Breakdown of Tu compreendias a matemática na escola.
tu
you
em
in / on / at
a escola
the school
compreender
to understand
Questions & Answers about Tu compreendias a matemática na escola.
Why does the verb end in -ias in compreendias?
Compreendias is the Pretérito Imperfeito (past continuous or habitual past) form of the regular -er verb compreender (to understand). To form it for tu (you, informal), you drop the -er and add the ending -ias. This same -ias ending is used for all regular -er and -ir verbs for tu in this tense.
Why use the Imperfeito (compreendias) here instead of the simple past (compreendeste)?
The Pretérito Imperfeito is used to describe ongoing states, backgrounds, or habits in the past. Understanding a subject isn't an action that starts and finishes in a single, isolated moment; it was an ongoing state during your time at school. In English, this idea often translates to "used to understand" or "knew."
Why is there an a before matemática? In English we just say "math."
In Portuguese, definite articles (o, a, os, as) are almost always used before school subjects, abstract nouns, and general concepts. So, while English drops the article, Portuguese requires the feminine singular article a to say a matemática (literally "the math").
Why do we say na escola instead of just em escola?