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Quando era pequeno, eu nadava na piscina do bairro todos os dias de verão.

Quando era pequeno, eu nadava na piscina do bairro todos os dias de verão.
When I was little, I used to swim in the neighbourhood pool every summer day.
FromLesson 22inHardcore Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about Quando era pequeno, eu nadava na piscina do bairro todos os dias de verão.

Why is era used here instead of foi?
era is the first-person singular imperfect of ser. The imperfect expresses a past ongoing or habitual state (in this case, When I was little). foi is the preterite and would imply a completed event rather than an extended condition.
Why is the verb nadava in the imperfect tense?
nadava is the imperfect form of nadar (to swim). It signals a repeated or habitual action in the past – “I used to swim” every day. If you said nadei, you’d be describing a single completed swim.
Is it necessary to include the subject pronoun eu?
No. Portuguese verb endings already tell you the subject, so you could say Quando era pequeno, nadava na piscina… and it would still mean “When I was little, I used to swim….” Including eu simply adds emphasis or clarity.
What do na and do mean?

They’re contractions of a preposition plus a definite article:

  • na = em + a (“in the”)
  • do = de + o (“of the” or “from the”) So na piscina = in the pool, and do bairro = of the neighborhood.
Why is there no possessive before bairro (for example, meu bairro)?
Saying a piscina do bairro conveys “the local/neighborhood pool,” which generally implies your own area. You can add a possessive (a piscina do meu bairro) for extra clarity, but it’s not required when context makes it obvious.
What does todos os dias de verão mean, and how is it different from todos os dias no verão?
  • todos os dias de verão literally means “all the days of summer,” implying every summer day across multiple summers.
  • todos os dias no verão uses no = em + o and refers to every day within a specific summer (this particular summer). Both are correct; the nuance is in whether you mean a general habit or one season in particular.
Why is there a comma after pequeno?
Because when a subordinate time clause (Quando era pequeno) comes at the beginning, a comma separates it from the main clause (eu nadava…) for readability.
Could I change the word order to “Eu nadava na piscina do bairro todos os dias de verão quando era pequeno”?
Yes. It’s grammatically fine. The original places the time clause first for emphasis and smoother flow, but moving quando era pequeno to the end doesn’t alter the meaning.
Does pequeno change form if the speaker is female?
Yes. Adjectives agree in gender (and number) with their subject. A female speaker would say Quando era pequena…, while a male speaker uses Quando era pequeno….
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