The Habitual Past

This past tense is formed by combining the present tense stem in -a, -ə, -ıy, -i (neg. -mıy, -mi)  with the past participle of the verb toru (torğan) followed by idem, ideñ, ide, etc. The English equivalent is “used to do sth.”

min yaza torğan idem – I used to write

sin yaza torğan ideñ – you used to write

ul yaza torğan ide – he (she, it) used to write

bez yaza torğan idek – we used to write

sez yaza torğan idegez – you (pl.) used to write

alar yaza torğan ide(lər) – they used to write

✍🏼 This tense indicates an action habitually repeated at some point in the past time.

Əniyem miña gel xikəyələr söyli torğan ide. (Mirxəydər Fəyzi, “Asılyar”) 

My mother always used to tell me stories.

Bez üzebezneñ tel, xisap şikellelərne yaratıp uqıdıq. Xisap digəne qızıq qına uqıtıla torğan ide. (Ğömər Bəşirov, “Tuğan yağım – yəşel bişek”) 

We liked studying subjects like our language, arithmetic. Arithmetic was being taught in a rather interesting way.

📖 There is also a less used (more literary) form of a Habitual Past in -r, -ar, -ər, -ır, -er (neg. -mas, -məs) ide which also indicates an action in the past, repeated from time to time. The English equivalent is “would do sth.”

Ul hərwaqıt şulay buldı. Bala waqıtınnan uq. Tabiğət qoçağına çığıp kitər ide də, anda çəçəklər cıyıp, kübələklər quwıp, qoşlar sayrawın, urman şawlawın tıñlap cırlar da cırlar ide. (Səyet Şəkürov, “Səxnəneñ qıl urtasında”) 

He was always like that. From childhood. He would go out into the lap of nature and there, gathering flowers, chasing butterflies and listening to the twittering of the birds and the rustle of the forest, he would sing and sing.