As we saw in the present tense, some verbs don’t follow regular patterns. It’s the same for this tense too. Here are a few you’ll use frequently.
1. Ser / Ir (to be / to go)
Yes, these two completely different verbs have the same conjugation in the Pretérito Perfeito! How you’ll know the difference will be the context.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
| Eu | fui |
| Tu | foste |
| Ele/Ela/Você | foi |
| Nós | fomos |
| Eles/Elas/Vocês | foram |
Examples:
- Eu fui ao cinema. (I went to the cinema.)
- Ele foi um bom aluno. (He was a good student.)
2. Ter (to have)
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
| Eu | tive |
| Tu | tiveste |
| Ele/Ela/Você | teve |
| Nós | tivemos |
| Eles/Elas/Vocês | tiveram |
Example: Nós tivemos um dia ocupado. (We had a busy day.)
3. Estar (to be – how/where)
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
| Eu | estive |
| Tu | estiveste |
| Ele/Ela/Você | esteve |
| Nós | estivemos |
| Eles/Elas/Vocês | estiveram |
Example: Tu estiveste em casa ontem? (Were you at home yesterday?)
4. Fazer (to do / to make)
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
| Eu | fiz |
| Tu | fizeste |
| Ele/Ela/Você | fez |
| Nós | fizemos |
| Eles/Elas/Vocês | fizeram |
Example: Eu fiz um bolo delicioso! (I made a delicious cake!)
5. Dizer (to say / to tell)
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
| Eu | disse |
| Tu | disseste |
| Ele/Ela/Você | disse |
| Nós | dissemos |
| Eles/Elas/Vocês | disseram |
Example: Ele disse a verdade. (He told the truth.)
6. Poder (can / to be able to)
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
| Eu | pude |
| Tu | pudeste |
| Ele/Ela/Você | pôde |
| Nós | pudemos |
| Eles/Elas/Vocês | puderam |
Example: Nós não pudemos ir à festa. (We couldn’t go to the party.)
Final Tips for Learning the Pretérito Perfeito
- Practice with real sentences – Try using these verbs to talk about what you did yesterday. Writing them down will help a lot too.
- Pay attention to common irregular verbs – Many are used daily, so they’re worth memorising.
- Listen to native speakers – Hearing how these verbs are used in context will help you remember them more easily.
With practice, the Pretérito Perfeito will feel natural, and you’ll be able to confidently talk about past events in Portuguese!
What’s a sentence you can make using the Pretérito Perfeito? Share it in the comments!