avançava

Avançava is the imperfect indicative form of the Portuguese verb avançar. It expresses an action that was ongoing, habitual, or not yet completed in the past, and can describe physical movement forward, progress in a task, or the passage of time. The form is used with a singular subject (eu, ele/ela/você) or with a plural subject in context.

As a regular -ar verb, avançar follows the standard conjugation pattern of this verb class. Infinitive: avançar; gerund: avançando; past participle: avançado. Key conjugation forms include: present indicative eu avanço, tu avanças, ele avança, nós avançamos, vós avancais, eles avançam; imperfect indicative (examples include avançava, avançavas, avançava, avançávamos, avançáveis, avançavam); pretérito perfeito eu avancei, tu avanceste, ele avançou, nós avançamos, vós avancastes, eles avançaram. Subjunctive present: que eu avance, que tu avances, que ele avance, que nós avancemos, que vós avancedes, que eles avancem.

Etymology-wise, avançar is cognate with Spanish avanzar and French avancer, sharing a Romance root associated with moving forward, often linked to the idea of progression or orientation toward a forward position.

Usage notes: avançar can describe literal forward movement, progress in a project or strategy, advances in knowledge, or time progressing. The specific past meaning in a sentence is determined by context and the subject, as in “Ele avançava pela estrada” (he was moving forward slowly) or “O tempo avançava.”