Just as in the preterite, -er and -ir verbs share identical endings in the imperfect. Where -ar verbs use the -ava pattern, -er and -ir verbs both use -ia. Learn one set of endings and you unlock two entire verb classes.
The endings
Drop the infinitive ending (-er or -ir) and add: -ia, -ias, -ia, -íamos, -iam. Here are the full conjugations of comer (to eat) and partir (to leave/depart):
| comer | partir | |
|---|---|---|
| eu | comia | partia |
| tu | comias | partias |
| ele / ela / você | comia | partia |
| nós | comíamos | partíamos |
| eles / elas / vocês | comiam | partiam |
The columns are identical -- same endings, same stress pattern, same accent. Two conjugation classes, one set of endings. The archaic vós forms (comíeis, partíeis) follow the same logic but are virtually never used in modern European Portuguese.
The -ia pattern
Every regular -er and -ir verb uses -ia in the imperfect, without exception. And here is the best part: there are no irregular -er or -ir verbs in the imperfect. Verbs like fazer (fazia), dizer (dizia), poder (podia), and ir (ia) -- notoriously irregular elsewhere -- are perfectly regular here. The only four verbs that are irregular in the imperfect are ser, ter, vir, and pôr, which have their own dedicated pages.
Eu fazia os trabalhos de casa depois do jantar.
I used to do my homework after dinner.
Nós podíamos ver o mar da janela.
We could see the sea from the window.
Comparing -ava vs -ia
The imperfect has just two patterns across all three verb classes. Here they are side by side:
| -ar (falar) | -er/-ir (comer, partir) | |
|---|---|---|
| eu | falava | comia / partia |
| tu | falavas | comias / partias |
| ele / você | falava | comia / partia |
| nós | falávamos | comíamos / partíamos |
| eles / vocês | falavam | comiam / partiam |
The structure is parallel -- just swap the theme vowel: a for -ar verbs, i for -er and -ir verbs. Both patterns share the same person markers (-a, -as, -a, -amos, -am). Once you see this, the entire imperfect system fits in your head.
Practice with common -er verbs
Antigamente, comíamos sempre em casa.
In the old days, we always ate at home.
A minha avó bebia chá todas as tardes.
My grandmother used to drink tea every afternoon.
Naquela época, vivíamos numa aldeia pequena.
At that time, we lived in a small village.
O meu pai escrevia cartas longas à família.
My father used to write long letters to the family.
Practice with common -ir verbs
O comboio partia sempre às sete da manhã.
The train always left at seven in the morning.
Quando era jovem, dormia muito bem.
When I was young, I used to sleep very well.
Eu sentia muitas saudades de casa.
I used to miss home a lot.
Nós saíamos do escritório às seis.
We used to leave the office at six.
Eu and ele are identical
In the imperfect, the eu and ele/ela/você forms are always the same: comia, partia, vivia, dormia. Context makes the subject clear -- a pronoun, the surrounding sentence, or a name:
Eu comia sempre às oito.
I always ate at eight.
Ele comia sempre às oito.
He always ate at eight.
This is true across all three verb classes in the imperfect (-ar verbs do it too: eu falava / ele falava). You never need to guess which form to use -- both persons take the same ending.
Common mistakes
1. Confusing -ava with -ia. The most frequent error is applying -ar endings to -er/-ir verbs -- saying comava instead of comia, or partava instead of partia. Remember: -ava belongs to -ar verbs only. All -er and -ir verbs use -ia.
2. Forgetting the accent on nós. The forms comíamos and partíamos require a written accent on the í. Without it, the stress would fall on the wrong syllable. This accent appears only in the nós form -- all other forms are unaccented.
3. Expecting stem changes. Because verbs like dormir and sentir change their stems in the present (durmo, sinto), learners sometimes invent forms like durmia or sintia. The imperfect does not have stem changes -- the forms are always dormia and sentia, built directly on the infinitive stem.
For the -ar verb imperfect pattern, see Imperfect: Regular -ar Verbs. For when to use the imperfect versus the preterite, see Imperfect Overview. For the preterite forms of these same verbs, see Preterite: Regular -er and -ir Verbs.
Related Topics
- Pretérito Imperfeito OverviewA2 — The imperfect tense for ongoing, habitual, or background past actions
- Imperfect: Regular -ar VerbsA2 — Conjugating regular -ar verbs in the imperfect
- Second Conjugation: -er VerbsA1 — Regular -er verb endings across tenses
- Third Conjugation: -ir VerbsA1 — Regular -ir verb endings across tenses
- Preterite: Regular -er and -ir VerbsA2 — Conjugating regular -er and -ir verbs in the preterite