֻגְמָר
- לֹא מֻגְמָר (lo mugmár)related to the imperfective aspect
Hungarian folyamatos, befejezetlen
- folyamatosrelated to the imperfective aspect
- befejezetlenrelated to the imperfective aspect
Italian imperfettivo
- imperfettivorelated to the imperfective aspect
Japanese 未完了
- 未完了 (mikanryō)related to the imperfective aspect
Polish niedokonany, aspekt niedokonany
- niedokonanyrelated to the imperfective aspect
- aspekt niedokonanyimperfective aspect; verb with this aspect — see also imperfective aspect
Portuguese imperfectivo, imperfetivo
- imperfectivorelated to the imperfective aspect
- imperfetivorelated to the imperfective aspect
- imperfectivoimperfective aspect; verb with this aspect — see also imperfective aspect
Romanian imperfectiv
- imperfectivimperfective aspect; verb with this aspect — see also imperfective aspect
Russian несоверше́нный, несоверше́нный вид
- несоверше́нный (nesoveršénnyj)related to the imperfective aspect
- несоверше́нный вид (nesoveršénnyj vid)imperfective aspect; verb with this aspect — see also imperfective aspect
Slovak nedokonavý
- nedokonavýrelated to the imperfective aspect
Ukrainian недоко́наний
- недоко́наний (nedokónanyj)related to the imperfective aspect
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with imperfective
Cite this entry
imperfective. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/imperfective
“imperfective.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/imperfective. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “imperfective,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/imperfective.
Source: imperfective on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.