The Brazilian Portuguese Imperfect Tense: Formation and Uses

In this post we’ll learn about the Portuguese imperfect tense, a very important tense that’s used to talk about the past. First, we’ll give you an overview of the tense, what it means, and what it typically corresponds to in English. After that we’ll turn to the formation of the tense, starting with regular verbs. Next, we’ll turn to the few verbs that are irregular in the imperfect. Next, we’ll look at the range of common uses of the imperfect. Finally, we’ll compare the imperfect to the other common past tense used in Portuguese, the pretérito perfeito or simple past.

Introduction to the Portuguese Imperfect Tense

First, let’s begin with a general introduction to the imperfect. In Brazilian Portuguese, the pretérito imperfeito do indicativo, usually called simply the imperfect, is one of the main past tenses. It is used to talk about actions, situations, habits, and conditions in the past, particularly when we are describing what used to happen, what was happening, or what things were like.

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The other past tense that you’re probably familiar with is the pretérito perfeito, or the simple past. The perfeito part of the pretérito perfeito means perfected in the sense of completed. The simple past typically presents an action as a completed event. The pretérito imperfeito, on the other hand the, describes an action or situation without focusing on its beginning or end. We’ll compare and contrast these two tenses later in this lesson.

In English, the Portuguese imperfect can correspond to several different constructions:

Used to + verb as a past habit: I used to study Portuguese.
Would + verb as a past habit: When I was young, I would visit my grandparents every summer.
Past progressive with was/were + -ing: I was studying when you called.
Simple past, especially of states and lasting conditions: I was tired. She had a dog. We lived in Brazil.

Examples of the Portuguese Imperfect Tense

With that in mind, take a look at these examples.

Eu estudava português todos os dias.
I used to study Portuguese every day.
Quando eu era criança, brincava no parque.
When I was a child, I used to play in the park.
Nós morávamos em São Paulo naquela época.
We lived in São Paulo at that time.
Ela trabalhava quando o telefone tocou.
She was working when the phone rang.
Meu avô sempre contava histórias interessantes.
My grandfather always told interesting stories.
Fazia muito calor naquele verão.
It was very hot that summer.
Eu estava cansado e queria dormir.
I was tired and wanted to sleep.

Notice that none of these examples expresses a “point” action in the past, or an action that happened at a particular point and ended. Instead, these examples all express states or conditions or ongoing actions that happened over a period of time. The imperfect does not necessarily tell us whether an action eventually ended.

Formation of the Regular Imperfect

Now let’s learn how to form the Portuguese imperfect tense of regular verbs. The good news is that the imperfect is one of the most regular tenses in Portuguese. There are only three main conjugation patterns, corresponding to verbs ending in –ar, –er, and –ir. In all regular cases, you just remove the infinitive and add the regular imperfect endings.

Regular -AR Verbs

For verbs ending in –ar, remove –ar and add the following endings. Take falar (to speak) as an example.

Subject	Ending	falar (to speak)
eu	-ava	falava
(tu)	(-avas)	(falavas)
você/ele/ela	-ava	falava
nós	-ávamos	falávamos
vocês/eles/elas	-avam	falavam

Remember that in most regions of Brazil, você is much more common than tu. But we’ll include tu because it’s widely used in certain regions, sometimes with third-person verb forms.

Eu trabalhava em um restaurante.
I used to work in a restaurant.
Você estudava inglês na escola?
Did you study English in school?
Ela morava perto da praia.
She used to live near the beach.
Nós caminhávamos no parque todas as manhãs.
We used to walk in the park every morning.
As crianças brincavam no quintal.
The children were playing in the backyard.
Meus pais gostavam muito daquela cidade.
My parents really liked that city.

Regular -ER Verbs

For verbs ending in –er, remove –er and add the following endings. We’ll use comer (to eat) as an example.

Subject	Ending	comer (to eat)
eu	-ia	comia
(tu)	(-ias)	(comias)
você/ele/ela	-ia	comia
nós	-íamos	comíamos
vocês/eles/elas	-iam	comiam

Eu comia pão com manteiga todas as manhãs.
I used to eat bread with butter every morning.
Ela bebia café sem açúcar.
She used to drink coffee without sugar.
Nós aprendíamos português juntos.
We were learning Portuguese together.
Meu pai vendia carros.
My father used to sell cars.
As crianças corriam pela casa.
The children were running around the house.
Você escrevia muitas cartas naquela época?
Did you write a lot of letters back then?

