{"id":61047,"date":"2023-09-11T17:40:59","date_gmt":"2023-09-11T21:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/portuguese-past-tense\/"},"modified":"2025-06-09T04:40:52","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T08:40:52","slug":"portuguese-past-tense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/portuguese\/portuguese-past-tense\/","title":{"rendered":"A Guide to the Portuguese Past Tenses"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brazilian culture has a bit of an obsession with the here and now, but speaking Portuguese also means hearing and telling stories of things that have already occurred.<\/p>\n

And to do that, you\u2019ll need to employ some of the various Portuguese past tenses.<\/p>\n

In this post, we\u2019ll focus on the key past tenses for upper-beginner<\/a> to upper-intermediate Portuguese learners. These will help you talk about events at past points in time, set the scene of past situations and discuss hypothetical pasts.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc skip=3,4]
\n<\/p>\n

The Preterite Indicative Tense<\/h2>\n

Usage:<\/strong> Discusses limited, completed actions<\/p>\n

The first past tense that most Portuguese learners tackle is the preterite indicative, which is used to describe simple, closed-off past events.<\/p>\n

The regular verb conjugations are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
-AR<\/em> Verb
\nFalar<\/em>
\n(To Speak)<\/th>		-ER<\/em> Verb
\nBeber<\/em>
\n(To Drink)<\/th>		-IR<\/em> Verb
\nDormir<\/em>
\n(To Sleep)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Eu falei<\/strong><\/em>
\n(I spoke)<\/td>		Eu bebi<\/strong><\/em>
\n(I drank)<\/td>		Eu dormi<\/strong><\/em>
\n(I slept)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voc\u00ea\/Ele\/Ela falou<\/em><\/strong>
\n(You\/He\/She spoke)<\/td>		Voc\u00ea\/Ele\/Ela bebeu<\/strong><\/em>
\n(You\/He\/She drank)<\/td>		Voc\u00ea\/Ele\/Ela dormiu<\/strong><\/em>
\n(You\/He\/She slept)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
N\u00f3s falamos<\/strong><\/em>
\n(We spoke)<\/td>		N\u00f3s bebemos<\/strong><\/em>
\n(We drank)<\/td>		N\u00f3s dormimos<\/strong><\/em>
\n(We slept)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voc\u00eas\/Eles\/Elas falaram<\/em><\/strong>
\n(You all \/ They spoke)<\/td>		Voc\u00eas\/Eles\/Elas beberam<\/em><\/strong>
\n(You all \/ They drank)<\/td>		Voc\u00eas\/Eles\/Elas dormiram<\/em><\/strong>
\n(You all \/ They slept)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Pop quiz: Can you spot which of the above conjugations is exactly the same as its present tense version?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer: The n\u00f3s<\/em> forms.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So we say, for example, ontem bebemos cacha\u00e7a<\/em>\u00a0(we drank cacha\u00e7a<\/em> yesterday) and use the same verbal form to say bebemos cacha\u00e7a todos os dias<\/em>\u00a0(we drink cacha\u00e7a<\/em> every day). Context is needed to know whether the past or present is intended.<\/p>\n

The preterite is the Portuguese tense for talking about single, completed actions or those that were repeated but happened in discreet, completed time units in the speaker\u2019s mind. As usual in Portuguese, the pronouns<\/a> are omitted unless necessary for emphasis or clarity; the conjugations are otherwise enough to indicate who did what.<\/p>\n

Here are some examples with regular verbs:<\/p>\n

Falei<\/strong> com ela \u00e0s 10:00 da manh\u00e3.
\n<\/em>(I spoke with her at 10:00 a.m.)<\/p>\n

Eles beberam<\/strong> caf\u00e9 sem a\u00e7\u00facar essa manh\u00e3.
\n<\/em>(They drank coffee without sugar this morning.)<\/p>\n

Adorei<\/strong> o show.
\n<\/em>(I loved the concert.)<\/p>\n

Once you get the hang of the regular verbs, brace yourself, because things are about to get weird.<\/p>\n

Conjugating Irregular Verbs<\/h3>\n

The most-used verbs in Portuguese are irregular\u2014worn down and warped by generations of tongues lapping lazily at them\u2014and this is particularly true with preterite conjugations.<\/p>\n

These irregular preterite verb conjugations are incredibly important to learn well not just because you need them so often, but also because they’re useful as you move on to study the future and imperfect subjunctive forms, whose irregular conjugations can be derived from your knowledge of the preterite indicative.<\/p>\n

Here are a few of the most important ones to get you started. You\u2019ll want to memorize all of them!<\/p>\n

