Mark 4:9

The Greek verb ἔλεγεν is the imperfect active indicative of λέγω (“to say”), and properly conveys continuous or repeated action in the past.

While most English translations render it simply as “he said,” this corresponds more directly to the aorist form εἶπεν, which denotes a punctiliar or completed action. In contrast, the imperfect form ἔλεγεν should be translated as “he was saying,” “he kept saying,” or “he used to say,” preserving its imperfective aspect.

Rendering it as “he said,” though not strictly incorrect in idiomatic English, is grammatically imprecise, as it fails to communicate the ongoing or habitual nature of the action encoded in the Greek tense. For rigorous exegetical or linguistic work, the imperfect sense must be maintained.