A2 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.
Practice in interactive stories
With instant translation and audio
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
Practice Exercises
4 exercises
'Yesterday I spoke with Maria': Ontem eu ___ com a Maria.
'She worked a lot today': Ela ___ muito hoje.
'I went to the supermarket': Eu ___ ao supermercado.
'The party was great!': A festa ___ ótima!
See Real Examples in Stories
Now that you've practiced, see this grammar in context
Practice with A2 Stories
Apply what you learned in interactive stories with instant translations.
Browse A2 Stories