Jogávamos

Jogávamos is the first-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Portuguese verb jogar, meaning to play. In Portuguese, the imperfect (imperfeito do indicativo) expresses actions in the past that were ongoing, habitual, or provide background in a narrative. It can indicate that the action was in progress at a past moment or that it occurred regularly over a period of time.

Conjugation of jogar in the imperfect indicative (regular -ar verb forms): eu jogava, tu jogavas, ele jogava, nós jogávamos, vós jogáveis, eles jogavam. In contemporary usage, the vós form is rarely used and most speakers rely on nós or vocês to express the first-person plural in past contexts. The meaning remains the same: “we were playing” or “we used to play.”

Usage and examples: jogávamos can describe physical games, card games, or other kinds of play, as well as metaphorical “playing” activities. Examples include: “Quando éramos crianças, jogávamos futebol todos os dias” (When we were children, we used to play soccer every day) and “Nós jogávamos cartas até a meia-noite” (We were playing cards until midnight). It contrasts with the pretérito perfeito “jogamos,” which denotes a completed action in the past.

Etymology and related forms: jogar is cognate with the Spanish jugar and the French jouer, all descended from common Romance-language roots related to play or games. The form jogávamos thus represents the standard imperfect conjugation used to express ongoing or habitual past activity.