Portuguese Past Habits: 'I used to' (Pretérito Imperfeito)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use the Imperfeito to describe past habits, ongoing states, or background actions that don't have a specific start or end point.
- Use for repeated habits: 'Eu corria todo dia' (I used to run every day).
- Use for descriptions: 'O céu estava azul' (The sky was blue).
- Use for ongoing actions interrupted by a sudden event: 'Eu dormia quando o telefone tocou'.
Overview
The Pretérito Imperfeito (Imperfect Past) in Portuguese serves a critical function in narrative, describing past actions, states, or conditions that were ongoing, habitual, or descriptive. Unlike the Pretérito Perfeito (Simple Past), which presents completed, punctual events, the Imperfeito focuses on the process, duration, or repetition of actions in the past, without specifying their beginning or end. It establishes the background, sets the scene, and provides context for other events, often punctual ones described with the Perfeito.
Understanding this distinction is foundational for achieving narrative flow and sounding natural in Portuguese, allowing you to articulate nuanced aspects of past experiences.
Linguistically, the Imperfeito embodies imperfective aspect, meaning it views an action from within, as it was unfolding or as a recurring phenomenon. This contrasts with perfective aspect (like the Perfeito), which views an action as a complete whole. Mastering the Imperfeito enables speakers to convey not just what happened, but how things were or what was happening over a period, making your storytelling richer and more descriptive.
It's the tense you use to reminisce about childhood routines, describe past environments, or articulate a polite request.
Conjugation Table
| Person | -ar verbs (e.g., falar - to speak) |
-er verbs (e.g., comer - to eat) |
-ir verbs (e.g., abrir - to open) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| :--------------- | :---------------------------------- | :-------------------------------- | :-------------------------------- | |||
| Eu | falava |
comia |
abria |
|||
| Você/Ele/Ela | falava |
comia |
abria |
|||
| Nós | falávamos |
comíamos |
abríamos |
|||
| Vocês/Eles/Elas | falavam |
comiam |
abriam |
|||
| Person | ser (to be) | ter (to have) | vir (to come) | pôr (to put) | ||
| :--------------- | :---------- | :------------ | :------------ | :----------- | ||
| Eu | era |
tinha |
vinha |
punha |
||
| Você/Ele/Ela | era |
tinha |
vinha |
punha |
||
| Nós | éramos |
tínhamos |
vínhamos |
púnhamos |
||
| Vocês/Eles/Elas | eram |
tinham |
vinham |
punham |
How This Grammar Works
Pretérito Imperfeito functions fundamentally as a background tense in Portuguese narrative. It describes actions, states, or conditions that are viewed as ongoing, habitual, or existing over a period in the past, without explicit reference to their completion. This contrasts sharply with the Pretérito Perfeito, which is a foreground tense, used for completed actions or events that occurred at specific, bounded points in the past.Imperfeito lies in its focus on the internal duration or repetition of an event, rather than its culmination.Eu lia (I was reading/I used to read) and Eu li (I read). Eu lia implies an activity that spanned a period, possibly interrupted, or a repeated action. Eu li, conversely, refers to a completed act of reading.Imperfeito, you are essentially stepping into the past and observing an action in progress, or observing a recurring pattern. For instance, Quando eu era criança, morávamos no campo (When I was a child, we lived in the countryside) uses Imperfeito for both ser (a continuous state of being a child) and morar (a prolonged period of living).Imperfeito is crucial for establishing the setting, atmosphere, and general conditions of a past scenario before introducing a specific event. It paints the static or continuously evolving picture against which punctual events unfold. This creates a sense of depth and realism in storytelling.Imperfeito provides the foundational context, and the Perfeito introduces dynamic, singular actions. For example, Chovia muito quando saímos (It was raining a lot when we left) employs chovia to describe the continuous weather condition and saímos (Perfeito) for the specific act of leaving.Formation Pattern
Pretérito Imperfeito for regular verbs involves a straightforward three-step process, based on the verb's infinitive ending. This consistency is a hallmark of the tense, making it highly predictable for the majority of Portuguese verbs.
-ar, -er, or -ir. This is the primary classification for conjugation. For example, falar ends in -ar, comer in -er, and abrir in -ir.
falar, the stem is fal-. For comer, it's com-. For abrir, it's abr-.
Imperfeito endings to the stem: The endings vary only by the verb group and the grammatical person. The characteristic sounds are key: v for -ar verbs, and i for -er and -ir verbs.
-ava, -avas, -ava, -ávamos, -avam. Example: fal- + -ava -> falava (Eu/Você/Ele/Ela), fal- + -ávamos -> falávamos (Nós).
