Welcome to Unit 10 — the A1 grand finale! Today you unlock the single most useful past-tense structure in Brazilian Portuguese: the **pretérito perfeito**. With it, you can finally talk about experiences — places you've been, foods you've tried, things you've done (or haven't done yet). The pairing with 'já' (already) and 'ainda não' (not yet) opens up hundreds of real conversations. Vamos lá!
Learning tips
- In Brazilian Portuguese, the simple past covers BOTH English 'I ate' AND 'I have eaten' — one tense does the work of two. Don't look for a 'tenho comido' equivalent; it doesn't mean the same thing here.
- 'Já' + past tense = 'have already (done)'; 'ainda não' + past = 'haven't yet'; 'nunca' + past = 'never'. These three markers will carry you through most experience-talk.
- For -ar verbs, the 'eu' ending -ei is stressed: 'viajEI' (/vi.a.ˈʒej/). Listen for that final 'ay' sound — it's the signal you're hearing a past-tense verb.
- The irregulars 'fui/foi' are wild — they work for BOTH 'ser' (to be) and 'ir' (to go). Context tells you which: 'Fui médico' (I was a doctor) vs. 'Fui ao Rio' (I went to Rio).
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| a farmácia | the pharmacy |
| o remédio | the medicine |
| a caixa | the box |
| o comprimido | the pill/tablet |
| o xarope | the syrup |
| tomar | to take |
| antes | before |
| depois | after |
| três vezes | three times |
| por dia | per day |
Dialog
Beatriz and Thiago trade travel stories at a boteco in Ipanema. Watch how 'já' + past tense expresses 'have you ever...?' and 'ainda não' means 'not yet'. Notice that the same answer 'Já!' works alone — Brazilians love short, expressive replies. The dialog introduces two key irregulars: 'foi/fui' (ser/ir — same form!) and 'comi' (comer).
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| já | /ˈʒa/ | already | Used with past tense to mean 'have done' — 'Eu já fui' = I've already been |
| ainda não | /aˈĩ.dɐ ˈnɐ̃w̃/ | not yet | The opposite of 'já' — 'Ainda não fui' = I haven't been yet |
| nunca | /ˈnũ.kɐ/ | never | Pair with past tense for 'have never...': 'Nunca comi acarajé' |
| uma vez | /ˈu.mɐ ˈves/ | once, one time | Literally 'one time' — 'uma vez por mês' = once a month |
| várias vezes | /ˈva.ɾjɐs ˈve.zis/ | several times, many times | The go-to for 'I've done it multiple times' |
| experimentar | /is.pe.ɾi.mẽˈtaʁ/ | to try, to experience | Used for first-time experiences — 'experimentar um prato novo' |
| provar | /pɾoˈvaʁ/ | to taste, to try | Similar to 'experimentar' but more about flavor/testing |
| visitar | /vi.ziˈtaʁ/ | to visit | For places and sometimes people |
| conhecer | /ko.ɲeˈseʁ/ | to get to know, to meet (a place or person) | 'Conhecer' = to have been to, to be familiar with — 'Eu conheço o Rio' |
| fazer | /faˈzeʁ/ | to do, to make | Super common — irregular past: fiz, fez, fizemos, fizeram |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| recentemente | /ʁe.sẽ.tʃiˈmẽ.tʃi/ | recently | Time marker for recent past |
| antes | /ˈɐ̃.tʃis/ | before | Can mean 'earlier' or 'previously' |
| depois | /deˈpojs/ | after, later | The opposite of 'antes' |
| antigamente | /ɐ̃.tʃi.ɡaˈmẽ.tʃi/ | long ago, in the old days | Evokes nostalgia — 'antigamente era diferente' |
| na minha vida | /na ˈmi.ɲɐ ˈvi.dɐ/ | in my life, ever | Common with 'nunca': 'Nunca, na minha vida, comi isso' |
| hoje em dia | /ˈo.ʒi ẽj̃ ˈdʒi.ɐ/ | nowadays, these days | Opposite of 'antigamente' |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| você já foi? | have you been (there)? (literally 'you already went?') |
| ainda não fui | I haven't been (yet) |
Grammar: Introduction to the pretérito perfeito (simple past) with 'já' and 'ainda não'
| Pronome | viajar (-ar) | comer (-er) | abrir (-ir) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eu | viajei | comi | abri |
| Você / Ele / Ela | viajou | comeu | abriu |
| Nós / A gente | viajamos / viajou | comemos / comeu | abrimos / abriu |
| Vocês / Eles / Elas | viajaram | comeram | abriram |
Irregulares importantes (ser / ir têm a mesma forma!):
| | ser / ir | ter | fazer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eu | fui | tive | fiz |
| Você | foi | teve | fez |
| Nós | fomos | tivemos | fizemos |
| Eles | foram | tiveram | fizeram |
Uso de 'já' e 'ainda não':
- Já + pretérito perfeito = 'already' (uma experiência que você teve): Eu já fui a Salvador.
