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ele ia

he was going to, he used to go

→ ele
phrase Uncommon #16,002
he was going to Used with an infinitive to describe something he was going to do or would do.
PO: Ele ia sair mais cedo.
EN: He was going to leave earlier.

Ele ia se aposentar hoje, por isso está assim.

He was going to retire today, that's why he's like this.

— Agente Zeta (2026)

Dessa vez ele ia cobrar geral.

This time, he was going to make everyone pay.

— Tropa de Elite (2007)

Ele ia pedir demissão, mas recebeu uma promoção inesperada.

He was going to quit his job, but he received an unexpected promotion.

Veja, eu disse que ele ia consertá-la.

See, I told you he was going to fix it.

— Piku (2015)

Ele ia atacar isso em seguida.

He was going to attack that next.

— Anatomia de uma Queda (2023)

Ele ia me matar, irmão.

He was going to kill me, bro.

— Cidade dos Homens (2007)

"Por que você bateu nele?""Porque ele ia me bater."

“Why did you hit him?” “Because he was going to hit me.”

Ele ia ligar para ela, mas ficou com frio na barriga.

He was going to call her, but he got butterflies in his stomach.

Ele ia trazer antibióticos para ela!

He was going to bring her antibiotics!

— [REC] (2007)

Ele ia queimá-lo, cara.

He was going to burn it, man.

— Cães de Aluguel (1992)

Eu sabia que ele ia descer sem machucar ninguém.

I knew he’d come down without hurting anyone.

— Última Parada 174 (2008)

Quando eu olhei, ele ia ser atropelado.

When I looked, he was about to be run over.

— Faça a Coisa Certa (1989)

Ele ia atirar em você.

He was going to shoot you.

— Caminhos do Crime (2026)

Ele ia me ajudar a matar o Morte Branca na estação de Kyoto.

He was going to help me kill the White Death at Kyoto Station.

— Trem-Bala (2022)

Ele ia encontrar um tal de Chitão.

He was going to meet some guy called Chitão.

— Cabras da Peste (2021)

Ele ia responder, mas travou e não disse nada.

He was about to answer, but he froze and said nothing.

O que ele ia pegar?

What was he going to get?

— Cães de Aluguel (1992)

Achei que ele ia me atacar.

I thought he was going to attack me.

— O Primata (2026)

Eu achei que ele ia ficar aqui pra gente poder visitar ele.

I thought he was going to stay here so we could visit him.

— Central do Brasil (1998)

Ele ia me bater!

He was going to hit me!

Se ele usasse roupa ele ia parecer estranho.

If he wore clothes, he would look strange.

— PK (2014)

phrase Rare #23,741
he used to go The imperfect tense can also mean “he was going,” depending on context.
PO: Ele ia à praia todos os verões.
EN: He used to go to the beach every summer.

Aonde ele ia?

Where was he going?

Quando perguntaram se ele ia, a resposta foi um não firme.

When asked if he was going, the answer was a firm no.

Se fosse expulso de uma aula, ele ia para outra.

If he was expelled from one class, he would go to another.

— 3 Idiotas (2009)

Ele ia à sua casa?

Was he going to your house?

— As Invasões Bárbaras (2003)

Ele ia antes à empresa caminhando.

He used to walk to the company.

Ele ia para a escola todos os dias de bicicleta.

He went to school every day by bicycle.

Ele ia ao consultório do dentista a cada seis meses.

He went to the dentist's office every six months.

Ele ia à biblioteca estudar toda tarde depois das aulas.

He would go to the library to study every afternoon after class.

Ele ia comigo lá toda semana, quando eu ia costurar.

He used to go there with me every week when I went to sew.

— Nise: O Coração da Loucura (2016)

Ele ia para casa depois da escola.

He used to go home after school.

— Caché (2005)

Ele ia ao estádio com o pai assistir aos jogos do time.

He would go to the stadium with his father to watch the team's games.

Ele ia à escola de bicicleta, mas agora ele vai de ônibus.

He used to go to school by bicycle, but now he goes by bus.

E eu fui pra Los Angeles, ele ia também.

And I went to Los Angeles, he was going too.

— Anaconda (2025)