Capítulo 18: Quando eu era criança | Speak and Write Portuguese

Chapter Overview

In Chapters 16 and 17, you used the preterite to narrate single completed events and lifetime experiences. This chapter introduces a second past tense, the imperfect, which describes what things were like, what used to happen, and what was going on, rather than what happened and finished at one point in time. You will learn the imperfect of ser, estar, ter, and ir, along with the regular imperfect pattern for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs, and you will begin to contrast the imperfect with the preterite you already control. By the end of the chapter, you will be able to describe what your life was like as a child, what you used to do, and what things and people were like in the past.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

Conjugate the imperfect of ser, estar, ter, and ir.
Form the regular imperfect of -ar, -er, and -ir verbs.
Describe people, places, and conditions as they used to be.
Describe habitual or repeated past actions, such as childhood routines.
Begin to distinguish the imperfect from the preterite in simple contexts.
Read and write a short paragraph about childhood, preserving all diacritics.

Communication Scenario

You are talking with a friend about what your childhood was like: where you lived, what your family was like, what you used to do after school, and what your daily life looked like before you grew up. This kind of description requires a different past tense from the one you have used so far, because you are not narrating a single completed event — you are painting a picture of an ongoing period of your life.

This chapter activates the imperfect of ser, estar, ter, and ir, plus the regular imperfect pattern.
The chapter's productive target is describing background conditions and habitual past actions, most often connected to childhood.
Preterite and imperfect are introduced together only at the level of recognizing the basic contrast; full mastery of preterite/imperfect choice continues in Chapter 19 and beyond.
You may describe your real childhood or invent one.

Core Vocabulary

This chapter's vocabulary supports talking about childhood, former routines, and places as they used to be: family roles from a child's perspective, school-age activities, toys and games, and time expressions that signal repeated or background past action.

Childhood and background vocabulary
Portuguese	English	Note
a infância	childhood	feminine noun
a escola primária	elementary school	feminine noun
o bairro	the neighborhood	masculine noun
o brinquedo	the toy	masculine noun
a boneca, o carrinho	the doll, the toy car	feminine / masculine
o quintal	the backyard	masculine noun
os vizinhos	the neighbors	masculine plural
antigamente	in the old days, back then	signals habitual or background past
todos os dias, toda semana	every day, every week	frequency expressions used with the imperfect
quando eu era criança	when I was a child	formulaic opening for childhood narration

High-frequency verbs for this chapter (infinitive form)
Portuguese	English	Type
morar, brincar, jogar	to live (reside), to play (games/toys), to play (sports)	regular -ar
viver, correr, aprender	to live (exist), to run, to learn	regular -er
assistir, dormir	to watch, to sleep	regular -ir
ser, estar, ter, ir	to be, to be, to have, to go	irregular in the imperfect, this chapter's core targets

All entries preserve required diacritics, including the endings taught below in the imperfect conjugation tables.

Language Note — morar versus viver

Morar and viver can both be translated as "to live," but morar refers specifically to residing at an address or in a place, while viver refers more broadly to living or being alive, or to a general way of life: Eu morava numa casa pequena ("I lived in a small house") versus A gente vivia bem, mesmo sem muito dinheiro ("We lived well, even without much money").

Pronunciation Focus

Pronunciation Note — The imperfect ending stress

Regular imperfect forms carry stable, predictable stress. For -ar verbs, listen for the open, nasal-free -ava ending in the singular and third-person plural: morava, moravam. For -er and -ir verbs, listen for the closed -ia ending, which sounds the same for both conjugations: vivia, assistia.

The stress in every regular imperfect form falls on the syllable immediately before the ending, never on the ending itself. Compare eu moro (present, stress on the first syllable) with eu morava (imperfect, stress on the second syllable, immediately before -va).

Grammar and Sentence Patterns

This section introduces the imperfect tense: its form, its core meanings, and an initial contrast with the preterite you already control.

Imperfect of ser, estar, ter, and ir

The four irregular imperfects of this chapter
Subject	ser	estar	ter	ir
eu	era	estava	tinha	ia
você / ele / ela	era	estava	tinha	ia
nós	éramos	estávamos	tínhamos	íamos
vocês / eles / elas	eram	estavam	tinham	iam

Note that estar in the imperfect is fully regular in its pattern (estava, like a regular -ar verb); only ser, ter, and ir require memorization as irregular stems.

