Portuguese 4.2. Past Tense: Preterite vs. Imperfect

There are two past tenses in Portuguese that are translated as the simple past tense in English. In this lesson, we will have a short introduction about the difference between the two tenses, and we will learn their conjugation. The two tenses are: the preterite tense and the imperfect tense. Knowing which one to use is usually a challenge for Portuguese learners.

Uses of Preterite vs. Imperfect

The preterite tense is used to describe:

1. Completed actions that have definite beginning and end points, usually identified by expressions such as: “ontem” (yesterday), “noite passada” (last night), “a semana passada” (last week), “em 1852” (in 1852), etc.
2. Actions which lasted a defined duration of time, usually identified by expressions such as: “por duas horas” (for two hours), “toda a noite”(all night), “três vezes” (three times), “de uma às três horas” (from one to three o’clock), “outro dia” (the other day), etc.

On the other hand, we use the imperfect tense to describe:

1. Habits in the past, e.g., “I used to play volleyball when I was young.”
2. Description of people, places, and objects in the past, e.g., “Da Vinci was a famous painter and scientist.”
3. Time and age in the past, e.g., “When I was 15 years old, I lived in a village.”
4. Actions that were continuously happening when another action interrupted in the past, e.g., “While you were studying, I was watching TV.”

Conjugation

Before diving into examples, let us look at the conjugation of the imperfect and the preterite.

1. Preterite Tense

Regular verbs in the preterite are conjugated as follows:

	-ar ending e.g., falar	-er ending e.g., comer	-ir ending e.g., partir
eu	falei	comi	parti
ele/ela/você	falou	comeu	partiu
nós	falamos	comemos	partimos
eles/elas/vocês	falaram	comeram	partiram

Notice that the “nós” conjugation is the same as that of the present tense, e.g., “nós comemos” can mean “we eat” or “we ate,” depending on the context.

The verbs “estar” (to be) and “dar” (to give) are the most common irregular “-ar” verbs, whereas the verbs “ir” (to go) and “vir” (to come) are the most common irregular “-ir” verbs. Most other common irregular verbs in the preterite belong to the “-er” group.

Here is a list of the most common irregular verbs in the preterite:

	eu	ele/ela/você	nós	eles/elas/vocês
estar to be	estive	esteve	estivemos	estiveram
dar to give	dei	deu	demos	deram
ser to be	fui	foi	fomos	foram
ter to have	tive	teve	tivemos	tiveram
ver to see	vi	viu	vimos	viram
poder can	pude	pôde	pudemos	puderam
dizer to say	disse	disse	dissemos	disseram
trazer to bring	trouxe	trouxe	trouxemos	trouxeram
fazer to do or make	fiz	fez	fizemos	fizeram
caber to fit	coube	coube	coubemos	couberam
saber to know	soube	soube	soubemos	souberam
querer to want	quis	quis	quisemos	quiseram
haver to have	houve	houve	houvemos	houveram
pôr to put	pus	pôs	pusemos	puseram
ir to go	fui	foi	fomos	foram
vir to come	vim	veio	viemos	vieram

Notice that “ser” and “ir” have the same irregular conjugation in the preterite. Notice also that the verb “pôr” (to put) is considered an “-er” verb based on its Latin origin, that is, “ponere.”

2. Imperfect Tense

Regular verbs in the imperfect are conjugated as follows:

	-ar ending e.g., falar	-er ending e.g., comer	-ir ending e.g., partir
eu	falava	comia	partia
ele/ela/você	falava	comia	partia
nós	falávamos	comíamos	partíamos
eles/elas/vocês	falavam	comiam	partiam

There are only four verbs that are irregular in the imperfect. These verbs are:

	vir (to come)	ter (to have)	ser (to be)	pôr (to put)
eu	vinha	tinha	era	punha
ele/ela/você	vinha	tinha	era	punha
nós	vínhamos	tínhamos	éramos	púnhamos
eles/elas/vocês	vinham	tinham	eram	punham

Examples

Let us now look at some examples and determine when to use the imperfect and when to use the preterite. It takes practice, but hopefully, these examples are a good start to illustrate the difference.

I visited my mother last night. Eu visitei minha mãe ontem à noite.	Preterite	Action with defined time in the past (last night)
I was at the gym for two hours. Fiquei duas horas na academia.	Preterite	Action with defined time in the past (for two hours)
I talked to her the other day. Falei com ela outro dia.	Preterite	Action with defined time in the past (the other day [1])
When I was a child, I used to live in a village. Quando criança, eu vivia em um vilarejo.	Imperfect	Habit in the past, indicated by “used to”
My school professor was tall. Meu professor da escola era alto.	Imperfect	Description in the past
When I was 15 years old, I used to play tennis. Quando eu tinha 15 anos, jogava tênis.	Imperfect	Time and age in the past
I was at work when you called me. Eu estava no trabalho quando você me ligou.	Imperfect	Actions continuously happening in the past when another action interrupted

In general, use the preterite if you are talking about actions with a defined time or period in the past. Look for expressions such as: yesterday, last night, last week, ago, in 1994, from … to …, two times, for three hours, the other day, etc. These expressions may not be explicitly used, but the meaning can implicitly refer to a defined time or period in the past, which necessitates the use of the preterite.

The preterite is also often used as an equivalent to the present perfect tense in English. The present perfect in Portuguese is more similar to the present perfect continuous in English, as discussed in Level III, Lesson 5.

On the other hand, use the imperfect when you see phrases such as: “when I was a child,” “when I was younger,” “when I was 15 years old,” etc.

Quando eu era jovem, podia correr muito.	When I was young, I could run a lot.
Quando criança eu gostava de frutas.	When I was a child, I used to like fruits.
Quando eu era adolescente, bebia café.	When I was a teenager, I used to drink coffee.

Also, use the imperfect when comparing the present to the past, for example:

Hoje é fácil viajar, mas antes era muito difícil.

Today it is easy to travel, but before, it used to be difficult.

Past Intentions Using the Imperfect

Another important use of the imperfect tense is to express a past intention of doing something that does not end up being done in the present. These are expressions such as “I was going to …,” “I was thinking of …,” and “I wanted to ….”

The general formula of such expressions is as follows:

Imperfect tense of (“ir,” “pensar,” or “querer”) + infinitive

For example:

Ia ligar para você, mas adormeci.	I was going to call you, but I fell asleep.
Pensava em sair, mas já é tarde demais.	I was thinking of going out, but it’s already too late.
Queria vir, mas sofri um acidente.	I wanted to come, but I had an accident.

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