A1 Portuguese GrammarSimple Past (Pretérito Perfeito)
Learn the Portuguese simple past tense (pretérito perfeito) for completed actions. Master regular -ar, -er, -ir verb conjugations and essential irregular verbs like ser, ir, ter, and estar.
1Regular -ar Verbs
The pretérito perfeito expresses completed past actions. For -ar verbs, remove -ar and add: -ei, -aste, -ou, -ámos, -astes, -aram. Note the accent on nós form.
Falar (to speak) - Past
| Person | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| eu | falei | I spoke |
| tu | falaste | you spoke |
| ele/ela/você | falou | he/she/you spoke |
| nós | falámos | we spoke |
| vós | falastes | you (pl) spoke |
| eles/vocês | falaram | they spoke |
Examples
Ontem eu falei com a Maria.
Yesterday I spoke with Maria.
eu falei - first person
Ela trabalhou muito hoje.
She worked a lot today.
trabalhou - third person
Nós jantámos às oito.
We had dinner at eight.
jantámos - nós form
Eles chegaram tarde.
They arrived late.
chegaram - third plural
2Regular -er and -ir Verbs
For -er and -ir verbs, the endings are the same: -i, -este, -eu, -emos, -estes, -eram. The nós form has no accent. These endings work for most regular verbs.
-er/-ir Verb Endings
| Person | Comer (eat) | Partir (leave) |
|---|---|---|
| eu | comi | parti |
| tu | comeste | partiste |
| ele/ela | comeu | partiu |
| nós | comemos | partimos |
| vós | comestes | partistes |
| eles | comeram | partiram |
Examples
Eu comi pizza ontem à noite.
I ate pizza last night.
comi - regular -er
Tu bebeste café?
Did you drink coffee?
bebeste - tu form
Nós escrevemos uma carta.
We wrote a letter.
escrevemos - same as present!
Eles partiram de manhã.
They left in the morning.
partiram - -ir verb
3Ser and Ir (Irregular)
Ser (to be) and ir (to go) have identical forms in the pretérito perfeito: fui, foste, foi, fomos, fostes, foram. Context determines the meaning.
Ser/Ir - Past Tense
| Person | Form | Ser meaning | Ir meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| eu | fui | I was | I went |
| tu | foste | you were | you went |
| ele/ela | foi | he/she was | he/she went |
| nós | fomos | we were | we went |
| eles | foram | they were | they went |
Examples
Eu fui ao supermercado.
I went to the supermarket.
fui = went (ir)
A festa foi ótima!
The party was great!
foi = was (ser)
Nós fomos amigos na escola.
We were friends at school.
fomos = were (ser)
Eles foram para casa.
They went home.
foram = went (ir)
4Ter and Estar (Irregular)
Ter (to have) and estar (to be) are essential irregular verbs. Ter: tive, tiveste, teve, tivemos, tiveram. Estar: estive, estiveste, esteve, estivemos, estiveram.
Ter and Estar - Past
| Person | Ter (have) | Estar (be) |
|---|---|---|
| eu | tive | estive |
| tu | tiveste | estiveste |
| ele/ela | teve | esteve |
| nós | tivemos | estivemos |
| eles | tiveram | estiveram |
Examples
Eu tive um bom dia.
I had a good day.
tive - ter irregular
Ela esteve doente ontem.
She was sick yesterday.
esteve - estar irregular
Nós tivemos sorte.
We were lucky.
tivemos - we had
Onde estiveste?
Where were you?
estiveste - tu form