When to Use the Simple Past vs the Imperfect Past in Portuguese

---

In English, we get away with being incredibly lazy with our past tenses.

We say “I walked” and that one phrase covers everything from a specific one-time hike to a daily commute you did for ten years.

In Portuguese, you simply cannot do that. You have to make a specific choice regarding your intent. Did you walk once (andei), or were you in the process of walking (andava)?

This choice marks the difference between stating a cold fact for a police report and actively setting a scene for a friend.

If you are still feeling shaky on the general “vibe” of these tenses, I recommend reading my guide on the storytelling vibe of the Imperfect first.

The moment this finally clicked for me was when I stopped memorizing grammar rules and started thinking like a Movie Director. I’ve heard this called the “Movie Scene” method.

Think of your verb tenses like a film set. One controls the action, the other paints the background.

The Simple Past Handles the Action

The Simple Past (Pretérito Perfeito) is your “Action!” moment. These are events that started and finished at a specific time. They are done.

Think of these as the Plot Points of your movie. The camera is focused, the action happens, and then the scene advances.

English	Portuguese
I ate a pastel de nata	Eu comi um pastel de nata
She opened the door	Ela abriu a porta
They spoke with the boss	Eles falaram com o chefe

The Imperfect Handles the Set Design

While the Simple Past moves the action forward, the Imperfect (Pretérito Imperfeito) builds the Set Design.

It freezes the timeline to paint the picture. It covers the context, the weather, your feelings, or your habits. It tells us exactly what the world looked like while the plot was waiting for the main action to start.

English	Portuguese
The house was big	A casa era grande
I used to ride my bike	Eu costumava andar de bicicleta

[!tip] Showing Habit Using the verb costumar (costumava) is the standard way to emphasize that something was a regular, repeating habit in your past life.

Here is how this looks in a real conversation. Imagine you describe your childhood home to a Portuguese friend:

“A minha casa era perto da praia, por isso eu nadava todos os dias.” (My house was near the beach, so I used to swim every day.)

The Imperfect paints the background before the main character enters the scene.

Scenario 1: The Interruption

This is the most common way we use these tenses in daily conversation. You set the scene with the background (Imperfect), and then—BAM—something interrupts it (Simple Past).

In real, spoken European Portuguese, we usually use the continuous structure Estava a + Verb (was ___-ing) for the background action.

The Formula: Background (Estava a ___) + Interruption (Simple Past)

English	Portuguese
I was talking on the phone when you arrived	Eu estava a falar ao telefone quando tu chegaste
I was reading when the phone rang	Eu estava a ler quando o telefone tocou

Visualize it: The camera pans across the room where you are reading (background)… and suddenly, the phone rings (action).

In context: “O que é que estavas a fazer quando o telefone tocou?” (What were you doing when the phone rang?) “Eu estava a tomar banho!” (I was taking a shower!)

[!warning] Is “Chovia” Too Dramatic?

You will see textbooks teaching that “It was raining” is Chovia. While correct, saying just Chovia can sometimes sound a bit literary. In casual chats, we usually stick to the continuous form: Estava a chover.

However, if you want to emphasize how intense the weather was, you can use the simple Imperfect for impact: “Pá, chovia que era uma coisa doida!” (Man, it was raining like crazy!)

Scenario 2: The Split Screen

Sometimes, nothing gets interrupted. Two things are just happening in the background at the exact same time. For this, we use the magic word Enquanto (While).

The Rule: When two background actions happen simultaneously, both represent the “set design.”

In this specific “split screen” scenario, native speakers often prefer using the simple Imperfect form because it feels more natural and less clunky than repeating the continuous structure twice.

English	Portuguese
While Luísa was sunbathing, João was drinking a juice	Enquanto a Luísa apanhava sol, o João bebia um sumo
I was cooking while you were reading	Eu cozinhava enquanto tu lias

In context: Imagine describing a lazy Sunday morning to a neighbor: “Ontem de manhã foi muito calmo. Enquanto eu fazia o pequeno-almoço, o meu marido lia o jornal.” (Yesterday morning was very calm. While I was making breakfast, my husband was reading the newspaper.)

When two things happen at once without interruption, both stay in the Imperfect.

Scenario 3: The ‘Que’ Cheat Code

When you report what someone said or thought in the past using the word que (that), the verb that follows is almost always Imperfect.

Why? Because you are describing the “reality” that existed in their head at that moment. It was their background scenery.

English	Portuguese
He said that it was late	Ele disse que era tarde
I thought that you had the ticket	Eu pensei que tinhas o bilhete
She thought that the bank was open	Ela achava que o banco estava aberto

In context: Imagine you show up to a café with a friend, only to find it closed. You might say: “Fogo, eu achava que estava aberto!” (Damn, I thought it was open!) “Pois, mas o empregado disse que era feriado.” (Yeah, but the employee said it was a holiday.)

(By the way, mastering this “Movie Director” mindset is key to unlocking all the other tenses. To see the full timeline, check out my master guide on Portuguese Verb Tenses.)

A Note on Era vs Estava

You might have noticed I used Era in one example (“era tarde”) and Estava in another (“estava aberto”). Both mean “was,” but they describe different states (Permanent vs. Temporary).

If you are confused about why a house era big but the bank estava open, you need to understand the core difference between Ser and Estar. I broke this down in my specific guide on the difference between Era and Estava.

How to Form the Verbs

I focused on the method here because understanding the “Movie Scene” logic is usually the hardest part for us English speakers.

The good news? The Imperfect is probably the most regular, stress-free tense in the entire language.

👉 Deep Dive: The "No-Stress" Guide to Imperfect Conjugations

Frequently Asked Questions

[!faq]- Can I use ‘Costumava’ to say ‘I used to’? Absolutely! In fact, it’s very common and standard. While you can use the simple Imperfect (like ia or comia) to show a past habit, using costumava clearly implies regularity and a repeating routine. It’s the most natural way to say “I used to [verb] regularly.” For more on this, check out my guide on How to Say "Used To" in Portuguese.

[!faq]- Is ‘Fui’ the Simple Past or the Imperfect? Fui is the Simple Past (Pretérito Perfeito) of two different verbs: Ser (to be) and Ir (to go). It is never the Imperfect. If you want the Imperfect of Ser (to be), use Era. If you want the Imperfect of Ir (to go), use Ia.

[!faq]- Are there specific keywords that trigger one tense over the other? Yes! Time markers are huge clues. Words that pinpoint a specific time like ontem (yesterday) or na semana passada (last week) usually trigger the Simple Past. Vague time markers like antigamente (in the old days) or todos os dias (every day) usually trigger the Imperfect.

[!faq]- What if I just use the Simple Past for everything? You will be understood, but you will sound very robotic. It strips the “vibe” and feeling out of your stories. Portuguese people value the context and “set design” of a story, so skipping the Imperfect makes you sound like you are reading a list of facts rather than sharing a memory with a friend.