The imperfect is one of the past tenses in Brazilian Portuguese, and it’s mostly used to provide descriptions of people, places, repeated actions, and habits in the past. For example:
We can use the imperfect when the duration of the action is indeterminate or unspecified in time. Depending on the context, it can be translated as “used to + verb,” “was + verb -ing,” "would + verb” or sometimes just “verb-ed.” In this post, we’ll cover how to form this tense in Brazilian Portuguese and when to use it. Let’s explore and see how you form and use this tense!
How to form the imperfect tense in Brazilian Portuguese?
To form the imperfect tense of regular verbs in Brazilian Portuguese, simply remove the ending from the infinitive verb, then add the appropriate imperfect suffix. There are also a few verbs that have irregular imperfect forms (though not many!) which we will discuss below.
Remove the endings (-ar, -er, -ir) from the infinitive verb.
- falar → fal-
- comer → com-
- abrir → abr-
Add the corresponding endings. There are three patterns, one for each of the three main infinitive endings.
Subject Pronouns falar meaning to speak comer meaning to eat abrir meaning to open eu meaning Ifalavacomiaabriatu meaning youfalavascomiasabriasvocê meaning you, sg.ele meaning he, itela meaning she, itfalavacomiaabrianós meaning wefalávamoscomíamosabríamosvós* meaning you, formalfaláveiscomíeisabríeisvocês meaning you, pl.eles, elas meaning theyfalavamcomiamabriam
Which verbs are irregular in the imperfect tense?
There are only four irregular verbs in the imperfect tense: ser meaning to be, ter meaning to have, vir meaning to come, and pôr meaning to put. Their conjugations are given below. You’ll see later in this post that the verbs ser and ter are particularly useful when we use the imperfect.
| Subject Pronouns | ser meaning to be | ter meaning to have | vir meaning to come | pôr meaning to put |
|---|---|---|---|---|
eu meaning I | era | tinha | vinha | punha |
tu meaning you | eras | tinhas | vinhas | punhas |
você meaning you, sg.ele meaning he, itela meaning she, it | era | tinha | vinha | punha |
nós meaning we | éramos | tínhamos | vínhamos | púnhamos |
vós* meaning you, formal | éreis | tínheis | vínheis | púnheis |
vocês meaning you, pl.eles, elas meaning they | eram | tinham | vinham | punham |
When to use the imperfect tense in Brazilian Portuguese?
The imperfect tense is used in Brazilian Portuguese when we…
talk about habits and repeated actions in the past
provide background information and descriptions in the past
talk about simultaneous past actions
talk about interrupted past actions
talk about past intentions
express a polite request
give advice
As you can see, the imperfect tense is used in several different contexts and circumstances, and it can have various translations in English. Let's have a look at each of these uses in detail now.
Using the imperfect to talk about habits and repeated actions in the past
Talking about habits and repeated actions in the past is the most common use of the imperfect tense in Brazilian Portuguese. The imperfect in this context is usually translated using the corresponds to the English simple past tense (“verb-ed”) or to the expression “used to + verb.” Take a look:
The general time period of the repeated action can be clarified by using time markers, like na infância meaning in childhood. Take a look at this chart of common time markers in the imperfect for more examples!
We also often use adverbs of frequency to describe how often an action was repeated in the past, as in the sentence below.
You can check out this chart of common adverbs of frequency used with the imperfect for more examples. Notice that they are the same adverbs used to describe routines in the present tense.
Using the imperfect to provide background information in the past
The imperfect can provide background information for events in the past. It’s often used with the non-action verbs ser meaning to be, estar meaning to be, and ter meaning to have. Let’s review the usages of these verbs in the imperfect one by one.
The imperfect of the verb ser meaning to be can describe the characteristics or quality of something or someone in the past.
- Ele era um adolescente extrovertido.Translation: He was an extroverted teenager.
- Aquele restaurante era o melhor da cidade.Translation: That restaurant was the best in the city.
The imperfect of the verb ser meaning to be is also used to describe time or periods of the day. It’s commonly combined with a punctual action described in the preterite tense.
imperfectpreteriteEram duas horas quando você enviou o email.Translation: It was two o’clock when you sent the email.We use the imperfect of the verb estar meaning to be to describe someone’s or something’s location in the past.
Eu estava em casa ontem à noite.Translation: I was at home last night.We use the imperfect of the verb ter meaning to have to describe age in the past.
Eu tinha 10 anos quando ganhei uma bicicleta.Translation: I was ten years old when I got a bike.
Using the imperfect to talk about simultaneous actions in the past
We can also describe two or more actions occurring at the same time in the past by using the imperfect. In this case, the imperfect is equivalent to the past progressive in English (“was/were verb-ing”).
Using the imperfect to talk about interrupted actions in the past
We also use the imperfect to refer to an ongoing action in the past that was interrupted by a punctual action, which is described in the preterite tense.
Similar to the simultaneous action in the past, it corresponds to the English past continuous too.
Using the imperfect to refer to an intention in the past
The imperfect can be used to show that someone had an intention to do something in the past that has since changed. This interesting use of the imperfect is equivalent to the English “was/were going to.” See the example below, and is formed using the formula below:
imperfect
intended action
Notice that in the sentence above, the action in the preterite (começou a chover) reveals what happened to prevent my initial plan from happening. We always use the verb ir to form this structure in the imperfect. Here’s how to conjugate it:
| Subject Pronouns | ir meaning to go |
|---|---|
eu meaning I | ia |
tu meaning you | ias |
você meaning you, sg.ele meaning he, itela meaning she, it | ia |
nós meaning we | íamos |
vós* meaning you, formal | íeis |
vocês meaning you, pl.eles, elas meaning they | iam |
Using the imperfect in polite requests
The imperfect is often used among Brazilians to express preferences, desires, orders, and requests in informal written and spoken language. It's equivalent to the English “would” or “could.”
The most common verbs used to express politeness when requesting something are querer meaning to want, preferir meaning to prefer, and poder meaning to be able to, can.
- Eu preferia um suco de maracujá ao invés de água.Translation: I would prefer a passion fruit juice instead of water.
- Você podia fechar a porta?Translation: Could you close the door?
Using the imperfect to give advice
We can use the imperfect to give advice to someone. It’s formed with the verb dever meaning should in the imperfect + infinitive. We use it to show politeness when giving advice, recommendations, and opinions.
In summary
Let's refresh how to form the imperfect tense in Brazilian Portuguese:
Regular verbs
Remove the infinitive ending and add the corresponding endings in the imperfect:
-ar verbs: -ava, -avas, -ava, -ávamos, -aveis, -avam
-er and -ir verbs: -ia, -ias, -ia, -íamos, -íeis, -iam
Irregular verbs → There are four: ser meaning to be, ter meaning to have, vir meaning to come, and pôr meaning to put.
Use the imperfect when:
You are talking about habits and repeated actions in the past.
You want to provide description or background information for actions in the past.
You are talking about simultaneous or interrupted actions in the past.
You are talking about a change of initial plans in the past.
You are expressing preferences, orders, and requests in a more polite way.
You want to give advice.
Ready to practice forming and using the imperfect tense in Brazilian Portuguese? Check out our activity!
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