Regular -IR Verbs

For verbs ending in –ir, remove –ir and add the same endings used with –er verbs. Take abrir (to open) as an example

Subject	Ending	abrir (to open)
eu	-ia	abria
(tu)	(-ias)	(abrias)
você/ele/ela	-ia	abria
nós	-íamos	abríamos
vocês/eles/elas	-iam	abriam

Eu abria a loja às oito horas.
I used to open the store at eight o’clock.
Ela assistia à televisão todas as noites.
She used to watch television every night.
Nós dormíamos até tarde aos domingos.
We used to sleep late on Sundays.
Eles dividiam um apartamento pequeno.
They shared a small apartment.
Você sentia muito frio no inverno?
Did you feel very cold in the winter?
As reuniões sempre partiam de uma discussão sobre os problemas da empresa.
The meetings always started with a discussion about the company’s problems.

Common Irregular Verbs in the Imperfect

Now that we’ve covered regular verbs, let’s turn to irregular verbs. The Portuguese imperfect tense is remarkably regular. In fact, there are only a few truly irregular verbs in this tense.

The three most important are ser (to be), ter (to have), and vir (to come).

SER — to be

eu	era
(tu)	(eras)
você/ele/ela	era
nós	éramos
vocês/eles/elas	eram

Eu era muito tímido quando era criança.
I was very shy when I was a child.
Minha avó era professora.
My grandmother was a teacher.
Nós éramos bons amigos na escola.
We were good friends in school.

TER — to have

eu	tinha
(tu)	(tinhas)
você/ele/ela	tinha
nós	tínhamos
vocês/eles/elas	tinham

Eu tinha um cachorro quando era pequeno.
I had a dog when I was little.
Ela tinha muitos amigos na universidade.
She had many friends at university.
Nós tínhamos uma casa perto do mar.
We used to have a house near the sea.

VIR — to come

eu	vinha
(tu)	(vinhas)
você/ele/ela	vinha
nós	vínhamos
vocês/eles/elas	vinham

Meu irmão vinha nos visitar todos os domingos.
My brother used to come visit us every Sunday.
Eu vinha aqui quando era criança.
I used to come here when I was a child.
Eles vinham de ônibus para o trabalho.
They used to come to work by bus.

Other Important Verbs

Several verbs that are irregular in the present tense or simple past are regular in the imperfect. This includes ir (to go), fazer (to do, make), poder (to be able to), querer (to want), and dizer (to say).

For example, ir follows the regular –ir pattern, so its conjugation is just the endings: eu ia, (tu ias), você/ele/ela ia, nós íamos, vocês/eles/elas iam.

Fazer follows the regular –er pattern: eu fazia, (tu fazias), você/ele/ela fazia, nós fazíamos, vocês/eles/elas faziam.

Eu ia à academia três vezes por semana.
I used to go to the gym three times a week.
Ela fazia o jantar todas as noites.
She used to make dinner every night.
Nós podíamos sair mais cedo naquela época.
We could leave earlier back then.
Ele queria aprender francês.
He wanted to learn French.
Minha mãe sempre dizia a mesma coisa.
My mother always said the same thing.
Eu sabia a resposta, mas não queria falar.
I knew the answer, but I didn’t want to speak.

Typical Uses of the Imperfect

Now that we’ve seen how to form the imperfect, let’s look more closely at when to use it. The imperfect has several related functions, but they all share one central idea. They all describe actions or situations in the past without presenting them as single, completed events.

A. Habitual or Repeated Actions in the Past

One of the most common uses of the imperfect is to describe things that happened regularly, habitually, or repeatedly in the past. In English, we often express this with used to or would, although the simple past is also possible.

Common time expressions for this use include:

sempre (always)
todos os dias (every day)
todas as semanas (every week)
frequentemente (frequently)
geralmente (usually)
às vezes (sometimes)
quando eu era criança (when I was a child)
naquela época (back then, at that time)

Let’s see some examples of the Portuguese imperfect tense expressing a habitual, regular, or repeated activity in the past.