Saber<\/em><\/h4>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> to know, but in the preterite means to have heard about something\/learned\/found out<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Portuguese<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Eu soube<\/strong><\/em><\/td>I heard about something
\nI learned
\nI found out<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voc\u00ea\/Ele\/Ela soube<\/strong><\/em><\/td>You\/He\/She heard about something
\nYou\/He\/She learned
\nYou\/He\/She found out<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
N\u00f3s soubemos<\/strong><\/em><\/td>We heard about something
\nWe learned
\nWe found out<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voc\u00eas\/Eles\/Elas souberam<\/strong><\/em><\/td>You all \/ They heard about something
\nYou all \/ They learned
\nYou all \/ They found out<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eu soube<\/strong> que eles est\u00e3o ficando.
\n<\/em>(I heard that they\u2019re dating.)<\/p>\n

Dizer<\/em><\/h4>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> to say\/tell<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Portuguese<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Eu disse<\/strong><\/em><\/td>I said<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voc\u00ea\/Ele\/Ela disse<\/strong><\/em><\/td>You\/He\/She said<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
N\u00f3s dissemos<\/strong><\/em><\/td>We said<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voc\u00eas\/Eles\/Elas disseram<\/strong><\/em><\/td>You all \/ They said<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dissemos<\/strong> tudo que pensamos.
\n<\/em>(We said everything we thought.)<\/p>\n

P\u00f4r<\/em><\/h4>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> to put<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Portuguese<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Eu pus<\/strong><\/em><\/td>I put<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voc\u00ea\/Ele\/Ela p\u00f4s<\/strong><\/em><\/td>You\/He\/She put<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
N\u00f3s pusemos<\/strong><\/em><\/td>We put<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voc\u00eas\/Eles\/Elas puseram<\/strong><\/em><\/td>You all \/ They put<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pusemos<\/strong> os pratos na mesa.
\n<\/em>(We put the plates on the table.)<\/p>\n

Both p\u00f4r <\/em>and the verb colocar\u00a0<\/em>can be used to say “to put” in Brazilian Portuguese. However, it’s particularly useful to know p\u00f4r<\/i>, as its compounds (compor<\/em> \u201cto compose,\u201d opor-se<\/em>\u00a0\u201cto oppose,\u201d etc.) have the same conjugations.<\/p>\n

Dar<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> to give<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Portuguese<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Eu dei<\/strong><\/em><\/td>I gave<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voc\u00ea\/Ele\/Ela deu<\/strong><\/em><\/td>You\/He\/She gave<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
N\u00f3s demos<\/strong><\/em><\/td>We gave<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voc\u00eas\/Eles\/Elas deram<\/strong><\/em><\/td>You all \/ They gave<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eles me deram<\/strong> uma mochila chique.<\/em> (They gave me a fancy backpack.)<\/p>\n

Estar<\/em><\/h4>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> to be (temporary)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Portuguese<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Eu estive<\/strong><\/em><\/td>I was<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voc\u00ea\/Ele\/Ela esteve<\/strong><\/em><\/td>You\/He\/She were\/was<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
N\u00f3s estivemos<\/strong><\/em><\/td>We were<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voc\u00eas\/Eles\/Elas estiveram<\/strong><\/em><\/td>You all \/ They were<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eu j\u00e1 estive<\/strong> cinco vezes no Brasil!
\n<\/em>(I was in Brazil five times already!)<\/p>\n

Ser;<\/em>\u00a0Ir<\/em><\/h4>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> to be (characteristic); to go<\/p>\n

These two verbs are different in plenty of tenses but share the exact same preterite indicative forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Portuguese<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Eu fui<\/strong><\/em><\/td>I was
\nI went<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voc\u00ea\/Ele\/Ela foi<\/strong><\/em><\/td>You\/He\/She were\/was
\nYou\/He\/She went<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
N\u00f3s fomos<\/strong><\/em><\/td>We were
\nWe went<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voc\u00eas\/Eles\/Elas foram<\/strong><\/em><\/td>You all \/ They were
\nYou all \/ They went<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fui<\/strong> ao Brasil em maio.
\n<\/em>(I went to Brazil in May.)<\/p>\n

Foi<\/strong> um dia de sacanagem.
\n<\/em>(It was a day of messing around\/naughtiness.)<\/p>\n

The Imperfect Tense<\/h2>\n

Usage:<\/strong> Sets the scene for hazy, unfinished past conditions<\/p>\n

The Portuguese solution for setting scenes and talking about the way things used to be is the imperfect. It often translates into English with the constructions \u201cwas …ing\u201d and \u201cused to\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The regular conjugations are as follows. Notice that the first- and third-person singular forms are always identical.<\/p>\n

