Class #5 Juliet with Alexia - July, 28, 2026

note: this is a recording of your private coaching session with Alexia. No one will see it except you, Alexia, and Foster 🙏

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Session summary

This class was a full review of everything that came up in your last session with Foster — turning it from "things you got asked about on the spot" into structures you actually own. We drilled era, foi, estava, and estive one by one, worked through a gente, dá pra, and através de vs. atravessar, and tackled the trickier imaginei vs. não imaginava (plus a first real taste of the subjunctive with "fosse"). We closed with me virar — including your German and French comparisons, which turned out to be genuinely useful shortcuts for spotting the pattern in Portuguese.

🕰️ Era, foi, estava, estive — four ways to talk about the past

era — was/used to be (a permanent, habitual, or descriptive situation — the backdrop of a story, not an event)

Quando eu era criança, a guerra tinha acabado de terminar. Quando eu era bailarina, eu dançava de domingo a sexta. — "era" works for identities and long-running states (criança, professora, bailarina, casada) that are now over. It never describes an event: morar na França is an event, so "eu era na França" is wrong — it has to be "eu estava" or "eu morava na França."

foi — was/happened (a complete event with a beginning, middle, and end)

A viagem foi ótima. A aula foi ótima. Meu aniversário foi ótimo. Minha mãe foi no restaurante. — use foi for a finished fact or action in the past.

estava — was (a temporary emotional or physical state, or an action in progress)

Ontem eu estava cansada. Eu estava na Bélgica com meu pai por 4 dias. — same verb family as "estive," but for something ongoing or not clearly bounded.

estive — was (somewhere) (the more formal version of "estava," used when the stay had a clear, limited duration that's now over)

Eu estive na França duas semanas atrás. — in casual spoken Portuguese "estava" and "estive" are close to interchangeable; reach for "estive" when writing something more formal.

👥 A gente — "we," but singular

a gente — we (informal, everywhere in Brazilian Portuguese — works like "nós" but always takes the singular verb, unlike Spanish "la gente," which is plural)

A gente foi à praia. A gente comeu muito bem. A gente gostou do filme. — never "a gente fomos."

Small bonus catch from this session: "vou à praia" is technically correct (à = a + a), while "vou na praia" is the version basically everyone actually says. Not an error worth stressing over — just good to know the "correct" form exists.

🗝️ Dá pra — asking if something's possible

dá pra — is it possible to / can we (dá pra = dá para = é possível / pode-se — very informal, used constantly in speech)

Dá pra entrar agora? Dá pra a gente jantar às 8 ao invés das 7? Dá pra ver a lua daqui? Dá pra parar aqui? — fixed structure: dá pra + infinitive. "É possível" is the formal stand-in for writing or more formal situations. Note that "dá pra parar aqui?" is also what a taxi or Uber driver might ask you, meaning "is here good?" — parar covers both "to stop" and "to park."

🔀 Através de vs. atravessar

através de — through / by means of (a fixed prepositional phrase — always "através de," never on its own)

Aprendi através de um amigo. Eu soube através de um vizinho que vamos ter obras na rua. Aprendi muito através do ChatGPT. — literally "por meio de algo," used exactly like the English "through."

atravessar — to cross (a verb — physically or figuratively moving from one side to another)

Eu vou atravessar a rua. Eu vou atravessar o UK de moto. — através de is a preposition phrase, atravessar is the verb; that's the whole distinction.

💭 Imaginei vs. não imaginava (and a first taste of the subjunctive)

imaginei — I thought/imagined (a thought, supposition, or something you came up with)

Imaginei que você já sabia disso. Imaginei uma solução. Eu imaginei que quando eu fosse adulta eu já teria uma casa própria.

não imaginava — I didn't imagine/expect (something that felt improbable, surprising, or hard to believe)

Não imaginava que fosse possível. Eu não imaginava que ele viesse. — you correctly produced "fosse" here on your first try, which is the past subjunctive and shows up after doubt in the past. It's genuinely one of the harder patterns to land naturally. If it's not automatic yet, "eu não achava que era possível" is a completely acceptable, grammatically correct stand-in — plenty of native speakers use it too.

Rule of thumb: if the idea is a thought, guess, or something you created, use imaginei. If it's surprise, doubt, or something you didn't expect, use não imaginava.

🧭 Me virar — getting by

me virar — to manage / get by (reflexive and idiomatic — not literal; you connected this well to the German and French equivalents you already know)

Eu não conseguiria me virar na China porque não sei Mandarim. No aeroporto, eu consigo me virar. — means handling a situation without full mastery of it: not perfect, but you'll get there.

me virar nos 30 — "figure it out in 30 seconds" (a fun, very common variation)

📚 Homework

1. Tell a story in tomorrow's conversation class

Alexia asked you to pick any story — anything you want to talk about — and bring it to the conversation class. No grammar pressure, just practice using what came up today naturally.

2. Catch these structures in your everyday life

Over the next few days, try to notice moments where era/foi/estava/estive, a gente, dá pra, através de, or me virar would naturally come up — at the airport, texting a friend, telling a story. Using them once in a real situation will stick better than reviewing the list again.

Want more homework or have any questions? Message us on WhatsApp anytime.