First and second person imperfect forms of the verb 'to be,' describing past ongoing states or habitual existence: 'I was,' 'you were.' In narrative it establishes background conditions or introduces characters' circumstances before events unfold. Personal testimony employs it to contrast past and present: 'I was blind, but now I see.' The imperfect's aspectual quality emphasizes duration or repetition in past time—not a point event but an extended state. Dialectal variations abound, but the core meaning remains stable across Greek literature.