Portuguese Imperfect Past

Portuguese Imperfect Past

Hi, everybody! For our Dica today, we are going to talk about the conjugation of regular verbs in the Portuguese Imperfect Past.

All verbs have a regular conjugation in the imperfect past, except for the irregular verbs: ser, ter, vir and pôr.

Today, we’re going to study the conjugations of verbs ending in –ar, –er e –ir.

Conjugation of verbs ending in AR

Conjugation of the verbs ending in ER and IR

There are many different uses for the Portuguese Imperfect Past. Let’s take a look at each one of them:

A habit in the past

Quando eu era criança, brincava com meus amigos.
When I was a kid, I used to play with my friends.

Nós sempre comprávamos nesta loja.
We always bought things in this store.

An interrupted action in the past

Eu estava limpando a casa quando ela chegou na cozinha.
I was cleaning the house when she arrived in the kitchen.

José, Pedro e Junior iam juntos para a escola, quando começou a chover.
José, Pedro and Junior went to school together when it started to rain.

Simultaneous actions in the past

Enquanto eu estudava, ela só dormia e ia pra praia.
While I studied, she only slept and went to the beach.

Eles sempre cantavam aquela música enquanto nós dançávamos.
They always sang that song while we danced.

An unfulfilled action

Eu ia dar um discurso, mas não tive oportunidade.
I was going to give a speech, but I didn’t have the opportunity.

Nós íamos comer aqui, mas está muito caro.
We were going to eat here, but it’s too expensive.

A repetitive event in the past

Quando terminamos o namoro, eu chorava toda hora sem parar.
When we broke up, I cried all the time without stopping.

Eu estava cansado todos os dias, por isso dormia cedo.
I used to be tired every day, that’s why I went to bed early.

Describing actions, people, or things in the past

Ela tinha os cabelos longos e era muito bonita.
She had long hair and was very pretty.

Ontem, o dia estava ótimo pra praia.
Yesterday, the day was perfect for the beach.

A period in the past

We can also use the Imperfect Past when we are speaking about a period of time in the past, even if it’s not a habit or a repeated action.

Onde você estava semana passada?
Where were you last week?

Como você estava ontem?
How were you yesterday?

Alright, guys? Does it make sense now?

Let’s practice what we have just learned with a small exercise!

 Now it’s your turn!

Complete each sentence with the Portuguese Imperfect Past:

1. (beber) Antigamente, eu ______ muito.
2. (ser/ correr) Quando nós ______ crianças, ________ todos os dias na praça do bairro.
3. (estar) Quando ele chegou, ela ______ dormindo.
4. (ter) Antigamente, eu ______ muito dinheiro.
5. (ir/ estar) Ontem, eu ______ para a praia, mas ______ chovendo, decidi ficar em casa.
6. (comprar) No ano passado, eu _______ tudo naquela loja.
7. (estar) Você ______ em casa na noite passada?
8. (estar) Esse fim de semana eu não _______ muito bem para sair.

That’s all, folks! Now you better understand the Imperfect Past conjugation of regular verbs in Portuguese.
See you in our next Dica!
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Click on the links below to see more related Dicas
Portuguese Perfect and Imperfect
Portuguese Paste Tense Exercises
Enquanto in Portuguese
Portuguese Imperfect Irregular Verbs

Answers

1. bebia
2. éramos / corríamos
3. estava
4. tinha
5. ia / estava
6. comprava
7. estava
8. estava