Mastering Portuguese: A Guide To The Pretérito Imperfeito

Understand the Portuguese imperfect tense through real examples, grammar breakdowns, and usage tips for English speakers

What you'll learn

How to conjugate verbs in the Imperfeito

Understanding the differences between the Imperfect and Perfect Tense

Learning when to use it

Learning about the differences between the English and Portuguese Past Tenses

Requirements

You should be able to know the basics of the Pretérito Perfeito Simples do Indicativo (Past Simple)

Know the basic A1/A2 level in Portuguese

Understand English and Portuguese (The Basics)

Description

Master the Portuguese Imperfect Tense — and finally stop second-guessing your past!If you’ve ever wondered about the difference between eu fui and eu era, you’re not alone. For English speakers, both translate to I was — but in Portuguese, the choice between the pretérito perfeito and the pretérito imperfeito changes the entire meaning of your sentence.This short and focused course will give you the tools to finally feel confident using the imperfect tense.Through clear explanations, practical examples, and guided practice, you’ll learn how to:Conjugate the most common verbs in the imperfect tenseUnderstand when to use pretérito imperfeito vs. pretérito perfeitoDescribe past routines and habitsTalk about your childhood and memoriesSet the scene naturally when telling storiesAvoid the most common mistakes English speakers makeAt the end, there will be exercises and tests to make sure you’ve really mastered the concepts. You’re also welcome to send me your completed exercises and questions — I’ll be happy to give you feedback and support as you practice.By the end of this course, you won’t just memorize verb charts — you’ll understand how the pretérito imperfeito shapes the way Portuguese speakers see and describe the past.If you’ve already started learning Portuguese and want to sound more natural, authentic, and confident when talking about the past, this course is for you.

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 Overview of Portuguese Tenses

Lecture 2 Conjugation Patterns in the Imperfeito do Indicativo

Section 2: How to use the Imperfeito

Lecture 3 2- The problem with translating the Imperfeito

Lecture 4 2.1 - Describing the Past

Lecture 5 2.2 - Telling the time

Lecture 6 2.3 - Age and storytelling

Lecture 7 2.4- Expressing Habitual actions and ongoing states

Lecture 8 2.5 - Ongoing Past Actions using Estar+a+Infinitve

Lecture 9 2.6 - Using the verb Costumar in the Imperfeito

Section 3: Exercises and Text Explained

Lecture 10 3.1 Keywords for the Imperfeito

Lecture 11 3.2 - Analysing a Short Text

Intermediate Portuguese students,Anyone struggling to understand the Past Tenses in Portuguese,Students preparing for the CIPLE test,Students starting the B1 level