How to Say ‘I Used to’ in Portuguese: Costumava and the Imperfect — Practice

Use costumava plus an infinitive

Costumava fazer means ‘used to do.’ Costumava is the imperfect form of costumar, followed by the infinitive of the activity. It makes the repeated or habitual meaning especially clear.

Use the imperfect for a repeated past habit

Brazilian Portuguese often expresses past habits directly with the imperfect, without costumava. The tense also describes background situations, so time expressions and context help show that an action was habitual.

Contrast a habit with one completed event

Use the imperfect for a repeated or ongoing past pattern and the preterite for a completed event. This contrast helps listeners see whether you mean ‘used to’ or something that happened once.

Remember: Use costumava plus an infinitive or the imperfect tense for a past habit.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. I used to walk before work.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Eu costumava caminhar antes do trabalho.

2. We used to spend our holidays at the beach.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A gente costumava passar as férias na praia.

3. When I was a child, I used to play in the street.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Quando era criança, brincava na rua.

4. Every summer, we used to visit my grandparents.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Todo verão, visitávamos meus avós.

5. I used to study at night, but yesterday I studied in the morning.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Eu estudava à noite, mas ontem estudei de manhã.

6. She used to cook at home; today she ordered food.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ela costumava cozinhar em casa; hoje pediu comida.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Use costumava plus an infinitive or the imperfect tense for a past habit.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our How to Say ‘I Used to’ in Portuguese: Costumava and the Imperfect lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.