There are some verb tenses and forms that you will rarely find in books, and the form “I was going to do something” is one of them. It is SO easy to say this in Portuguese and I’m pretty sure you’re going to love it!

We use the Imperfect form of verb ir + the infinitive of the main verb. Check this out:

I was going to = Eu ia
You were going to = Você ia
He was going to = Ele ia
She was going to = Ela ia
It was going to = Ia (no subject in Portuguese)
We were going to = Nós íamos
You were going to = Vocês iam (plural)
They were going to = Eles (masc.) / Elas (fem.) iam

Some examples:

Eu ia estudar para a prova, mas não tive tempo.
I was going to study for the test, but I didn’t have time.

Você ia estar na Europa no mês passado, não ia?
You were going to be in Europe last month, weren’t you?

Você não ia lavar a louça para mim?
Weren’t you going to do the dishes for me?

Ele ia fazer Direito, mas desistiu.
He was going to go to Law School, but he gave up.

Ele não ia fazer isso de jeito nenhum.
He wasn’t going to do that at all.

Ele ia se casar com ela em junho?
Was he going to marry her in June?

Ela ia dar aula naquela escola no começo do ano.
She was going to teach at that school at the beginning of the year.

Ela não ia trabalhar meio-período a partir deste ano?
Wasn’t she going to work part-time starting this year?

Nós íamos passar as férias na praia, mas choveu muito.
We were going to spend our vacation by the beach, but it rained a lot.

Vocês não iam me ajudar a me mudar?
Weren’t you guys going to help me move out?

Eles iam viajar amanhã cedo, mas o carro quebrou.
They were going to travel tomorrow morning, but their car broke down.

As meninas não iam fazer a comida para a festa?
Weren’t the girls going to make the food for the party?

Disseram que ia chover amanhã.
They said it was going to rain tomorrow.

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