Frequentative Verbs: "Used To"
When describing old routines, English relies on phrases like "used to" or "would." While standard imperfective Polish verbs can describe repeated past actions, Polish also has a special class of verbs dedicated entirely to long-term habits: frequentative verbs.
You can recognize them by their suffixes: -ywać or -iwać. You will often see them paired with words like dawniej (formerly / in the past) or when reminiscing about childhood memories.
Take the verb czytać (to read). With the suffix, it becomes czytywać (to read habitually).
Conjugating Frequentatives
Frequentative verbs conjugate exactly like standard -ać verbs in the past tense. You simply attach the standard past tense endings to the new frequentative stem. For example, grać (to play) becomes grywać.
Vowel Shifts
Sometimes the root of the verb changes slightly when the frequentative suffix is added. For instance, the verb jeść (to eat) transforms into jadywać.
Similarly, widzieć (to see) becomes widywać, and pisać (to write) becomes pisywać.
Nostalgia and Carefree Days
Naturally, frequentative verbs go hand in hand with reminiscing about a beztroski (carefree) past. When discussing your favorite childhood zabawa (game, play, or party), it is common to feel a sense of tęsknota (nostalgia or longing).