Portuguese Past Tense: Preterito vs Imperfeito Explained With Conjugation Guide

If you're learning Portuguese, you've probably hit that point where you realize there are two main past tenses that seem to do similar things. The pretérito perfeito and the pretérito imperfeito both talk about stuff that happened before now, but knowing when to use which one can feel confusing at first. Here's the thing though: once you understand the logic behind each tense, it actually makes a lot of sense. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about these two Portuguese past tenses, with clear examples and conjugation patterns that'll help you use them correctly.🚀

Understanding the two main Portuguese past tenses

Portuguese has several ways to talk about the past, but the two you'll use most often are the pretérito perfeito and the pretérito imperfeito.

The pretérito perfeito answers questions like "What happened?" while the pretérito imperfeito answers "What was happening?" or "What used to happen?" This distinction exists in both European and Brazilian Portuguese, though there are some minor pronunciation differences between the variants.

What makes pretérito perfeito special: Simple past tense

The pretérito perfeito (also called the simple past) handles completed actions that happened at definite moments in time. When you say "Eu comi pizza ontem" (I ate pizza yesterday), you're using pretérito perfeito because the action of eating pizza happened and ended yesterday.

This tense works for single events, sequences of events, and anything that has a clear beginning and end. You'll use it to tell stories about what happened, describe a series of actions, or talk about something that occurred at a specific time.

When pretérito imperfeito comes into play: Imperfect tense

The pretérito imperfeito describes actions that were in progress, repeated regularly, or provide background context. If you say "Eu comia pizza todos os dias" (I used to eat pizza every day), you're using imperfeito because it describes a habit that happened repeatedly over time.

This tense also describes physical or emotional states in the past, sets the scene for stories, and talks about what was happening when something else occurred. Pretty much any time you'd say "used to" or "was doing" in English, you're looking at an imperfeito situation in Portuguese.

How to conjugate regular verbs in pretérito perfeito

Let's get into the actual verb conjugation patterns.

For -ar verbs like "falar" (To speak):

For -er verbs like "comer" (To eat):

For -ir verbs like "partir" (To leave):

Notice how the nós form of -ar and -ir verbs looks identical to the present tense. Context usually makes it clear which tense you mean.

Conjugating regular verbs in pretérito imperfeito in Portuguese grammar

The imperfeito has super regular patterns that are honestly easier to learn than the pretérito perfeito. Regular verbs follow these patterns:

For -ar verbs like "falar":

For -er and -ir verbs like "comer" and "partir":

The imperfeito is one of the most regular tenses in Portuguese. Once you learn these patterns, you can apply them to almost any verb.

Irregular verbs you need to know

Some verbs don't follow the regular patterns, and you'll use these irregular verbs constantly when speaking Portuguese.

The verb "ser" (To be)

In pretérito perfeito:

In pretérito imperfeito:

The verb "ter" (To have)

In pretérito perfeito:

In pretérito imperfeito:

The verb "ir" (To go)

Here's something interesting: the pretérito perfeito of "ir" is identical to "ser." Both use fui, foste, foi, fomos, fostes, foram. You figure out which verb it is from context.

In pretérito imperfeito:

The past tense of ir in Portuguese follows these patterns consistently, making it easier to learn once you've memorized the forms.

Time expressions that signal which tense to use

Certain words and phrases work as clues for which past tense you should use. Learning these helps you pick the right tense automatically.

Pretérito perfeito indicators:

Pretérito imperfeito indicators:

These aren't absolute rules, but they're helpful guideposts when you're deciding between tenses.

Using both tenses together

In real Portuguese conversations and writing, you'll often use both past tenses in the same sentence or story. The imperfeito sets the scene, and the perfeito describes what happened within that scene.

Example:

Here, "lia" is imperfeito because reading was the ongoing background action. "Tocou" is perfeito because the phone ringing was a completed action that interrupted the reading.

Another example:

"Era" describes your state of being young (Background context), while "viajei" describes the specific completed action of traveling.

This combination creates richer, more nuanced descriptions of past events. You'll see this pattern constantly in Portuguese storytelling.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

The four types of past tense in Portuguese

While this guide focuses on the two main past tenses, Portuguese actually has four ways to express past actions. Besides pretérito perfeito and pretérito imperfeito, there's also the pretérito perfeito composto (Present perfect) and the pretérito mais-que-perfeito (Pluperfect).

Practical tips for mastering Portuguese past tenses

The best way to internalize these tenses is through exposure and practice.

If you want to actually practice these tenses with real Portuguese content, Migaku's browser extension and app let you look up verb forms instantly while reading articles or watching videos. You can see these past tenses in context and build your understanding naturally. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.

The chance to talk about what happened in the past...

Understanding past tenses opens up so much of the language. You can tell stories about your experiences, ask people about their histories, read Portuguese literature, and follow along when native speakers share anecdotes. Both European and Brazilian Portuguese use these same fundamental tense distinctions, so learning them helps you communicate across different Portuguese-speaking regions.

What happened in the past shapes the future.