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Portuguese (Portugal)

In the previous lesson, you learned how to talk about past habits using **-ar** verbs. Now, let's look at regular **-er** and **-ir** verbs in the **Pretérito Imperfeito** (the Imperfect).

### Forming the Imperfect for -er and -ir Verbs

Regular **-er** and **-ir** verbs share the exact same endings in the imperfect tense. Drop the **-er** or **-ir** from the infinitive and add:

| Pronoun | Ending | Example (*correr* - to run) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| eu | **-ia** | corria |
| tu | **-ias** | corrias |
| ele / ela / você | **-ia** | corria |
| nós | **-íamos** | corríamos |
| eles / elas / vocês | **-iam** | corriam |

Just like with **-ar** verbs, the **nós** form always requires an acute accent, this time on the **í**.

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### Verbs with Prepositions: Assistir a

The verb **assistir** means "to watch" or "to attend" when followed by the preposition **a**. Remember to combine **a** with definite articles when necessary (e.g., *a* + *os* = *aos*).

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### Everyday School Routines

This **-ia** pattern applies to many typical actions, such as writing (*escrever*) or understanding (*compreender*).

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### Reflexive Verbs with Prepositions: Esquecer-se de

The verb **esquecer-se** (to forget) is reflexive and requires the preposition **de**. Attach the reflexive pronoun to the verb with a hyphen, and combine **de** with the definite article of the forgotten object (e.g., *de* + *o* = *do*).

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### More -er and -ir Verbs in Action

Whether it's eating (*comer*), opening (*abrir*), or discussing (*discutir*), the **-ia** endings remain consistent across both verb groups.

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The imperfect tense for -er and -ir verbs (-ia)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prefix

prep

preposition

pron

pronoun

sentence

verb

Demonstratives and the verb to be (isto é, o, a)

Subject pronouns and negation (eu, não)

Yes/no questions and question words (quem, o que)

Plural pronouns, articles, and verbs (somos, são, os, as)

Origin and possession (de, do, da)

Introductions (chamar-se)

Indefinite articles (um, uma, uns, umas)

The verb to be for locations (estar)

Contrasting the two verbs to be (ser vs. estar)

Preposition for locations (em, no, na)

Numbers 0 to 10 (zero, um, dois)

The verb to have (tenho, tem)

Regular -ar verbs (falar, trabalhar)

Regular -er verbs (comer, beber)

Regular -ir verbs (abrir, partir)

My, your, and our (o meu, a nossa)

His, hers, and theirs (dele, dela)

Adjective agreement and placement

Days of the week (segunda-feira)

Months of the year (janeiro)

Counting by tens to 100 (trinta, quarenta...)

Telling time (é uma, são...)

Asking about time (quando, a que horas)

The verb to go (ir)

Prepositions of direction (a, para)

Preposition a contractions (ao, à, aos, às)

Prepositions of place (ao lado de, em frente de...)

Demonstratives (este, esse, aquele)

Contractions with demonstratives (neste, desse, daquele)

Asking which and how many (qual, quanto)

Plurals ending in -ão (-ões, -ãos, -ães)

Plurals ending in consonants (-ns, -is, -es)

The verb to like (gostar de)

The verb to need (precisar de)

The verb to want (querer)

The verb can or may (poder)

Expressing obligation (ter de)

Adverbs of degree (muito, pouco)

Quantifiers (muito, pouco)

Comparatives (mais... do que, menos... do que)

Equality comparisons (tão... como)

The preposition com (comigo, contigo)

Coordinating conjunctions (e, mas, ou, porque)

The preposition por (pelo, pela)

Double negation (nunca, nada, ninguém)

Present continuous (estar a)

Near future (ir)

Past tense of regular -ar verbs

Past tense of regular -er and -ir verbs

Past tense of ser and ir (fui, foi)

Direct object pronouns (me, te, o, a, nos, os, as)

Pronoun placement with negatives and questions

Greetings and courtesy (bom dia, obrigado)

Physical states with ter (ter fome, ter frio)

Asking the way (à direita, sempre em frente)

Colours (vermelho, amarelo, cor-de-rosa)

Money and shopping (custar, a moeda)

Getting around (o motorista, a paragem de autocarro)

Weather and seasons (faz calor, o inverno)

Omitting the subject pronoun

Where things are: ficar (Onde fica...?)

Richer questions: que + noun and é que

Numbers above 100 (cento e vinte, mil)

First-person sound changes (durmo, prefiro)

Advice and ability: dever and saber

Asking why: porquê and porque

When one thing happens: quando-clauses

Here and there: aqui, aí, ali (cá e lá)

Formal and plural possessives: o seu, o vosso

Irregular presents: ver, vir, dar

Present irregulars

Reflexive verbs (me, te, se, nos)

Stem-changing reflexives

Attached object pronouns (-lo, -la, -los, -las)

Nasal attached pronouns (-no, -na, -nos, -nas)

Pronoun placement with adverbs

Past tense of fazer, dizer, and trazer

Past tense of ter, estar, poder, and saber

Past tense of querer and vir

Past tense of ver, dar, and ler

Past tense reflexive verbs (-se)

Time elapsed in the past (há)

Question	Answer
to run	correr
the team	a equipa
I used to run with the school team.	Eu corria com a equipa da escola.
the break	o intervalo
The students used to run a lot during the break.	Os alunos corriam muito no intervalo.
to attend / to watch	assistir a
the band	a banda
We used to attend the band's concerts.	Nós assistíamos aos concertos da banda.
He used to write the band's music.	Ele escrevia a música da banda.
the math	a matemática
You used to understand math at school.	Tu compreendias a matemática na escola.
In the afternoon, I used to watch a movie at the cinema.	À tarde, eu assistia a um filme no cinema.
to forget	esquecer-se de
the test	o teste
She used to forget the math test.	Ela esquecia-se do teste de matemática.
the guitar	a guitarra
the hallway	o corredor
You guys used to forget the guitar in the hallway.	Vocês esqueciam-se da guitarra no corredor.
We used to eat the snack during the break.	Nós comíamos o lanche no intervalo.
A month ago, the team still did not understand the game.	Há um mês, a equipa ainda não compreendia o jogo.
The girl used to open the bedroom window in the morning.	A rapariga abria a janela do quarto de manhã.
They used to discuss the opinions in the meeting.	Eles discutiam as opiniões na reunião.
the club	o clube
He used to hide the guitar at the club.	Ele escondia a guitarra no clube.
The student used to run in the club's corridor before the test.	A aluna corria no corredor do clube antes do teste.