Esquecia

Esquecia is the imperfect indicative form of the Portuguese verb esquecer, meaning to forget. It describes a habitual or ongoing act of forgetting in the past. In translation, esquecer in the imperfect often corresponds to “was forgetting” or “used to forget” in English. The form appears with different subjects, for example: eu esquecia, tu esquecias, ele/ela esquecia, nós esquecíamos, vocês esqueciam, eles/elas esqueciam.

As a regular -er verb, esquecer follows standard imperfect conjugation patterns, with the ending -ia for the first and third person singular and plural in most dialects. Regional variations exist in the exact pronouns used (for instance, use of tu versus você in Brazilian Portuguese, or vos versus vocês in some European varieties), but the basic -ia ending remains common.

Usage and nuance: esquecia is typically used to describe memory lapses or forgetfulness that occurred repeatedly over a period in the past. It can express routine behavior, or a past state of mind. It is commonly used with phrases like “esquecia de” to indicate failing to remember to do something, as in “Eu esquecia de pagar as contas.”

Relation to other terms: the noun form associated with the concept is esquecimento, meaning forgetfulness or memory lapse. The antonym is lembrar, and its noun lembrança or memória can denote the act or state of remembering.

In summary, esquecia is a standard imperfect form used to convey past habits or ongoing forgetfulness in Portuguese, distinct from the aoristic actions denoted by the preterite forms such as “eu esqueci.”