The present perfect in Brazilian Portuguese is used to talk about situations or repeated actions that started in the recent past and continue into the present. Like in English, the present perfect in Brazilian Portuguese is also a compound tense formed with two verbs: the auxiliary verbNo definition set for auxiliary verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. ter(to have) in the simple present and a main verb in its past participleNo definition set for past participleLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. form, as in:
auxiliary verb (present)main verb (past participle)
Carlos tem viajado para o Brasil com frequência.
Carlos has traveled to Brazil with frequency.
In this post, we’ll review how to form the present perfect, when to use and not to use this tense, and other common ways of expressing the present perfect in Brazilian Portuguese. Stay tuned to learn more!
How to form the present perfect in Brazilian Portuguese?
To form the Brazilian Portuguese present perfect tense, combine the auxiliary verb ter(to have) in the simple present tense with the main verb in the past participle form.
ter(to have)
simple present
Carlos tem estudado português.
Carlos has studied Portuguese.
Nós temos feito toda a tarefa.
We have done all the homework.
Let’s look more closely at each part of this formula:
The forms of the auxiliary verb ter(to have) in the simple present tense are given below:
eu(I) | tenho |
tu(you) | tens |
você(you, sg.)ele(he, it)ela(she, it) | tem |
nós(we) | temos |
vós(you, formal) | tendes |
vocês(you, pl.)eles, elas(they) | têm |
The past participle is a form of the verb that generally ends in -ado (for -ar verbs) or -ido (for -er and -ir verbs), though there are some verbs with irregularNo definition set for irregularLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. past participles.
| estudiar(to study) | estudado(studied) |
viver(to live) | vivido(lived) |
dividir(to divide) | dividido(divided) |
| fer(to do, to make) | feito(done, made) |
In Brazilian Portuguese, some verbs have both a regular and an irregular past participle form, such as aceitar(to accept): aceitado / aceito.
To learn more about how to form past participles, check out this Brazilian Portuguese past participle reference sheet!
When to use the present perfect tense in Brazilian Portuguese?
The present perfect tense is used in Brazilian Portuguese to talk about situations or repeated actions that started in the past and continue into the present:
Eu tenho falado muito com meu pai.
I have talked a lot with my father.
This use of the present perfect in Brazilian Portuguese is mostly often translated with present perfect continuous tense in English (“have been verb-ing”):
Tenho trabalhado muito nos últimos dias.
I have been working a lot the last few days.
Meu marido tem feito exercícios ultimamente.
My husband has been exercising lately.
Nós temos aberto a padaria muito cedo.
We have been opening the bakery very early.
Remember, though, that we may translate the present perfect with “has been” in English, you will not add estar(to be) before the participle in Brazilian Portuguese.
In informal written and spoken Brazilian Portuguese, native speakers sometimes use the present continuous instead of the present perfect to talk about a repeated or unfinished action that started in the past and continue into the present.
present continuous
Eu estou falando muito com meu pai ultimamente.
I have been talking to my father lately.
lit. I am talking to my father lately.
In this case, words such as ultimamente(lately) or recentemente(recently) are used to clarify that the action is something that has happened in the recent past or has been happening recently.
When to NOT use the present perfect tense in Brazilian Portuguese?
The present perfect tense is not used in Brazilian Portuguese in all of the same contexts that it is in English. In many cases where you would use the present perfect tense in English, you’ll instead use the simple present or simple past tenses in Brazilian Portuguese. Let’s go through some of these cases one-by-one.
In Brazilian Portuguese, we typically do not use the present perfect…
to refer to actions or situations that have lasted for a fixed periods of time (e.g. “I have lived here for three years.”)
If you are saying that an action or situation has continued for a specific amount of time or since a specific date, you’ll instead use the simple present, or sometimes the simple past.
Use the simple present if the situation or action is still continuing. Often, you’ll use this with with desde(since) + moment in time or por/há(for) + amount of time:
simple present
Eu conheço Patricia desde 2002.
I’ve known Patricia since 2002.
→ I still know her.
simple present
Ela está resfriada por/há uma semana.
She’s had a cold for a week.
→ She still has a cold.
Use the simple past if the situation or action is over, but the period of time is still not over:
simple past
Eu já me mudei duas vezes esse ano!
I’ve already moved houses twice this year!
The present perfect in Brazilian Portuguese is often accompanied by a time expression for an unspecified time, such as recentemente(recently) to show the continuity of the action from the past into the present.
present perfect
Tenho trabalhado muito recentemente.
I have worked a lot recently.
The simple present and simple past are used with a specific time expression to show a habitual action in the present or an action that started and finished in the past.
simple present
Eu trabalho aqui há dois anos/todos os dias.
I have worked here for 2 years/ every day.
simple past
Eu trabalhei muito esta manhã.
I have worked a lot this morning.
to describe completed past life experiences (e.g. “I have been to Bristol.”)
Use the simple past in Brazilian Portuguese when talking about actions or events that happened at some point in the past during a person's life.
simple past
Eles visitaram Paris três vezes.
They have visited Paris three times.
to describe a finished action with results in the present (e.g. “I have lost my keys”)
Use the simple past to talk about something that happened in the recent past, but that is still true or relevant to the present moment.
to describe an action that just happened (e.g. “Ok! I’ve finished my test!”)
The expression acabar de + verb (has/have just) is used in informal Brazilian Portuguese to describe actions or events that have just happened. In this case, the verb acabar(to finish) is conjugated in the simple past and is followed by the main verb in the infinitive:
simple pastinfinitive
Eu acabei de voltar minhas chaves.
I’ve just returned from Brazil.
It is also possible to use the simple past tense in Brazilian Portuguese in this context, as in:
simple past
Cheguei em casa há pouco.
Now, keep reading to learn about a common alternative to the present perfect tense in Brazilian Portuguese!
How to use the verb ‘andar’ as an alternative to the present perfect?
The verb andar(to walk) is often used in informal Brazilian Portuguese in place of the present perfect to indicate the continuity of an action or state from the past to the present. Let’s take a closer look at these two cases:
An action that continues from the past into the present
Andar, in this case, works as an auxiliary verb and is conjugated in the simple present tense, while the main verb is conjugated in its gerund form (ending in -ndo).
simple presentgerund
Ando fazendo muito com o meu pai.
I have been talking a lot with my father.
Ele anda fazendo exercícios todos os dias.
He has been doing exercises every day.
A state that continues from the past into the present
Andar, in this case, is the main verb and is conjugated in the simple present tense. It is then followed by an adjectiveNo definition set for adjectiveLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. that describes the state.
simple presentadjective
Ando preocupada com você.
I have been worried about you.
Andamos felizes com nossa promoção.
We have been happy with our promotion.
To sum up
In this post, we learned how to form and use the present perfect tense in Brazilian Portuguese:
The present perfect
ter(to have)
simple present
Ele tem trabalhado até tarde essa semana.
He has worked until late this week.
Used for: Situations or repeated actions that started in the past and continue in the present
NOT used for:
actions that have lasted for a specific period of time
completed past life experiences
finished actions with an impact on the present
Alternatives to the present perfect
andar(to go)
simple present
Vocês andam viajando bastante.
You have been traveling a lot.
andar(to go)
simple present
Andamos excitados com a nova oportunidade.
We have been excited about the new opportunity.
Now, you can practice forming and using the present perfect tense in Brazilian Portuguese with this activity!
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