Portuguese Phrase
Minha tarefa era priorizar projetos.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘My job was to prioritize projects.’ It conveys a past responsibility, emphasizing that the speaker’s role involved deciding the order of importance for several projects.
When to use
Use this phrase when describing a previous role, a specific assignment, or a duty you had in a professional or academic setting. It works well in résumés, job interviews, or when reflecting on past work experiences.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Minhatarefaerapriorizarprojetos
Possessive adjective (Minha)
‘Minha’ is the feminine singular form of the possessive adjective meaning ‘my’, agreeing with the feminine noun ‘tarefa’.
Noun gender (tarefa)
‘Tarefa’ is a feminine noun meaning ‘task’ or ‘assignment’; adjectives and articles must match its gender.
Imperfect of ser (era)
‘Era’ is the 1st/3rd person singular imperfect of ‘ser’, used here to describe a past state or duty.
Infinitive as complement (priorizar)
After ‘era’, the infinitive ‘priorizar’ functions as a complement, indicating what the task consisted of.
Plural noun (projetos)
‘Projetos’ is the masculine plural of ‘projeto’, meaning ‘projects’; it follows the verb ‘priorizar’ without an article.
🗨In Conversation
Qual era a sua principal responsabilidade no último emprego?
What was your main responsibility at your last job?
Minha tarefa era priorizar projetos.
My job was to prioritize projects.
✕Common Mistakes
Meu tarefa era priorizar projetos.
‘Tarefa’ is feminine, so the correct possessive is ‘minha’, not ‘meu’.
Minha tarefa estava priorizar projetos.
When describing a past duty, the imperfect of ‘ser’ (era) is correct; using ‘estava’ would imply a temporary condition, not a role.
Minha tarefa era priorizar projeto.
If you refer to a single project, use the singular ‘projeto’. The plural ‘projetos’ matches the idea of multiple items to prioritize.
↔Alternatives
Eu era responsável por priorizar projetos.
I was responsible for prioritizing projects.
Minha função consistia em priorizar projetos.
My function consisted of prioritizing projects.
Eu tinha que organizar a ordem dos projetos.
I had to organize the order of the projects.
Cultural Tip
In Brazilian Portuguese, it’s common to use the verb ‘ser’ (era) to describe a role or duty in the past, while ‘estar’ would refer to a temporary state. Also, avoid over‑formal language in casual conversation; the sentence above is neutral and works both in formal résumés and informal discussions.