tinha/tinhas/tinha/tínhamos/tinham

Pretérito Imperfeito De Ter

Level 2

The Pretérito Imperfeito of ter (tinha, tínhamos, etc.) is used to describe what you 'had' or 'used to have' over a period of time, rather than a single completed moment.

How It Works

The verb ter is one of only four irregular verbs in the Portuguese imperfect tense. Unlike regular -er verbs that use -ia endings, ter uses the stem tinh- followed by a set of endings shared with other irregulars like vir and pôr: -a, -as, -a, -amos, -am.

Conjugation:

  • Eu tinha
  • Tu tinhas
  • Ele/Ela/Você tinha
  • Nós tínhamos (Note the mandatory accent!)
  • Eles/Elas/Vocês tinham

Key Uses:
1. Past Possession/States: Describing things you owned or felt in the past (e.g., 'Eu tinha um cão').
2. Age: In Portuguese, you 'have' years. To say how old you were, use tinha (e.g., 'Eu tinha 10 anos').
3. Habits: Things you 'used to' have or do regularly.
4. Existential 'There Was': In informal spoken Portuguese (especially in Brazil), tinha is frequently used instead of havia to mean 'there was' or 'there were' (e.g., 'Tinha muita gente na festa').
5. Auxiliary Verb: It is the primary helper for the Past Perfect (Mais-que-perfeito Composto) to say you 'had done' something.
6. Colloquial Conditional: In spoken Portuguese, it often replaces the formal conditional in 'if' sentences (e.g., 'Se eu pudesse, eu tinha ido').
7. Past Obligation: Combined with 'que' or 'de', it expresses something you had to do (e.g., 'Eu tinha que estudar').

Examples (6)

  1. Quando eu era criança, eu tinha um gato preto.

    When I was a child, I had a black cat.

    Word by Word: When I was child, I had a cat black.

    Describes a state of possession that lasted for an undefined period during childhood.

  2. Nós tínhamos muito trabalho naquela época.

    We used to have a lot of work at that time.

    Word by Word: We had much work in-that time.

    Note the accent on 'tínhamos'. This describes a habitual state or background situation.

  3. Ela tinha vinte anos quando se mudou para o Brasil.

    She was twenty years old when she moved to Brazil.

    Word by Word: She had twenty years when herself moved to the Brazil.

    The imperfect 'tinha' is always used to state age in the past.

  4. Eu tinha que trabalhar ontem, por isso não fui à festa.

    I had to work yesterday, that's why I didn't go to the party.

    Word by Word: I had that to-work yesterday, for that not I-went to-the party.

    The construction 'tinha que' expresses a past obligation or necessity.

  5. Eu já tinha comido quando você ligou.

    I had already eaten when you called.

    Word by Word: I already had eaten when you called.

    Here, 'tinha' acts as an auxiliary verb to express an action completed before another past action.

  6. Se eu soubesse, eu tinha te avisado.

    If I had known, I would have warned you.

    Word by Word: If I knew, I had you warned.

    A common colloquial use where 'tinha' replaces the conditional 'teria'.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the written accent on the 'nós' form.

    Nós tinhamos um carro velho.
    Nós tínhamos um carro velho.

    In Portuguese, the stress for 'tínhamos' is on the third-to-last syllable, which requires a written accent on the 'í'.

  • Using 'tive' (Perfeito) instead of 'tinha' for age.

    Eu tive dez anos em 1990.
    Eu tinha dez anos em 1990.

    Age is considered a state in the past, so the Imperfeito 'tinha' is required.

  • Confusing 'tinha' with 'tivesse' in hypothetical 'if' clauses.

    Se eu tinha dinheiro, eu comprava um barco.
    Se eu tivesse dinheiro, eu comprava um barco.

    Use 'tivesse' (Subjunctive) for the 'if' part of a hypothesis. Use 'tinha' only for the result or for past habits.

How It Connects

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tinha/tinhas/tinha/tínhamos/tinhamLevel 2Pretérito Imperfeito De Ter

Learn This First

To learn the imperfect tense of 'ter', you first need to be familiar with the verb's core meaning in the present tense and understand the standard endings for -ER verbs in the Pretérito Imperfeito. Additionally, a solid grasp of subject pronouns is required to match the verb forms to the correct subjects.

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