Regular Imperfect: -ar, -er, and -ir Verbs

Regular imperfect endings, modeled with morar, viver, and assistir
Subject	morar	viver	assistir
eu	morava	vivia	assistia
você / ele / ela	morava	vivia	assistia
nós	morávamos	vivíamos	assistíamos
vocês / eles / elas	moravam	viviam	assistiam

-er and -ir verbs share identical imperfect endings (-ia, -íamos, -iam); only the stem changes.

Building Block — Describing background and habit

quando eu era criança + imperfect verb

the imperfect describes what was ongoing, repeated, or true as a background condition

Quando eu era criança, eu morava numa cidade pequena e brincava no quintal todos os dias.

When I was a child, I lived in a small city and used to play in the backyard every day.

First Contrast: Preterite versus Imperfect

You already know the preterite for completed, one-time events. The imperfect describes what was ongoing, repeated, or simply true as background, without a clear beginning or end.

Quando eu era criança, eu morava no Rio de Janeiro. When I was a child, I lived in Rio de Janeiro. imperfect = background condition, no single completed moment
Em 2015, eu me mudei para São Paulo. In 2015, I moved to São Paulo. preterite = one completed event with a clear moment
Todos os domingos, a gente visitava os avós. Every Sunday, we used to visit our grandparents. imperfect = habitual, repeated action
No domingo passado, a gente visitou os avós. Last Sunday, we visited our grandparents. preterite = one specific, completed visit

Language Note — Two questions to guide the choice

At this stage, ask two guiding questions rather than trying to memorize a full rule system. First: is this a single, completed event with a clear edge in time, like an arrival or a specific visit? If so, use the preterite. Second: is this a repeated habit, an ongoing background condition, or a description of what something was like, without a clear single completed moment? If so, use the imperfect. Full control of this contrast, including more complex cases, is the focus of Chapter 19 and later volumes.

Prática guiada — Guided practice: Complete each sentence with the imperfect form in parentheses.

Quando eu era criança, eu ______ (ter) um cachorro.
Meus pais ______ (trabalhar) muito, mas sempre ______ (estar) em casa à noite.
Nós ______ (morar) perto da escola.
Todo verão, eu ______ (ir) à casa dos meus avós.
Minha irmã e eu ______ (brincar) no quintal todos os dias.

Model Dialogue

Context: Two old friends catching up, informal register, reminiscing about childhood.

Renata Onde você morava quando era criança? Where did you live when you were a child?

Diego Eu morava numa cidade pequena perto de Belo Horizonte. A gente tinha uma casa com um quintal enorme. I lived in a small city near Belo Horizonte. We had a house with an enormous backyard.

Renata Que legal! O que você fazia lá? Cool! What did you use to do there?

Diego Eu brincava com os vizinhos todos os dias e jogava futebol no quintal. Também tinha um cachorro que corria atrás da gente. E você? I used to play with the neighbors every day and play soccer in the backyard. I also had a dog that used to run after us. And you?

Renata Eu era mais tímida. Eu ficava em casa e lia muito. Mas todo domingo, a gente ia à casa dos meus avós. I was more shy. I used to stay home and read a lot. But every Sunday, we used to go to my grandparents' house.

Diego Que bom! E vocês ainda vão lá? That's nice! And do you still go there?

Renata Não muito. Minha avó morreu há dois anos, então agora é diferente. Not much. My grandmother died two years ago, so now it's different.

List three things Diego used to do as a child.
What did Renata use to do at home, and where did her family go every Sunday?
Find one preterite verb in the dialogue and explain why it is preterite rather than imperfect.

Guided Practice

Exercício A — Complete with the correct imperfect form.

Quando eu era pequeno, eu ______ (ser) muito quieto.
Nós ______ (assistir) desenhos animados todo sábado de manhã.
Meu avô ______ (contar) histórias antes de dormir.
Vocês ______ (ir) à praia no verão?
Minha família ______ (ter) um carro pequeno.

Exercício B — Choose preterite or imperfect and complete the sentence.

Ontem, eu ______ (jogar) futebol com meus amigos. (one completed event)
Quando eu era criança, eu ______ (jogar) futebol todos os dias. (habit)
No ano passado, minha família ______ (morar) em outra cidade por seis meses. (completed period)

Exercício C — Build a short childhood description. Combine the elements into full imperfect sentences.

eu / morar / numa casa pequena
meus pais / trabalhar / muito
eu e meu irmão / brincar / no quintal

Listening Practice

If no audio recording is available, ask a partner, instructor, or text-to-speech tool to read the script below aloud, or read it aloud to yourself slowly.