- Ainda não + pretérito perfeito = 'not yet' (experiência que falta): Eu ainda não fui a Salvador.
- Nunca + pretérito perfeito = 'never': Eu nunca comi acarajé.
The pretérito perfeito do indicativo is the workhorse past tense in Brazilian Portuguese. It covers EVERYTHING English expresses with both the simple past (I ate) and the present perfect (I have eaten). One tense, two English translations — that's why Brazilians don't need two separate forms.
Regular verb endings — drop the -ar/-er/-ir and add:
| Pronoun | viajar (-ar) | comer (-er) | abrir (-ir) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eu | viajei | comi | abri |
| Você / Ele / Ela | viajou | comeu | abriu |
| Nós / A gente | viajamos / viajou | comemos / comeu | abrimos / abriu |
| Vocês / Eles / Elas | viajaram | comeram | abriram |
Note the -er and -ir tables are almost identical for 'eu' (comi, abri) and 'nós' (comemos, abrimos) — you'll get these fast.
Key irregulars — learn these five now (they're in every conversation):
| ser / ir | ter | fazer | estar | ver | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eu | fui | tive | fiz | estive | vi |
| Você | foi | teve | fez | esteve | viu |
| Nós | fomos | tivemos | fizemos | estivemos | vimos |
| Eles | foram | tiveram | fizeram | estiveram | viram |
Bombshell: 'ser' and 'ir' share the exact same past-tense forms! Eu fui = I was OR I went. Context decides:
- Fui médico por dez anos. → I was a doctor for ten years. (ser)
- Fui à praia ontem. → I went to the beach yesterday. (ir)
How to use 'já' and 'ainda não':
- Já + past tense = 'already / have done': Eu já fui a Salvador. → I've been to Salvador.
- Ainda não + past tense = 'not yet': Eu ainda não fui a Salvador. → I haven't been yet.
- Nunca + past tense = 'never': Eu nunca comi acarajé. → I've never had acarajé.
Reminder for English speakers: You might be tempted to say 'tenho comido' for 'I have eaten'. DON'T. 'Tenho comido' in BR means 'I have been eating (recently, repeatedly)' — a completely different meaning. Stick with the simple past.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the right word.
- Eu fui a Salvador duas vezes. (already)(experience marker — already)
- Ela não viajou para o Nordeste. (not yet)(combine with 'não' — not yet)
- Eu comi acarajé na minha vida. (never)(experience marker — never)
- Nós já Foz do Iguaçu. (visitar)(visitar, nós, past)
- Você já feijoada? (provar)(provar, você, past)
Grammar Application
Conjugate each verb in the pretérito perfeito.
- Conjugue 'viajar' no pretérito perfeito com 'eu': (regular -ar, eu form)
- Conjugue 'comer' no pretérito perfeito com 'você': (regular -er, você form)
- Conjugue 'ir' no pretérito perfeito com 'eu': (irregular — same as 'ser')
- Conjugue 'fazer' no pretérito perfeito com 'eu': (irregular fazer)
- Conjugue 'ter' no pretérito perfeito com 'eu': (irregular ter)
Translation (English → Portuguese)
Translate. Remember the simple past covers both 'I did' and 'I have done' in BR.
- I've already been to Rio.
- I haven't been to Salvador yet.
- Have you ever tried acarajé?
- I've never traveled to the Amazon.
- We've visited Florianópolis several times.
Creative Construction
Write 2–3 sentences about your own experiences using 'já', 'ainda não', or 'nunca' + pretérito perfeito.
Takeaway
The pretérito perfeito is BR's simple past and covers both 'I did' and 'I have done'. Pair with 'já' (already), 'ainda não' (not yet), and 'nunca' (never) to talk about experiences. Key irregulars: fui/foi (ser AND ir), tive, fiz, estive, vi. The -ei ending on 'eu' forms is your audible signal for -ar past.