Pretérito Perfeito vs. Pretérito Imperfeito in European Portuguese

One of the most persistent difficulties for learners of Portuguese is knowing when to use the pretérito perfeito and when to use the pretérito imperfeito. Both are past tenses, but they serve different purposes and describe past events from different perspectives. This article presents a clear, functional distinction between the two, with practical examples.

The core difference

The pretérito imperfeito is used to describe past situations that are ongoing, habitual, or not clearly bounded in time. The focus is on the background or the general state of affairs in the past.

The pretérito perfeito, by contrast, is used for past actions that are completed and clearly delimited in time.

In simple terms:

pretérito imperfeito = actions diluted over time
pretérito perfeito = completed actions located at a specific point in time

Using the pretérito imperfeito

The pretérito imperfeito commonly appears when describing habits, repeated actions, or general characteristics in the past.

Example 1

Eu fazia muitas asneiras quando era pequeno.
I used to do a lot of silly things when I was little.

This sentence does not refer to one specific moment. The action happened repeatedly over a period of time.

Example 2

Os nossos primos vinham à nossa casa todos os fins de semana.
Our cousins used to come to our house every weekend.

Again, there is no reference to a particular weekend. The action is habitual and spread across time.

The role of the verb costumar

In European Portuguese, it is very common to reinforce this idea of habit by using the verb costumar in the pretérito imperfeito.

Eu fazia muitas asneiras quando era pequeno = Eu costumava fazer muitas asneiras quando era pequeno.

Functionally, these sentences mean the same. The difference is structural: the latter uses the auxiliary verb costumar in the pretérito imperfeito, and the main verb appears in the infinitive.

Using the pretérito perfeito

The pretérito perfeito is used when the time frame is clearly defined or when the speaker refers to a single, completed action.

Example 1

Ontem vi o Carlos na rua.
Yesterday I saw Carlos in the street.

The temporal reference is explicit: yesterday.

Example 2

No fim de semana passado, fui com a minha prima ao cinema.
Last weekend, I went to the cinema with my cousin.

The action is finished and anchored to a specific moment in the past.

Contrasting the two tenses in context

Very often, both tenses appear together in the same narrative. The pretérito imperfeito sets the scene, while the pretérito perfeito introduces a specific event that interrupts or stands out.

Example 1

Eu fazia muitas asneiras quando era pequeno. Um dia, fiz uma asneira muito grande e fiquei de castigo durante uma semana.
I used to do a lot of silly things when I was little. One day, I did something very silly and was grounded for a week.

The first sentence describes a general pattern. The second highlights a particular incident.

Example 2

Os nossos primos vinham à nossa casa todos os fins de semana. Num desses fins de semana, comemos qualquer coisa estragada e ficámos todos doentes.
Our cousins used to come to our house every weekend. One of those weekends, we ate something spoiled and all got sick.

The habitual action is expressed with the pretérito imperfeito, while the specific event uses the pretérito perfeito.

Final takeaway

When choosing between pretérito perfeito and pretérito imperfeito, the key question is not whether the action happened in the past, but how the speaker frames that past action. If the action is habitual, ongoing, or descriptive, the pretérito imperfeito is the natural choice. If it is specific, completed, and anchored in time, the pretérito perfeito is the correct tense.

Até breve, p

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