Regular -ar Verbs in Imperfect

This tense focuses on the duration of an action. It looks at actions that were ongoing in the past. It does not care about the specific start or end time. Imagine you are watching a movie scene. The Imperfeito describes the weather and the music. It describes what the characters were wearing. It describes what they were doing before the main event. It is like a grammar traffic light that stays yellow. It keeps the action moving without stopping it. In English, we often use "used to" or "would." For example, "I used to play soccer." In Portuguese, that is just one word. It makes your speech much more efficient.

1. 1Forming regular -ar verbs is very simple. You only need to follow three quick steps.
2. 2Start with the infinitive verb like falar (to speak).
3. 3Remove the -ar ending to find the stem: fal-.
4. 4Add the specific Imperfeito endings to the stem.
5. 5Here are the endings for each person:
6. 6Eu: -ava (falava)
7. 7Você/Ele/Ela: -ava (falava)
8. 8Nós: -ávamos (falávamos)
9. 9Vocês/Eles/Elas: -avam (falavam)
10. 10Notice that eu and ele are exactly the same. You might need to use the pronoun to be clear. Also, pay close attention to the nós form. It always has an accent on the first a. It is like that one cousin who insists on wearing a fancy hat to a casual BBQ. It stands out!

There are four main scenarios for this tense.

First, use it for past habits. Think about your childhood. "Eu brincava na rua" (I used to play in the street).

Second, use it for descriptions. This includes physical traits, emotions, and weather. "A casa era grande e estava sol" (The house was big and it was sunny).

Third, use it to tell someone's age in the past. "Eu tinha dez anos" (I was ten years old). In Portuguese, you "have" years, even in the past.

Fourth, use it for background actions. This is often paired with another action that interrupts it. "Eu estudava quando o telefone tocou" (I was studying when the phone rang).

Finally, use it for politeness! In a restaurant, you can say "Eu queria um café" (I would like a coffee). It sounds much softer than "I want."

Do not use this tense for completed actions. If you did something once and it is over, stop! Use the Pretérito Perfeito instead. For example, "Eu falei com ele ontem" (I spoke to him yesterday). That is a finished event. If you say "Eu falava com ele," it sounds like you used to speak to him regularly.

Avoid it when you have a specific time limit. If you say "I worked for five hours," use the Perfeito. The Imperfeito hates boundaries. It wants to be free and continuous. If you can count how many times it happened, it is probably not Imperfeito.

One huge mistake is forgetting the accent on nós. Writing falavamos instead of falávamos is a classic learner error. It changes the rhythm of the word.

Another mistake is mixing up eu and ele. Since they look the same, context is key. If you are unsure, just add the pronoun.

Many people try to translate "was" literally. They say eu era falando instead of eu falava. In Portuguese, the single word falava already means "I was speaking." Keep it simple!

Don't overthink the "used to" translation. Sometimes learners think they need a separate verb for "used to." You don't. The ending -ava does all the heavy lifting for you.

Let's compare the Imperfeito with the Pretérito Perfeito.

Perfeito: Eu trabalhei (I worked). This is a point on a timeline. It started and it finished.

Imperfeito: Eu trabalhava (I used to work / I was working). This is a line on a timeline. It shows a period of time.

Think of a job interview. You say "Eu trabalhei na Google em 2020" (I worked at Google in 2020). That is a fact. But if you say "Eu trabalhava com vendas," you are describing your role and daily routine.

In a story, the Imperfeito sets the stage: "It was dark and it was raining." Then the Perfeito brings the action: "Suddenly, a cat jumped!"