Ter in Imperfect

Most Portuguese verbs follow a very strict pattern. Usually, -er verbs end in -ia in this tense. For example, comer becomes comia. But ter likes to stand out from the crowd. It is one of only four irregular verbs here. Instead of -ia, it uses the -inha ending. This makes the verb sound very nasal and authentic. It is a signature sound of the Portuguese language. The stem of the verb changes to ti-. Then you add the specific person endings. It feels different because it is different. Do not worry about the irregularity. It actually makes the verb easier to remember. It does not sound like any other common verb. Once you hear tinha, you know exactly what it means. It is like a secret handshake for B1 students.

1. 1Start with the special stem ti- for all persons.
2. 2Add the -nha base to that stem.
3. 3Attach the specific ending for the person speaking.
4. 4For eu, the form is simply tinha.
5. 5For tu, you add an s to get tinhas.
6. 6For ele, ela, or você, use tinha again.
7. 7For nós, it becomes tínhamos with an accent.
8. 8For eles, elas, or vocês, use the plural tinham.
9. 9Notice the accent on the í in the nós form.
10. 10This accent is vital for the correct pronunciation. Yes, even native speakers forget accents sometimes! Just keep the rhythm steady and clear.

Use tinha when you talk about your age. In Portuguese, you "have" years rather than "being" years. "I was ten" becomes tinha dez anos. Use it for physical descriptions in the past. Maybe you tinha long hair three years ago. Use it for ongoing states or feelings. If you were hungry all morning, use tinha fome. It is perfect for describing possessions you no longer own. Perhaps you tinha an old bicycle in high school. It works for recurring habits too. Imagine you tinha coffee every morning at that cafe. It sets the stage for a longer story. It provides the context before the main action happens. Think of it as the wide shot in a movie. It shows the whole room before the actor speaks.

Do not use tinha for sudden, completed actions. If you bought a car yesterday, use comprei. If you "had" a sudden idea, use tive. The verb tive is the Pretérito Perfeito version. It is for things that happened and finished quickly. Tinha is for the long, blurry duration. Do not use it for a specific number of times. "I had three meetings yesterday" usually requires tive. Use tive when the time frame is very closed. Tinha feels open and continuous like a long road. If you can say "used to have," use tinha. If you mean "had at that moment," use tive. Choosing the wrong one is like wearing flip-flops to snow. You will survive, but it feels very wrong.

Many students try to use the regular -ia ending. They say teria instead of the correct tinha. But teria is actually the Conditional tense! That means "I would have," not "I had." This is a very common trap for learners. Another mistake is forgetting the plural m in tinham. Without the m, it sounds like the singular form. People might get confused about who you mean. Watch out for the nós form accent too. Without the accent, the stress falls on the wrong syllable. It sounds strange to a native Portuguese ear. Also, do not confuse tinha with tenho. Tenho is happening right now in the present. Tinha is already a memory in your head.

The biggest battle is tinha versus tive. Think of tinha as a photograph of a scene. It shows the weather and the people standing there. Think of tive as a checkmark on a list. It simply records that an event definitely occurred. Tinha is the "landscape" of your past life. Tive is the "interruption" that happened in that landscape. For example: "I tinha a dog when I tive the accident." The dog was a constant state in your life. The accident was a single, terrible point in time. Another contrast is with the verb haver. Use havia for "there was" or "there were." Use tinha for "I had" or "he had." In informal speech, Brazilians often use tinha for everything. But for B1 level, keep them separate and clear.