Preterite Tense

O tempo pretérito

Introduction

Introdução

Also known as the simple past, the Portuguese preterite tense describes actions that took place in the past and were completed in the past.

It is often confused with the imperfect tense, which describes on going, past events.

The examples below illustrate the difference with the verb comer (to eat):

Preterite
Ele comeu
He ate.

Imperfect
Ele comia.
He was eating.

Vocabulary

Vocabulário

Play comer
to eat
Play pôr
to place to put (on, down)
Play sair
to leave to exit to go out
Play assistir
to watch to attend

Ask the Polly Ambassadors a question

Faça uma pergunta aos Embaixadores Polly

Have questions about this lesson? Get a video answer from a Polly Ambassador, if your question is relevant and interesting.

Comments

Comentários

Change language Flag fr French Flag es Spanish Flag en English Flag it Italian Flag de German