Retold forms: once upon a time

Bulgarian verbs can show that the speaker did not witness an event. This retold (renarrated) mood is used for things you only heard about, and it is the normal mood of fairy tales and legends: Имало едно време... (Once upon a time there was...).

In the 3rd person the retold form is simply the -л participle without е / са:

• background states and habits use the retold imperfect: живеел / живеела / живеели, ходел, имал, and бил / била / били for was / were
• single events in the story use the retold aorist: отишъл / отишла, видял / видяла, заминали

Compare Той е отишъл (He has gone) with Той отишъл (He went, so the story goes). Outside tales the retold mood appears in reported news and with уж (supposedly): Той уж бил болен. A retold future also exists: щял да дойде (he will come, reportedly).