Breakdown of Antigamente, o meu avô trabalhava na cidade.
em
in / on / at
trabalhar
to work
meu
my (m/f/pl: meu, minha, meus, minhas)
a
to / at (direction)
Questions & Answers about Antigamente, o meu avô trabalhava na cidade.
Why does the sentence use trabalhava instead of the simple past tense trabalhou?
Trabalhava is in the Pretérito Imperfeito (Imperfect tense). We use this tense to talk about ongoing, repeated, or habitual actions in the past. Because working in the city was a regular habit for the grandfather over an open period of time (meaning he 'used to work' there), the imperfect tense is the right choice here. Trabalhou (the Pretérito Perfeito) would sound like he worked there just once or for a specific, closed timeframe.
How do we form the imperfect tense for regular '-ar' verbs like trabalhar?
To form the imperfect of regular -ar verbs, you drop the -ar ending and add the new ending. For ele (he), which includes o meu avô, the ending is -ava, giving us trabalhava. A handy tip: the 'I' form and the 'he/she/you' form share the exact same ending in this tense, so 'I used to work' is also eu trabalhava.
Is antigamente a common word to trigger the imperfect tense?
Yes! Antigamente translates to 'in the past', 'formerly', or 'back in the old days'. Since it refers to a vague, extended period in the past rather than a specific date or single event, it is a classic trigger word that tells you the imperfect tense is usually needed for the main action.
Why is there an o before meu avô? Doesn't meu avô already mean 'my grandfather'?