Listening script

Quando eu era criança, eu morava com meus pais e minha irmã numa casa perto do centro. Meu pai trabalhava numa loja e minha mãe era professora. Todos os dias, eu ia à escola de manhã e brincava com os vizinhos à tarde. Nos fins de semana, a gente visitava meus avós, que moravam numa fazenda pequena. Eu adorava a fazenda, porque lá eu podia correr, ver os animais e comer frutas do quintal. Às vezes, meu avô me contava histórias antigas sobre a nossa família.

When I was a child, I lived with my parents and my sister in a house near downtown. My father worked at a store and my mother was a teacher. Every day, I went to school in the morning and played with the neighbors in the afternoon. On weekends, we used to visit my grandparents, who lived on a small farm. I loved the farm, because there I could run, see the animals, and eat fruit from the yard. Sometimes my grandfather used to tell me old stories about our family.

Describe the speaker's family and where they lived as a child.
What did the speaker use to do every day?
What did the speaker like about the grandparents' farm?

Speaking Practice

Prática controlada — Controlled practice: three childhood facts

Say aloud three things that were true about your childhood, using the imperfect of ser, estar, or ter at least once.

Tarefa comunicativa — Communicative task: interview a partner about childhood

With a partner, ask and answer Onde você morava quando era criança? and O que você fazia depois da escola? Ask two follow-up questions, then report one detail about your partner's childhood back to the class or to yourself.

Prática individual — Solo alternative

Record yourself describing your childhood for one minute, using at least five imperfect verbs, including at least two of ser, estar, ter, or ir.

Reading Practice

A infância de Marcos

Marcos era filho único e morava com os pais num apartamento pequeno em Recife. Ele não tinha irmãos, mas tinha muitos primos que moravam perto. Todos os sábados, os primos se encontravam no parque perto de casa e jogavam bola até o fim da tarde. Marcos também gostava muito de desenhar, e ele desenhava animais e carros em cadernos velhos. Sua avó morava com a família e sempre cozinhava para todo mundo. Quando Marcos tinha dez anos, a família se mudou para outra cidade, e ele teve que dizer adeus aos primos e ao parque que ele tanto amava.

Notice era, morava, tinha, se encontravam, jogavam, gostava, desenhava, and cozinhava — imperfect forms describing background and habit — alongside se mudou and teve, preterite forms marking the single completed event that changed everything.

Tarefa de leitura — Reading task:

Describe Marcos's family and where they lived.
What did Marcos and his cousins use to do on Saturdays?
Find the two preterite verbs in the passage and explain why the imperfect would not fit in their place.

Writing Workshop

Write a short paragraph of six to eight sentences describing your childhood (real or invented), following the model of Marcos's story above.

Choose your setting. Decide where you lived and who was in your family.
Describe people and conditions. Use the imperfect of ser, estar, or ter at least twice.
Describe a habit or routine. Use at least two regular imperfect verbs to describe what you used to do.
Add a place detail. Use morar or viver in the imperfect.
Optional: add one completed event. If something changed, use one preterite verb to mark it.
Connect the sentences using antigamente, todos os dias, or às vezes.
Check diacritics and spelling throughout, including forms such as éramos, íamos, and tínhamos.

Lista de revisão — Editing checklist:

The paragraph uses at least three imperfect verbs correctly conjugated.
At least one of ser, estar, ter, or ir appears in the imperfect.
The paragraph describes people or conditions as well as a habitual action.
Any preterite verb used marks a genuinely single completed event.
All diacritics are preserved, including éramos, íamos, and tínhamos.
No unscheduled grammar, such as the subjunctive, appears productively.

Culture and Communication

Culture in Context — Extended family and childhood in Brazil

Extended family often plays a visible role in childhood memories shared in Brazilian conversation, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who may live nearby or even in the same household. Weekly family gatherings, as in this chapter's dialogue and reading, are common in many families but not universal, and household structures vary widely by region, class, and generation. Avoid assuming that every Brazilian childhood followed the same pattern of extended-family closeness.

Regional Variation — Childhood vocabulary across Lusophone contexts

Words for children's games and toys vary across the Lusophone world and even across regions of Brazil. This chapter's vocabulary reflects common contemporary Brazilian usage; European Portuguese and African Portuguese varieties may use different terms for some toys and games, which are recognition items only at this level.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Common Mistake — Using the preterite for ongoing background description

Error: Saying Quando eu fui criança, eu morei numa casa pequena to describe a general childhood background.

Correction: Use the imperfect for background description: Quando eu era criança, eu morava numa casa pequena. The preterite would suggest a single, completed period rather than an ongoing state.

