What tense is commonly indicated by the suffix -ba in Latin?

The suffix -ba in Latin is indicative of the imperfect tense. This tense is used to describe actions that were ongoing or repeated in the past, providing a sense of duration or incompleteness. The imperfect is characterized by its function to convey a past action without a specified endpoint, making it distinct from the perfect tense, which indicates completed actions.

For example, a verb like "amare" (to love) would take the form "amabam" for "I was loving" in the first person, singular, imperfect tense. This clearly emphasizes that the action was in progress. The use of -ba helps to convey the idea of an action that was occurring or habitual in the past, which is a fundamental characteristic of the imperfect tense in Latin conjugation.