Use the Imperfect Indicative when talking about actions that were continuous, habitual, or repeated over an unspecified period of time. Something that used to happen or, would (always) happen.
*Also called the Imperfect Past tense.
I used to work at the Bank of Brazil. ➜ Eu trabalhava no Banco do Brasil.
Or,
In those days I would always drink a few beers after work. ➜ Naqueles dias, eu sempre bebia algumas cervejas depois do trabalho.
Forming
-ar regular verbs
- Eu trabalhava. ➜ I used to work.
- Você, ele, ela trabalhava. ➜ You, he, she used to work.
- Nós trabalhávamos. ➜ We used to work.
- Vocês, eles, elas trabalhavam. ➜ They used to work.
-er regular verbs
- Eu comia. ➜ I used to eat.
- Você, ele, ela comia. ➜ You, he, she used to eat.
- Nós comíamos. ➜ We used to eat.
- Vocês, eles, elas comiam. ➜ They used to eat.
-ir regular verbs
- Eu dormia. ➜ I used to sleep.
- Você, ele, ela dormia. ➜ You, he, she used to sleep.
- Nós dormíamos. ➜ We used to sleep.
- Vocês, eles, elas dormiam. ➜ They used to sleep.
Examples
ar verbs ➜ Trabalhava nessa empresa. (I used to work at that company.)
er verbs ➜ Eu bebia todos os dias. (I used to drink every day.)
ir verbs ➜ Eu dormia bem. (I used to sleep well.)
Common Irregulars
ser : Quando eu era criança, eu era muito tímido. ➜ When I was a child, I used to be very shy.
ter : Ela tinha uma casa perto da praia. ➜ She used to have a house near the beach.
ver : Ele via o pôr do sol todas as tardes. ➜ He used to watch the sunset every afternoon.
vir : Ela vinha à cidade todas as semanas. ➜ She used to come to the city every week.