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 verb ter meaning to have in the simple present and a main verb in its past participle form, as in:
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 meaning to have in the simple present tense with the main verb in the past participle form.
ter meaning to have
simple present
past participle
Let’s look more closely at each part of this formula:
The forms of the auxiliary verb ter meaning to have in the simple present tense are given below:
Subject Pronouns ter meaning to have eu meaning Itenhotu meaning youtensvocê meaning you, sg.ele meaning he, itela meaning she, ittemnós meaning wetemosvós meaning you, formaltendesvocês meaning you, pl.eles, elas meaning theytêmThe 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 irregular past participles.
Infinitive Past Participle Regular
estudiar meaning to studyestudado meaning studiedviver meaning to livevivido meaning liveddividir meaning to dividedividido meaning dividedIrregular
fer meaning to do, to makefeito meaning done, madeIn Brazilian Portuguese, some verbs have both a regular and an irregular past participle form, such as aceitar meaning 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:
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.Translation: I have been working a lot the last few days.
- Meu marido tem feito exercícios ultimamente.Translation: My husband has been exercising lately.
- Nós temos aberto a padaria muito cedo.Translation: 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 meaning to be before the participle in Brazilian Portuguese.
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 meaning since + moment in time or por/há meaning for + amount of time:
- simple presentEu conheço Patricia desde 2002.Translation: I’ve known Patricia since 2002.I still know her.
- simple presentEla está resfriada por/há uma semana.Translation: 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 pastEu já me mudei duas vezes esse ano!Translation: I’ve already moved houses twice this year!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 pastEles visitaram Paris três vezes.Translation: 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.
simple pastEu perdi minhas chaves.Translation: I’ve lost my keys.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 meaning to finish is conjugated in the simple past and is followed by the main verb in the infinitive:
simple pastinfinitiveEu acabei de voltar minhas chaves.Translation: 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 pastCheguei em casa há pouco.Translation: I have just come home.
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 meaning 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 presentgerundAndo fazendo muito com o meu pai.Translation: I have been talking a lot with my father.Ele anda fazendo exercícios todos os dias.Translation: 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 adjective that describes the state.
simple presentadjectiveAndo preocupada com você.Translation: I have been worried about you.Andamos felizes com nossa promoção.Translation: 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 meaning to have
simple presentpast participle
Ele tem trabalhado até tarde essa semana.Translation: 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
actions that just ended
Alternatives to the present perfect
andar meaning to go
simple presentgerund
Vocês andam viajando bastante.Translation: You have been traveling a lot.andar meaning to go
simple presentadjective
Andamos excitados com a nova oportunidade.Translation: 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!
:quality(80))
:quality(75))
:quality(75))
:quality(75))
:quality(75))
:quality(75))
:quality(75))