The Pretérito Perfeito is used to talk about actions that started and finished in the past. These actions are complete and often happened at a specific moment.
Common time expressions include:
- ontem (yesterday)
- na semana passada (last week)
- no mês passado (last month)
- há dois dias (two days ago)
- em 2024 (in 2024)
Examples:
- Ela telefonou-me ontem à noite. (She called me last night.)
- Ontem fui ao supermercado. (Yesterday I went to the supermarket.)
- Na semana passada visitei Lisboa. (Last week I visited Lisbon.)
Regular Verbs Endings in the Pretérito Perfeito
Regular verbs in the Pretérito Perfeito follow predictable patterns based on their infinitive endings: -AR, -ER, and -IR.
Take a moment to look at each ending for each type of verb.
| Pronoun | -AR | -ER | -IR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eu | -ei | -i | -i |
| Tu | -aste | -este | -iste |
| Ele/Ela/Você | -ou | -eu | -iu |
| Nós | -ámos | -emos | -imos |
| Eles/Elas/Vocês | -aram | -eram | -iram |
How to Form the Pretérito Perfeito
To form the Pretérito Perfeito of regular verbs:
- Remove the infinitive ending (-AR, -ER or -IR).
- Add the correct Pretérito Perfeito ending (look at table above)
Example:
- I sopke = falar → fal + ei = falei
- I ate = comer → com + i = comi
- I opened = abrir → abr + i = abri
Let’s Look at full Conjugations
1. Pretérito Perfeito: Regular -AR Verbs
Example verb: Falar (to speak)
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Eu | falei |
| Tu | falaste |
| Ele/Ela/Você | falou |
| Nós | falámos |
| Eles/Elas/Vocês | falaram |
Example: Ontem, eu falei com a minha amiga. (Yesterday, I spoke with my friend.)
2. Pretérito Perfeito: Regular -ER Verbs
Example verb: Comer (to eat)
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
| Eu | comi |
| Tu | comeste |
| Ele/Ela/Você | comeu |
| Nós | comemos |
| Eles/Elas/Vocês | comeram |
Example: Nós comemos pizza ao jantar. (We ate pizza for dinner.)
3. Pretérito Perfeito: Regular -IR Verbs
Example verb: Abrir (to open)
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
| Eu | abri |
| Tu | abriste |
| Ele/Ela/Você | abriu |
| Nós | abrimos |
| Eles/Elas/Vocês | abriram |
Example: Ela abriu a porta. (She opened the door.)
Quick Practice
Complete the sentences using the Pretérito Perfeito.
- Ontem eu ________ com a minha mãe. (falar)
- Nós ________ no restaurante. (comer)
- Eles ________ a janela. (abrir)
Next Steps
Now that you’ve beed introduced to the regular Pretérito Perfeito endings, it’s time to practice it. There are a few ways you can do this:
- Drill them in a grammar exercise book
- Write sentences
- Use them in your real like as soon as you can
There is no right way and it depends on how you learn best. My advice is to write sentences that are relevant to your life and anticipate sentences others may say to you. When you read them – read them out loud – NOT in your mind.
Tackling the verbs that don’t follow these patterns is what’s next. So, in the next lesson, we’ll look at some of the most common irregular verbs in European Portuguese, including ser, estar, ter, fazer, and ir.