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Study Resource: Brazilian Portuguese time markers to use with the imperfect tense

By: Fabiana Dametto Oliveira

The following time markers are often used along with the imperfect tense in Brazilian Portuguese.


Time marker	Example
à medida que Translation: as	À medida que eles se conheciam, tornavam-se amigos. Translation: As they got to know each other, they became friends.
antes Translation: before	Antes eu almoçava em casa. Translation: Before, I used to have lunch at home.
antigamente Translation: in the past	Antigamente as pessoas não tinham celular. Translation: In the past, people didn’t have cell phones.
às vezes Translation: sometimes	Às vezes eu dormia até tarde. Translation: Sometimes I slept until late.
na infância Translation: in childhood	Na infância eu comia muitos doces. Translation: As a child I used to eat a lot of sweets.
de vez em quando Translation: from time to time	De vez em quando nós íamos ao jardim botânico. Translation: From time to time we went to the botanical garden.
enquanto Translation: while	As crianças conversavam enquanto a professora falava. Translation: The children were talking while the teacher was talking.
era uma vez Translation: once upon a time	Era uma vez, uma menina que adorava ler. Translation: Once upon a time, there was a girl who loved to read.
quando eu era mais jovem Translation: when I was younger	Quando eu era mais jovem eu comprava revistas em quadrinhos. Translation: When I was younger I used to buy comic books.
naquela época Translation: at that time / back then	Naquela época as pessoas enviavam cartas. Translation: At that time people used to send letters.
na adolescência Translation: in adolescence	Na adolescência eles amavam surfar. Translation: In adolescence they used to love surfing.
nunca Translation: never	Eles nunca iam à praia. Translation: They never went to the beach.
sempre Translation: always	Eles sempre iam ao cinema às quartas-feiras. Translation: They always went to the cinema on Wednesdays.
todos os dias/meses/anos Translation: every day/month/year	Todos os dias nós conversávamos e tomávamos café no trabalho. Translation: Every day we talked and had coffee at work.