habitual state
[həˈbɪtʃuəl steɪt]
noun phrasepl: habitual states
estado habitual
1. A condition or situation that is usual, customary, or regularly occurring for a person or group
His habitual state of anxiety made it difficult for him to relax.
Seu estado habitual de ansiedade dificultava relaxar.
2. In grammar and linguistics, a verb form or aspect expressing an action that occurs regularly or customarily
In Portuguese, the imperfect tense can express a habitual state in the past.
Em português, o tempo imperfeito pode expressar um estado habitual no passado.
3. A person's typical or characteristic condition or disposition
Her habitual state was one of optimism and cheerfulness.
Seu estado habitual era de otimismo e alegria.
The term 'habitual state' is commonly used in Brazilian and Portuguese educational contexts, particularly in grammar and linguistics instruction. It reflects the importance of aspect and temporal distinctions in Romance languages. In everyday conversation, Brazilians more often use simpler expressions like 'seu jeito' (his/her way) or 'normalmente' (normally) to describe habitual conditions.
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →