Imperfeito for Habits

Level 2

The Pretérito Imperfeito is the 'used to' tense in Portuguese. It describes what you did regularly or what was normal in your past life.

How It Works

The Pretérito Imperfeito is essential for storytelling and describing your background. Its primary functions include:

  • Habitual Actions: Things you did repeatedly (e.g., 'I used to swim every day').
  • Past Routines: Describing how life was during a certain period (e.g., 'When I lived in Lisbon, I walked to work').
  • Ongoing States: Describing background information like weather or age while another action happened.
  • Politeness: Softening requests to sound more polite, such as saying "Eu queria um café" (I would like a coffee) instead of using the present tense.

Conjugation Basics:
For -AR verbs, use endings like -ava (Eu falava). For -ER/-IR verbs, use endings like -ia (Eu comia/Eu dormia).

Irregular Verbs:
There are only four irregular verbs you need to become confident with:

Informal Usage: In spoken Portuguese, especially in Brazil, the Imperfeito often replaces the formal conditional tense. For example, someone might say "Eu comprava o carro se tivesse dinheiro" instead of "compraria."

Examples (4)

  1. Antigamente, eu nadava todos os dias no clube.

    In the old days, I used to swim every day at the club.

    Word by Word: Formerly, I swam all the days in the club.

    The verb 'nadava' shows a repeated habit that happened over a period of time.

  2. Quando éramos crianças, brincávamos na rua até tarde.

    When we were children, we would play in the street until late.

    Word by Word: When (we) were children, (we) played in the street until late.

    Uses the irregular 'éramos' (from ser) and 'brincávamos' to describe a childhood routine.

  3. O meu avô sempre contava histórias antes de eu dormir.

    My grandfather always told stories before I went to sleep.

    Word by Word: The my grandfather always told stories before of I to sleep.

    The word 'sempre' (always) is a frequent trigger for the Imperfeito because it indicates a habit.

  4. Eu comia muito chocolate quando era pequeno.

    I used to eat a lot of chocolate when I was little.

    Word by Word: I ate much chocolate when (I) was small.

    Demonstrates the -ia ending for -ER verbs to show a past state/habit.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the verb 'usar' to translate 'used to'.

    Eu usava morar em Braga.
    Eu morava em Braga.

    English speakers often try to translate 'used to' literally. In Portuguese, the 'used to' meaning is built directly into the Imperfeito verb ending.

  • Confusing the Imperfeito with the Perfeito for routines.

    Eu sempre fui ao cinema às sextas.
    Eu sempre ia ao cinema às sextas.

    While 'fui' is grammatically correct for a completed event, 'ia' is the natural choice for a recurring Friday routine.