The imperfect indicative is used when talking about continuous or ongoing action in the past. Something that used to happen or, would (always) happen.
*Also called the Preterit Imperfect tense.
» Eu trabalhava no Banco do Brasil.
Or,
When I was younger I would always drink a few beers before going to a party.
» Quando eu era mais jovem eu sempre bebia umas cervejas antes de sair pra festa.
Things that used to happen or, would (always) happen, entendeu?
Forming -ar regular verbs
I used to work
eu trabalh
ava
he used to work
ele trabalh
ava
we used to work
nós trabalh
ávamos
they used to work
eles trabalh
avam
-er and -ir regular verbs
I used to eat
eu com
ia
he used to eat
ele com
ia
we used to eat
nós com
íamos
they used to eat
eles com
iam
ar verbs >Trabalhava nessa empresa.(I used to work at that company.)
er verbs >Eu bebia todos os dias. (I used to drink every day.)
Use the imperfect subjunctive tense to talk about things that are extremely unlikely to have happened or happen.
*Also called the Preterit Imperfect or, the Past Subjunctive.
Se eu soubesse...(If I knew / were to know...)
Se você falasse...(If you said / were to say...)
Se você tivessel... (If you had / were to have...)
The imperfect subjunctive tense is used to talk about things that are extremely unlikely to have happened or happen. It’s most often used together with the conditional tense:
Se eu soubesse tudo seria sábio.(If I knew everything I'd be wise.)
Se fosse ele eu te contaria.(If it were he I would tell you.)
Se eu tivesse tempo estudaria mais.(If I have time I'd study more.)
The imperfect indicative is used when talking about continuous or ongoing action in the past. Something that used to happen or, would (always) happen. Ser is irregular.
The only form you need to know is this: ser > era
Ela era uma criança tranquila. (She was a quiet child.)
The imperfect indicative is used when talking about continuous or ongoing action in the past. Something that used to happen or, would (always) happen. Ter is irregular.
The only form you need to know is this: ter > tinha
There aren’t many ~ir verbs. The most common include:
ir
vir
sair
cair
abrir
pedir
seguir
dormir
partir
servir
decidir
repetir
proibir
assistir
despedir
permitir
conseguir
to leave, depart
partir
I leave
eu part
o
you/he/she leave(s)
você/ele/ela part
e
we leave
nós part
imos
they/you all leave
eles/elas part
em
* More accurately called, the present indicative tense.
SAIREu quase nao saio a noite.I hardly go out at night.
ASSISTIREu nem assisto TVI don't even watch TV.
DORMIRO Bebe dorme a noite toda.The baby sleeps all night long.
REPETIRVocê pode repetir (por favor)?Can you repeat that (please)?
Many of these are IRREGULAR.
VIRVem com a gente.Com with us.
IREu vou esperar na minha casa.I'm going to wait at my house.
PEDIREu sempre peço a mesma coisa.I always order the same thing.
The preterite of ser and ir ~ These two essential verbs are very irregular in the “simple past” tense. BUT – they’re exactly the same! Saying was or went, is usually written the same.
to be
ser
I was
eu f
ui
you/he/she were (was)
você/ele/ela f
oi
to go
ir
I went
eu f
ui
you/he/she went
você/ele/ela f
oi
IR »Foi muito bem.It went really well.
SER »Foi muito bom.It was really good.
IR »Fui!I went!
SER »A festa foi perfeita.The party was perfect.
IR »Nós fomos à praia ontem.We went to the beach yesterday.
SER »Foi um dia daqueles.It was one of those days.
IR »Eles foram fazer compras juntos.They went shopping together.
IR »Para onde ele foi?Where did he go?
* More accurately called, the preterit indicative tense.
In Portuguese, the present tense verbs (formally called the preterite indicative) are divided into three groups: ar verbs, er verbs and ir verbs. All (well, almost!) verbs end in one of these.