Common Mistake — Regularizing ser, ter, or ir

Error: Producing forms like eu seia, eu tia, or eu iia by applying the regular imperfect pattern.

Correction: ser, ter, and ir are irregular in the imperfect and must be memorized as whole forms: eu era, eu tinha, eu ia.

Common Mistake — Dropping the nasal in tínhamos and íamos

Error: Writing or saying tinhamos or iamos without the accent mark.

Correction: The accented forms tínhamos and íamos mark required stress and must keep their accent marks in writing.

Chapter Summary

O que você aprendeu — What you learned

This chapter introduced the imperfect tense, including the irregular forms of ser, estar, ter, and ir, and the regular imperfect pattern for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs. You practiced describing background conditions and habitual past actions, especially about childhood, and you began to distinguish the imperfect from the preterite you already control.

Chapter Review

Parte A — Compreensão (Comprehension)

1. Return to A infância de Marcos, and answer these short questions.

Who lived with Marcos's family?
What happened when Marcos turned ten years old?

Parte B — Escrita (Writing)

1. Conjugate ser, ter, and morar in the imperfect for eu and nós.

Parte C — Leitura (Reading)

1. Return to the Listening Task script, and describe what the speaker used to do on weekends.

Parte D — Fala (Speaking)

1. Tell a partner two things that were true about your childhood, using the imperfect of ser or ter.

Practical Performance Task

Chapter 18 Practical Check

Quando eu era criança — Describing Childhood and the Past

Complete the following connected tasks, in order, as one integrated performance.

Read A infância de Marcos. Answer the comprehension questions above before continuing.
Describe your own childhood. Use at least four imperfect verbs, including at least two of ser, estar, ter, or ir.
Include a habitual action. Use at least one regular imperfect verb tied to a frequency expression such as todos os dias or toda semana.
Optional contrast. If your description includes a single completed change, mark it with one preterite verb.
Combine all steps into one spoken and written account, applying the editing checklist from the Writing Workshop.

Criterion	What is assessed
Irregular imperfect	The learner correctly conjugates at least two of ser, estar, ter, and ir in the imperfect.
Regular imperfect	The learner correctly conjugates at least one regular -ar, -er, or -ir verb in the imperfect.
Background description	The learner describes a person, place, or condition as it used to be.
Habitual action	The learner describes at least one repeated or habitual past action.
Preterite/imperfect awareness	Any preterite form used marks a genuinely single completed event, not a background condition.
Diacritics and spelling	The learner preserves diacritics throughout, including éramos, íamos, and tínhamos.

This chapter activates the imperfect tense and an initial preterite/imperfect contrast for the first time; only the systems introduced above and in Chapters 1–17 are assessed.

Answer Key

Grammar — Guided Practice

tinha
trabalhavam ... estavam
morávamos
ia
brincávamos

Exercício A

era
assistíamos
contava
iam
tinha

Exercício B

joguei (preterite — one completed event, "yesterday")
jogava (imperfect — habitual, "every day")
morou (preterite — completed, bounded period, "for six months")

Exercício C — Sample sentences

Eu morava numa casa pequena. Meus pais trabalhavam muito. Eu e meu irmão brincávamos no quintal.

Listening Task — Comprehension

The speaker lived with parents and a sister in a house near downtown; the father worked at a store and the mother was a teacher.
The speaker went to school in the morning and played with neighbors in the afternoon.
The speaker liked running, seeing the animals, and eating fruit from the yard; the grandfather sometimes told old family stories.

Reading Task

Marcos was an only child who lived with his parents and grandmother; many cousins lived nearby.
They met at the park and played ball until late afternoon.
se mudou and teve mark a single completed change (the move and the goodbye), not an ongoing background condition, so the preterite fits and the imperfect would not.

Chapter Review

Marcos's parents and grandmother lived with him; when he turned ten, the family moved to another city and he had to say goodbye to his cousins and the park.
era / éramos; tinha / tínhamos; morava / morávamos

Looking Ahead

O que você já sabe fazer — What you can do now

You can describe what your childhood, past routines, and background conditions were like using the imperfect tense, and you can begin to choose between the preterite and the imperfect based on whether an action was a single completed event or an ongoing, repeated, or background one.

Continuando: Capítulo 19 — Continuing on: Chapter 19

Chapter 19, Na minha opinião, moves from narrating the past to stating opinions and comparisons, introducing comparatives, superlatives, and connectors that let you build longer, connected arguments.