A1 Portuguese GrammarPresent Perfect (Pretérito Perfeito Composto)
Learn the Portuguese present perfect (ter + past participle) for repeated or continuous actions up to now. Understand the difference from Spanish/English usage and master regular and irregular participles.
1Formation with Ter
The present perfect uses ter (present) + past participle. Unlike Spanish/English, it expresses actions that have been happening repeatedly or continuously up to now, not single completed events.
Ter - Present Conjugation
| Person | Ter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| eu | tenho | Tenho falado |
| tu | tens | Tens comido |
| ele/ela/você | tem | Tem trabalhado |
| nós | temos | Temos estudado |
| eles/vocês | têm | Têm viajado |
Examples
Tenho trabalhado muito ultimamente.
I've been working a lot lately.
ongoing/repeated action
Ela tem estudado português.
She has been studying Portuguese.
continuous up to now
Temos comido fora todos os dias.
We've been eating out every day.
repeated action
Eles têm viajado bastante.
They've been traveling a lot.
têm - third plural
2Regular Past Participles
Regular participles: -ar → -ado, -er/-ir → -ido. The participle never changes form (always masculine singular). The participle comes immediately after ter.
Regular Participle Formation
| Infinitive | Participle | Example |
|---|---|---|
| falar | falado | Tenho falado |
| trabalhar | trabalhado | Tens trabalhado |
| comer | comido | Tem comido |
| beber | bebido | Temos bebido |
| partir | partido | Têm partido |
| dormir | dormido | Tenho dormido |
Examples
Tenho acordado cedo esta semana.
I've been waking up early this week.
acordado - regular -ar
Tens bebido muita água?
Have you been drinking a lot of water?
bebido - regular -er
Ela tem dormido mal.
She's been sleeping badly.
dormido - regular -ir
Nós temos andado a pé.
We've been walking.
andado - regular -ar
3Irregular Past Participles
Common verbs have irregular participles. Some verbs have two forms: regular (-ado/-ido) with ter and irregular with ser/estar as adjectives. Learn the most common irregular forms.
Irregular Participles
| Verb | Participle | English |
|---|---|---|
| abrir | aberto | opened |
| dizer | dito | said |
| escrever | escrito | written |
| fazer | feito | done/made |
| pôr | posto | put |
| ver | visto | seen |
| vir | vindo | come |
Examples
O que tens feito?
What have you been doing?
feito (fazer)
Tenho visto muitos filmes.
I've been watching a lot of movies.
visto (ver)
Ela tem escrito no blog.
She's been writing on the blog.
escrito (escrever)
Têm vindo muitas pessoas.
Many people have been coming.
vindo (vir)
4Usage vs Simple Past
The Portuguese present perfect is different from English. Use simple past (pretérito perfeito simples) for single completed events. Use compound form for repeated/ongoing situations up to now.
Simple vs Compound
| Simple Past | Present Perfect Compound |
|---|---|
| Comi pizza ontem | Tenho comido pizza (lately) |
| Fui ao cinema | Tenho ido ao cinema (often) |
| Ele falou comigo | Ele tem falado comigo (regularly) |
| completed, once | repeated/ongoing |
Examples
Ontem falei com ela. (once)
Yesterday I spoke with her.
simple past - single event
Tenho falado com ela todos os dias.
I've been talking to her every day.
compound - repeated
Fui a Paris no verão.
I went to Paris in summer.
simple - completed event
Tenho ido a Paris frequentemente.
I've been going to Paris often.
compound - repeated visits