Portuguese: Imperfect versus Preterite
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In Portuguese there are two past tenses, we call them the preterite and the imperfect tense, we'll now show you which tense to use at what moments and why.
Preterite Tense
For foreigners it might be difficult to know when to use the Imperfect tense and when to use the Preterite tense in Portuguese. The preterite is a tense that is to be used when something takes place in the past and also ends in the past. It begins at a specific time in the past and also ends at a specific time in the past, although that might not be clearly stated in the sentence. But something did occur specifically in the past and is now over, it's a completed action.
A few situations when the preterite is to be used (note that all describe a completed action in the past):
- An action is a single (completed) event in the past.
- An action occurred during a specifc period of time
- An action was repeated a specific number of times
- An action was part of a bigger entity of events
- An action describes a beginning or an end.
Some example sentences using preterite tense:
- I ran to the house = Corri para casa
- I walked for 5 minutes = Caminhei durante 5 minutos
- I ate an apple = Comi uma maçã
- We lived in that old house for only 2 weeks = Moramos/morámos naquela velha casa apenas 2 semanas.
- I went to work, greeted my boss and sat down behind my desk = fui trabalhar, cumprimentei o meu chefe e sentei-me na minha secretária.
- The airplane began it's descent at 6:00 am = O avião começou a sua descida às 06:00.
Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense tells us when something occurred in general in the past, but no clear beginning or ending is implied, it might still be occuring and might already be occuring for a long time. Usually the imperfect can also be translated with "used to ..." or "was/were ...+ing".
A few situations when the imperfect is to be used (note that all describe an action in the past that is not seen as completed):
- To tell the time
- To tell age
- To indicate a habit, something that was and maybe still is being repeated
- To describe characteristics of nouns
- To describe mental or physical state
- To create a scene for another action in the past
Some examples using the Imperfect tense:
- At the time we felt comfortable = Naquele momento nos sentíamos confortáveis.
- It was four o'clock = Eram quatro horas.
- She was fourteen years old = Ela tinha quatorze/catorze anos.
- I was watching TV when my dad left the house (was watching is Imperfect, left is Preterit) = Estava vendo televisão quando o meu pai saíu de casa.
- He always read the newspaper in the morning = Ele lia sempre o jornal de manhã.
- His car reminded me of an old one I used to have. = O carro dele me lembrava de um velho carro que eu tinha.
- I was feeling ill = Sentia-me mal.
