Imperfeito for States

Level 2

In Portuguese, the Pretérito Imperfeito is used to set the scene. While the Pretérito Perfeito tells you what happened, the Imperfeito tells you how things were (the background).

How It Works

The Imperfeito functions as a 'scenic' tense. It describes ongoing states that don't have a specific beginning or end within the context of the story.

1. Age (Ter): Unlike English, Portuguese uses the verb ter (to have) for age. In the past, this is almost always tinha.
Ex: Eu tinha dez anos. (I was ten years old.)

2. Time (Ser): To tell what time it was, use era for singular times (1:00, meio-dia/noon, or meia-noite/midnight). Use eram for all other hours (2:00 through 12:00).
Ex: Era meio-dia. (It was noon.) / Eram duas da tarde. (It was 2:00 PM.)

3. Weather (Estar/Fazer): Use estava + adjective or fazia + noun to describe the weather backdrop.
Ex: Estava frio. (It was cold.) / Fazia sol. (It was sunny.)

Nuance: If you use the Perfeito for these, you change the meaning from 'background' to a 'completed event' (e.g., 'It rained for exactly two hours and stopped').

Examples (5)

  1. Quando eu tinha cinco anos, morava em Lisboa.

    When I was five years old, I lived in Lisbon.

    Word by Word: When I had five years, [I] lived in Lisbon.

    Uses 'tinha' (Imperfeito of ter) to describe the state of being five years old.

  2. Eram onze horas da noite quando ele chegou.

    It was eleven o'clock at night when he arrived.

    Word by Word: Were eleven hours of the night when he arrived.

    Uses 'eram' (plural) to set the time background for the arrival.

  3. Fazia muito calor ontem à tarde.

    It was very hot yesterday afternoon.

    Word by Word: Made much heat yesterday at afternoon.

    Uses 'fazia' (Imperfeito of fazer) to describe the weather condition.

  4. Estava a chover quando saímos de casa.

    It was raining when we left the house.

    Word by Word: Was to rain when [we] left of house.

    Uses 'estava' to describe the ongoing weather state during an action.

  5. Era uma da manhã e não havia ninguém na rua.

    It was one in the morning and there was no one on the street.

    Word by Word: Was one of the morning and not there-had no one in the street.

    Uses 'era' (singular) for 1:00 and 'havia' for the background state of the street.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'ser' or 'estar' for age instead of 'ter'.

    Eu era vinte anos quando viajei.
    Eu tinha vinte anos quando viajei.

    In Portuguese, you 'have' years, you aren't 'be' years. Always use 'tinha' for past age.

  • Failing to make the verb 'ser' plural for hours above one.

    Era três horas da tarde.
    Eram três horas da tarde.

    The verb 'ser' must agree with the number of hours. Use 'era' for 1:00, noon, or midnight, but use 'eram' for all other hours.

  • Using the Perfeito for background descriptions.

    Teve sol o dia todo.
    Fazia sol o dia todo.

    While 'teve sol' is sometimes heard colloquially, 'fazia sol' is the standard way to describe the weather as a continuous background state.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Imperfeito for StatesLevel 2

Learn This First

To describe states like age, time, and weather in the past, you must first know how to conjugate the irregular verbs 'ser' and 'ter' in the Pretérito Imperfeito. Additionally, you need to understand the specific Portuguese logic of using 'ter' for age and 'ser' for time/weather.