tinhas

Tinhas is the second-person singular imperfect indicative form of the Portuguese verb ter, meaning “you had” or “you used to have.” It is used to describe possession or states in the past and can indicate habitual actions in past narratives. The form is standard in European Portuguese and appears in Brazilian Portuguese in dialects that retain the familiar tu form; in many Brazilian varieties, the more common second-person form is você tinha.

Conjugation context: ter is irregular in the imperfect, with forms eu tinha, tu tinhas, ele tinha, nós tínhamos, vós tínheis, eles tinham. The form tinhas functions as a finite verb form with explicit or implicit subject addressing the second person.

Usage notes: Tinhas can appear with or without an explicit subject pronoun, depending on the level of formality and regional usage. It often conveys past possession, past states, or habitual actions. It may appear in literature, conversation, and informal writing, especially in contexts aiming for a natural, regional tone.

Examples:

- Tu tinhas um cão quando eras criança. (You had a dog when you were a child.)

- Antes de mudar, tinhas uma rotina bem definida. (Before moving, you used to have a well-defined routine.)

Other notes: Beyond its role as a verb form, Tinhas may occasionally appear as a surname or place name in Portuguese-speaking regions, though such uses are uncommon and not part of the core grammatical meaning.

See also: Portuguese conjugation of ter; imperfect indicative.