-ia, -ias, -ia, -íamos, -iam. Example: com- + -ia -> comia (Eu/Você/Ele/Ela), com- + -íamos -> comíamos (Nós).
Nós form (-ávamos or -íamos) is critical. It shifts the stress to the vowel immediately preceding the v or i characteristic sound. Without this accent, the pronunciation would be incorrect, stressing the final syllable instead of the correct antepenultimate syllable. For instance, falávamos (we were speaking) correctly emphasizes the second a, while falavamos (incorrect) would emphasize the final o.
ser, ter, vir, pôr) deviate from this pattern entirely, retaining their irregular stems and applying unique Imperfeito endings that do not conform to the regular -ar, -er, or -ir paradigms. These must be learned as individual cases, but their limited number makes this a manageable task for learners. For instance, ser uses era- as its base, resulting in eu era, nós éramos, etc.
When To Use It
Pretérito Imperfeito is used in a variety of contexts, primarily revolving around the idea of duration, repetition, or description in the past. Understanding these applications is key to using the tense effectively in narrative and conversation.- Habitual or Repeated Actions in the Past: This is one of the most common uses, conveying the English concept of
Regular Imperfect Endings
| Pronoun | -AR (Falar) | -ER (Comer) | -IR (Partir) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Eu
|
falava
|
comia
|
partia
|
|
Você/Ele/Ela
|
falava
|
comia
|
partia
|
|
Nós
|
falávamos
|
comíamos
|
partíamos
|
|
Vocês/Eles/Elas
|
falavam
|
comiam
|
partiam
|
Meanings
The Pretérito Imperfeito describes actions that were habitual, continuous, or incomplete in the past.
Habitual Past
Actions that happened repeatedly.
“Eu ia à praia todo verão.”
“Nós estudávamos juntos.”
Past Description
Describing states of being, feelings, or physical appearance in the past.
“A casa era muito grande.”
“Eu estava cansado.”
Background Action
An action in progress when another event happened.
“Eu lia um livro quando você chegou.”
“Chovia quando saímos.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Subject + Verb(imp)
|
Eu falava
|
|
Negative
|
Subject + não + Verb(imp)
|
Eu não falava
|
|
Question
|
Verb(imp) + Subject?
|
Você falava?
|
|
Interrogative Negative
|
Não + Verb(imp) + Subject?
|
Não falava você?
|
|
Short Answer
|
Sim/Não + Pronoun + Verb(imp)
|
Sim, eu falava
|
|
Ongoing
|
Enquanto + Subject + Verb(imp)
|
Enquanto eu falava
|
Formality Spectrum
Eu gostaria de solicitar uma informação. (Asking for information)
Eu queria pedir uma informação. (Asking for information)
Eu queria perguntar uma coisa. (Asking for information)
Queria saber um lance. (Asking for information)
Uses of Imperfeito
Habits
- sempre always
- todo dia every day
Descriptions
- era was
- estava was
Background
- enquanto while
- quando when
Examples by Level
Eu morava em Lisboa.
I used to live in Lisbon.
Nós brincávamos muito.
We used to play a lot.
Ele estudava português.
He used to study Portuguese.
Você comia carne?
Did you use to eat meat?
Eu não gostava de brócolis.
I didn't use to like broccoli.
O dia estava lindo.
The day was beautiful.
O que você fazia ontem?
What were you doing yesterday?
Eles moravam perto daqui.
They used to live near here.
Eu lia quando você chegou.
I was reading when you arrived.
Eu queria pedir um café.
I would like to order a coffee.
Enquanto ele falava, eu anotava.
While he was speaking, I was taking notes.
Antigamente, tudo era mais barato.
In the past, everything was cheaper.
Se eu tivesse tempo, eu viajava.
If I had time, I would travel.
Ela parecia estar muito cansada.
She seemed to be very tired.
Nós costumávamos ir lá sempre.
We used to go there always.
O projeto exigia muita dedicação.
The project required a lot of dedication.
Era uma vez um rei que vivia só.
Once upon a time there was a king who lived alone.
Eu ia dizer algo, mas desisti.
I was going to say something, but I gave up.
O clima era tenso, quase insuportável.
The atmosphere was tense, almost unbearable.
Eles fingiam que não sabiam de nada.
They were pretending they didn't know anything.
Quem me dera que fosse verdade.
I wish it were true.
Se soubesse, não vinha.
If I had known, I wouldn't have come.
O autor descrevia a cena com precisão.
