Portuguese 4.2. Past Tense: Preterite vs. Imperfect

There are two past tenses in Portuguese, the preterite and the imperfect, that are translated as the simple past tense in English. In this lesson, we discuss the difference between the two tenses.

Uses of Preterite vs. Imperfect in Portuguese

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 of Preterite vs. Imperfect in Portuguese

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

1. Preterite Tense

Regular verbs in the preterite tense are conjugated as follows:

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.

Irregular Verbs in the Preterite

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:

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:

Irregular Verbs in the Imperfect

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

Examples of Preterite vs. Imperfect in Portuguese

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.

General Summary – Usage of Preterite vs. Imperfect in Portuguese

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.

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

Past Intentions Using the Imperfect in Portuguese

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:

Here are some examples:

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