Quando eu era criança, jogava futebol todos os dias.
When I was a child, I used to play soccer every day.
Minha família sempre passava as férias na praia.
My family always spent our vacations at the beach.
Nós jantávamos juntos todas as noites.
We used to have dinner together every night.
Ela geralmente acordava às seis da manhã.
She usually woke up at six in the morning.
Meu avô lia o jornal todas as manhãs.
My grandfather used to read the newspaper every morning.
Vocês iam ao cinema com frequência?
Did you use to go to the movies often?
Eu nunca bebia café quando era adolescente.
I never drank coffee when I was a teenager.

B. Ongoing Actions Interrupted by Another Event

Another important use of the imperfect is to describe an action that was already in progress when something else happened to interrupt it. In these situations, the imperfect describes the ongoing action, while the pretérito perfeito (simple past) describes the event that interrupted it or occurred during it.

Eu estudava quando o telefone tocou.
I was studying when the phone rang.

Here, estudava is imperfect because the studying was already in progress. Tocou is simple past because the phone ringing is presented as a single event. This relationship is typically expressed in English with the past progressive (was/were -ing) expressing the ongoing action, and the simple past expressing the interrupting action.

Ela dormia quando alguém bateu à porta.
She was sleeping when someone knocked on the door.
Nós assistíamos a um filme quando a luz acabou.
We were watching a movie when the power went out.
Eu preparava o jantar quando meu marido chegou.
I was preparing dinner when my husband arrived.
As crianças brincavam no jardim quando começou a chover.
The children were playing in the garden when it started to rain.
Ele dirigia para o trabalho quando viu um acidente.
He was driving to work when he saw an accident.
Eu tomava banho quando você ligou.
I was taking a shower when you called.

In Brazilian Portuguese, these sentences can also be expressed using the imperfect of estar + gerund, particularly when we want to emphasize that an action was in progress:

Eu estava estudando quando o telefone tocou.
I was studying when the phone rang.
Ela estava dormindo quando alguém bateu à porta.
She was sleeping when someone knocked on the door.

Both constructions are possible, but estava + gerund more explicitly emphasizes the ongoing nature of the action.

C. States, Conditions, Feelings, and Emotions in the Past

The imperfect is also commonly used to describe how things were, what someone felt, or what conditions existed in the past. This includes descriptions of people’s personalities, physical characteristics, emotions, knowledge, desires, and possessions.

In English, we usually translate these sentences using the simple past. But these kinds of past conditions are great examples of the meaning of the Portuguese imperfect tense. They didn’t happen as point activities with a clear ending. Instead, they occurred over a period of time.

Eu estava muito cansado depois do trabalho.
I was very tired after work.
Ela era uma pessoa muito generosa.
She was a very generous person.
Nós tínhamos pouco dinheiro naquela época.
We had little money at that time.
Ele queria viajar, mas não podia.
He wanted to travel, but he couldn’t.
Eu não sabia a resposta.
I didn’t know the answer.
As crianças estavam felizes com a notícia.
The children were happy about the news.
Minha avó morava sozinha e tinha dois gatos.
My grandmother lived alone and had two cats.

Notice that the imperfect is particularly common with verbs such as ser, estar, ter, querer, poder, saber, and gostar, because these verbs often describe states rather than discrete actions.

D. Describing Background Situations and Setting the Scene

When telling a story in Portuguese, the imperfect is frequently used to establish the background: the weather, the time, the surroundings, or what people were doing. The simple past then introduces the main events of the story.

Era uma noite fria e chovia muito.
It was a cold night, and it was raining heavily.
O céu estava escuro e o vento soprava forte.
The sky was dark, and the wind was blowing hard.
Havia muitas pessoas na praça.
There were many people in the square.
Eram quase dez horas quando chegamos.
It was almost ten o’clock when we arrived.
A casa era antiga e tinha janelas grandes.
The house was old and had large windows.
As pessoas conversavam enquanto a música tocava.
People were talking while the music was playing.
O restaurante estava cheio, mas ainda havia algumas mesas livres.
The restaurant was crowded, but there were still a few free tables.

E. Two Simultaneous Ongoing Actions

The imperfect can also describe two actions that were happening at the same time in the past. Often, these sentences use enquanto (while).

Eu cozinhava enquanto meu marido arrumava a mesa.
I was cooking while my husband was setting the table.
Ela estudava enquanto os filhos brincavam.
She was studying while the children were playing.
Nós conversávamos enquanto caminhávamos pelo parque.
We were talking while we were walking through the park.
A professora explicava a lição enquanto os alunos tomavam notas.
The teacher was explaining the lesson while the students were taking notes.
Minha mãe lia enquanto meu pai assistia à televisão.
My mother was reading while my father was watching television.
As crianças cantavam enquanto a professora tocava piano.
The children were singing while the teacher was playing the piano.