Verbs ending in -ar,<\/em> like falar<\/em> (to speak):<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
Portuguese<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Eu\/Voc\u00ea\/Ele\/Ela falava<\/strong><\/em><\/td>I\/You\/He\/She was\/were speaking
\nI\/You\/He\/She used to speak<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
N\u00f3s fal\u00e1vamos<\/strong><\/em><\/td>We were speaking
\nWe used to speak<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voc\u00eas\/Eles\/Elas falavam<\/strong><\/em><\/td>You all\/They were speaking
\nYou all\/They used to speak<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Verbs ending in -er,<\/em> like beber<\/em> (to drink):<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
Portuguese<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Eu\/Voc\u00ea\/Ele\/Ela bebia<\/strong><\/em><\/td>I\/You\/He\/She was\/were drinking
\nI\/You\/He\/She used to drink<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
N\u00f3s beb\u00edamos<\/strong><\/em><\/td>We were drinking
\nWe used to drink<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voc\u00eas\/Eles\/Elas bebiam<\/strong><\/em><\/td>You all \/ They were drinking
\nYou all \/ They used to drink<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Verbs ending in -ir,<\/em> like dormir (to sleep):<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
Portuguese<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Eu\/Voc\u00ea\/Ele\/Ela dormia<\/strong><\/em><\/td>I\/You\/He\/She was\/were sleeping
\nI\/You\/He\/She used to sleep<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
N\u00f3s dorm\u00edamos<\/strong><\/em><\/td>We were sleeping
\nWe used to sleep<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voc\u00eas\/Eles\/Elas dormiam<\/strong><\/em><\/td>You all \/ They were sleeping
\nYou all \/ They used to sleep<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Notice that -er<\/em> and -ir<\/em> verbs have identical endings in this tense.<\/p>\n

The imperfect indicative is pretty regular, but an important irregular imperfect verb to know is ser<\/em> (to be):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
Portuguese<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Eu\/Voc\u00ea\/Ele\/Ela era<\/strong><\/em><\/td>I\/You\/He\/She was\/were
\nI\/You\/He\/She used to be<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
N\u00f3s \u00e9ramos<\/strong><\/em><\/td>We were
\nWe used to be<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voc\u00eas\/Eles\/Elas eram<\/strong><\/em><\/td>You all \/ They were
\nYou all \/ They used to be<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

The imperfect vs. the preterite<\/h3>\n

To start employing these conjugations, it\u2019s helpful to keep in mind how this tense differs from the preterite. Recall that the preterite was for talking about completed events seen at a point in time. The imperfect, on the other hand, is a bit more wishy-washy about when things started and especially when they ended.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’ve got some funny little characters on my keyboard that get the preterite and imperfect contrasts across even better than my most well-crafted verbiage.<\/p>\n

Preterite:<\/strong> \u2022<\/p>\n

Imperfect:<\/strong> ~<\/p>\n

Does it make sense now?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s see that idea in action. We can contrast the following two sentences:<\/p>\n

Preterite:
\n<\/strong>Eu pedi<\/strong> conselhos para ela sobre o Rio.
\n<\/em>(I asked her for advice for Rio.)<\/p>\n

Imperfect:
\n<\/strong>Eu sempre pedia<\/strong> conselhos para ela sobre o Rio<\/em>.
\n<\/em>(I used to always ask her for advice for Rio.)<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s dig a little more specifically into more uses that trigger the imperfect. The key one is when we want to talk about how things used to be.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eu sempre trazia<\/strong> um laptop para trabalhar nas f\u00e9rias.
\n<\/em>(I used to always bring a laptop to work on vacation.)<\/p>\n

Ele era vegetariano quando era<\/strong> jovem.
\n<\/em>(He was a vegetarian when he was young.)<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re launching into a story, you usually set the scene<\/strong> first, which again calls up the imperfect.<\/p>\n

A praia estava<\/strong> vazia e o sol brilhava<\/strong> no mar.
\n<\/em>(The beach was empty and the sun was shining on the sea.)<\/p>\n

And you can use the imperfect to set a mini-scene for what was going on<\/strong> when\u2014bang!\u2014a pointed, preterite thing happened.<\/p>\n

Andava<\/strong> de bicicleta quando ela ligou<\/strong>.
\n<\/em>(I was biking when she called.)<\/p>\n

The Progressive Imperfect Tense<\/h2>\n

Usage:<\/strong> Discusses what was occurring during a past event<\/p>\n

You can employ the imperfect form of estar<\/em> (to be) plus the gerund in Brazilian Portuguese to talk about something that was ongoing\/continuing in the past. This is particularly common in speech.<\/p>\n

Est\u00e1vamos indo<\/strong> \u00e0 praia quando come\u00e7ou a chover.
\n<\/em>(We were going to the beach when it started to rain.)<\/p>\n

Por que voc\u00ea estava xavecando<\/strong> a gente na pista de dan\u00e7a?
\n<\/em>(Why were you flirting with us on the dance floor?)<\/p>\n

While that\u2019s fine for speech, it’s perhaps more common to write the previous sentences using simply the imperfect (\u00cdamos na praia\u2026 xavecava\u2026<\/em>).<\/p>\n

The Perfect Tenses in Spoken Brazilian Portuguese<\/h2>\n

Brazilians aren’t big users of past participles, but they do occur in the language and need to be learned. The regular past participles are formed by knocking off the -ar, -er\u00a0<\/em>or -ir<\/em> from the end of the verb and replacing them with -ado, -ido<\/em>\u00a0or –ido,<\/em><\/strong> respectively.<\/p>\n

So for three regular verbs, that would make:<\/p>\n