Pretérito and imperfeito

What you will practice

• Use the pretérito for one finished event.
• Use the imperfeito for a past habit.
• Use the imperfeito for the background around a finished event.

Explanation

A closed event

One completed action uses the pretérito. Ontem falei com a Ana names a conversation that is over. ontem supports that reading. Do not use the imperfeito for that single finished call. The eu ending stays the one from the pretérito lesson: falei.

A habit

A habit in the past uses the imperfeito. Quando era criança, falava com a Ana todos os dias means I used to speak to Ana every day. The eu form of a regular -ar verb is -ava: falava. sempre and todos os dias point here. There is no single endpoint.

Background

The imperfeito also sets the scene. Chovia quando saí means it was raining, and then I left. chovia is the background. saí is the closed event and stays in the pretérito. Telling the time in the past uses the imperfeito: Eram três horas. The interruption and the scene do not share a tense.

Examples

1. Ontem falei com a Ana.one finished conversation
2. Quando era criança, falava todos os dias.a childhood habit
3. Chovia quando saí.weather as background
4. Saí às três.the closed event
5. Eram três horas.the time of day

Common mistakes

• todos os dias in the past is a habit. It takes the imperfeito.
• In a sentence with both, the leaving is pretérito and the weather is imperfeito.