F. Polite Requests and Wishes

In Brazilian Portuguese, the imperfect is sometimes used to make requests, wishes, or statements of intention sound softer or more polite. This is especially common with querer (to want), poder (to be able to), and gostar (to like). Notice that English sometimes does this with I wanted to…

Eu queria um café, por favor.
I’d like a coffee, please. I wanted a coffee, please.
Eu queria fazer uma pergunta.
I’d like to ask a question. I wanted to ask a question.
Você podia me ajudar?
Could you help me?
Eu queria saber quanto custa.
I’d like to know how much it costs. I wanted to know…
Eu gostava de saber mais sobre o curso.
I’d like to know more about the course.
Eu queria falar com o gerente, por favor.
I’d like to speak with the manager, please.

A note on usage: Eu queria… is especially common and natural in Brazilian Portuguese. The construction Eu gostava de saber… is much more characteristic of European Portuguese. In Brazil, Eu gostaria de saber… is the natural choice.

These uses are somewhat different from the other imperfect constructions because they don’t necessarily refer to past time. Instead, the imperfect helps make the request sound less direct.

Imperfect vs. Simple Past: Pretérito Imperfeito vs. Pretérito Perfeito

Finally, let’s spend some time comparing and contrasting the two past tenses that students of Portuguese are likely to learn first. One of the most important distinctions for learners of Portuguese is the difference between the pretérito imperfeito and the pretérito perfeito. Both refer to the past, but they present events differently.

The pretérito perfeito generally presents an action as a completed event or as a whole.
The pretérito imperfeito describes an action as habitual, ongoing, or part of the background, without emphasizing its completion.

In this section we’ll highlight the differences and give a few quick examples. If you want to delve much deeper into the topic, check out this post.

A. Habitual Action vs. Single Completed Event

Let’s start with a pair of habitual vs single, completed event. The first sentence in the imperfect describes a past habit. The second in the simple past describes a specific completed event.

Eu tomava café todas as manhãs.
I used to drink coffee every morning.
Eu tomei café hoje de manhã.
I drank coffee this morning.

B. Ongoing Action vs. Completed Action

In this pair, the first example focuses on an action in progress, so it uses the imperfect. The second presents the reading as a completed event, so it uses the simple past.

Eu lia um livro quando você chegou.
I was reading a book when you arrived.
Eu li um livro ontem.
I read a book yesterday.

C. General State vs. Specific Experience or Change of State

The first sentence below describes a condition that existed over a period of time, and it uses the imperfect. The second describes a change of state, so it uses the simple past.

Eu estava cansado naquela época.
I was tired during that period.
Eu fiquei cansado depois da caminhada.
I got tired after the walk.

D. Repeated Visits vs. Specific Visit

In this pair, the imperfect describes a repeated action. The simple past is used to describe a specific action.

Nós visitávamos nossos avós todos os domingos.
We used to visit our grandparents every Sunday.
Nós visitamos nossos avós no domingo passado.
We visited our grandparents last Sunday.

E. Background Description vs. Event

In this pair, the imperfect describes the weather as background to another event. The simple past presents the rain as an event within a completed period.

Chovia quando saí de casa.
It was raining when I left home.
Choveu muito ontem.
It rained a lot yesterday.

F. Ongoing Knowledge vs. Discovery

In this pair the difference in tense also changes the meaning. Sabia describes an existing state of knowledge, while soube often means found out or learned.

Eu sabia a resposta.
I knew the answer.
Eu soube da notícia ontem.
I found out about the news yesterday.

G. Desire vs. Decision or Attempt

In this pair with querer, the imperfect describes a desire that existed. The simple past presents the wanting as a bounded event and can suggest a particular decision or attempt, depending on context.

Eu queria falar com ela.
I wanted to speak with her.
Eu quis falar com ela.
I wanted to speak with her / I tried to speak with her.

H. Ability vs. Successful Accomplishment

This last pair shows the imperfect describing an ability or possibility. The simple past refers to a specific occasion when that possibility existed and often suggests that the action was successfully accomplished.

Eu podia abrir a porta.
I could open the door / I was able to open the door.
Eu pude abrir a porta.
I managed to open the door. I was able to open the door (on that occasion).

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