The author described the scene with precision.
Ele era, por assim dizer, um homem de hábitos.
He was, so to speak, a man of habits.
Easily Confused
Learners struggle to know which past tense to use.
Both are irregular and look the same in the Imperfeito.
Mixing up the endings.
Common Mistakes
Eu comi todo dia
Eu comia todo dia
Eu falava ontem
Eu falei ontem
Nós falavamos
Nós falávamos
Eu era ir
Eu ia
Eu não comia nada
Eu não comia nada
Ele estava ir
Ele ia
Eles comiam pizza
Eles comiam pizza
Eu queria que você vem
Eu queria que você viesse
Eu ia para casa quando ele chegou
Eu ia para casa quando ele chegou
Nós éramos ir
Nós íamos
Se eu sabia, eu não vinha
Se eu soubesse, eu não viria
Ele fingia que não sabia
Ele fingia que não sabia
Eu ia ter feito
Eu ia ter feito
Sentence Patterns
Antigamente, eu ___ muito.
Eu ___ quando você chegou.
___ você morava quando era criança?
Eu ___ pedir um favor.
Real World Usage
Eu amava esse lugar!
Você queria sair?
Eu trabalhava com gestão.
O hotel era muito bom.
Eu queria pedir pizza.
Era uma vez...
Focus on the 'A' and 'I'
Don't forget the accents
Use for politeness
Brazil vs Portugal
Smart Tips
Use Imperfeito for everything.
Use 'Eu queria' for politeness.
Use Imperfeito for the weather.
Use 'sempre' or 'todo dia'.
Pronunciation
Accent marks
The accent on 'ávamos' and 'íamos' shifts the stress to the third-to-last syllable.
Question
Você morava lá? ↑
Rising intonation at the end.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Remember: 'AVA' for AR, 'IA' for ER/IR. Think of 'AVA' as a 'wave' (habit) and 'IA' as a 'line' (continuous).
Visual Association
Imagine a film projector playing a loop. The loop is the Imperfeito—it keeps repeating the same scene over and over.
Rhyme
For AR use AVA, for ER/IR use IA, the past is a habit that won't go away.
Story
When I was a child (Eu era criança), I used to play (eu brincava) in the park. The sun was shining (o sol brilhava) and I was happy (eu estava feliz).
Word Web
Challenge
Write 3 sentences about a habit you had 5 years ago.
Cultural Notes
Brazilians often use 'a gente' instead of 'nós' with the third-person singular verb form.
Portuguese speakers strictly use 'nós' and the full conjugation.
The Imperfeito is used to soften requests in all Lusophone countries.
Derived from the Latin imperfect indicative.
Conversation Starters
Onde você morava quando era criança?
O que você costumava fazer nos fins de semana?
Como era o seu trabalho anterior?
Se você pudesse voltar no tempo, o que faria?
Journal Prompts
Common Mistakes
Test Yourself
Eu ___ muito.
Nós ___ (comer) pizza.
Find and fix the mistake:
Eu comi todo dia.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
I used to play.
Answer starts with: Eu ...
Eles ___.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
A: Onde você morava? B: Eu ___ em SP.
Score: /8
Practice Exercises
8 exercisesEu ___ muito.
Nós ___ (comer) pizza.
Find and fix the mistake:
Eu comi todo dia.
morava / em / eu / Lisboa
I used to play.
Eles ___.
era / ia / comia
A: Onde você morava? B: Eu ___ em SP.
Score: /8
Practice Bank
10 exercisesNós ___ (comer) muito na casa da vovó.
videogame / Eu / todo / jogava / dia
She was very tall.
Match these:
How do you ask for water politely?
Eles falavamos muito na aula.
Quando eu ___ cinco anos, eu morava no Rio.
It was raining.
Which one is a routine?
dormia / quando / Eu / ligou / ela
Score: /10
FAQ (8)
No, it's also for descriptions and background actions.
Use Perfeito for single, completed actions.
No, it's actually more polite than 'Eu quero'.
It has an accent to maintain stress.
No, it's strictly for the past.
Yes, the conjugation is the same.
It's a spelling error, but people will understand you.
Only three: ser, ter, and ir.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Pretérito Imperfecto
Minor spelling differences in some verbs.
Imparfait
French uses 'être' as an auxiliary more often.
Präteritum
German lacks the aspectual distinction found in Portuguese.
Past tense (ta-form)
Context markers are required in Japanese.
Kana + Imperfect
Morphology is entirely different.
Aspect markers (le/guo/zhe)
No verb conjugation exists in Chinese.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
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