Study Resource: Uses of different past tenses in Brazilian Portuguese
The following table summarizes when to use different past tenses in Brazilian Portuguese.
Context | Past tense | Example |
|---|---|---|
talking about completed past events | preterite | preterite Eu tomei suco hoje de manhã. I had juice this morning. |
preterite + imperfect | preteriteimperfect Eu tomei suco hoje de manhã porque estava calor. I had juice this morning because it was hot. | |
talking about interrupted actions in the past | imperfect + preterite | preteriteimperfect Eu estudava na sala quando minha mãe chegou. I was studying in the living room when my mother arrived. |
imperfect continuous + preterite | preteriteimperfect continuous Eu estava estudando na sala quando minha mãe chegou calor. I was studying in the living room when my mother arrived. | |
talking about the amount of time elapsed | preterite + há | preterite Eu morei nos Estados Unidos há três anos. I lived in the United States three years ago. |
with já, ainda não, and nunca | preterite | preterite Eu já participei de uma maratona. I have already participated in a marathon. |
preterite Eu ainda não terminei de ler este livro. I still haven't finished reading this book. | ||
past perfect | past perfect Eu já tinha participado de uma maratona antes. I had participated in a marathon before. | |
past perfect + preterite | past perfectpreterite Eu já tinha pesquisado sobre o tema que o professor explicou. I had already researched the topic that the professor explained. | |
past habitual actions and unspecified period of time in the past | imperfect | imperfect Na infância, eu jogava futebol todos os dias. As a child, I played football every day. |
talking about immediate past (acabar de) | acabar de in the preterite + infinitive | preterite Nós acabamos de entrar no restaurante. We’ve just entered the restaurant. |
acabar de in the past perfect + infinitive combined with the preterite | past perfectpreterite Nós tínhamos acabado de entrar no restaurante quando a Mariana chegou. We had just entered the restaurant when Mariana arrived. | |
talking about progressive past actions | preterite continuous | preterite Eles estiveram procurando uma solução por um longo tempo. They were looking for a solution for a long time. |
imperfect continuous | imperfect continuous Eu estava treinando na quadra de tênis. I was training on the tennis court. | |
talking about a past event that occurred before another past event | preterite + past perfect | preteritepast perfect Cristina foi ao cinema, mas ela já tinha visto o filme antes. Cristina went to the cinema, but she had seen the movie before. |
imperfect + past perfect | imperfectpast perfect O bebê estava calmo porque ele já tinha tomado a mamadeira. The baby was calm because he had already taken the bottle. |
