Portuguese Year 3: Verbs: present, past (pretérito perfeito) and future
Portuguese, Year 3 (Portugal): A verb changes its ending to say who does something and when: before now, now, or later; some verbs break the pattern.
The verb changes to say who and when
The verb says what someone does and changes form to say who does it and when. Present: it happens now («eu como», I eat). Pretérito perfeito: it is over («eu comi», I ate). Future: it has yet to happen («eu comerei», I will eat). Regular verbs follow the pattern of their group: «cantar» gives «canto, cantei, cantarei»; «comer» gives «como, comi, comerei»; «partir» gives «parto, parti, partirei». Irregular verbs break the pattern, like «ser», «ir», «ter» and «fazer».
Before, at the same time, after
Verb tenses tell where something sits on the timeline. What happened before you speak uses the pretérito perfeito: «Ontem li um conto.» (Yesterday I read a tale.) What happens at the same time uses the present: «Enquanto o pai cozinha, eu ponho a mesa.» (While Dad cooks, I set the table.) What comes later uses the future: «Amanhã lerei outro.» (Tomorrow I will read another.) With the right verb, the listener sees the order at once: before, now or after.
Yesterday, today and tomorrow with «comer» and «ir»
Let us put «comer» (to eat) and «ir» (to go) into three tenses, for «eu» (I). Step 1: decide when: «ontem» (yesterday) asks for the pretérito perfeito, «hoje» (today) for the present, «amanhã» (tomorrow) for the future. Step 2: «comer» is regular: «Ontem comi. Hoje como. Amanhã comerei.» (Yesterday I ate. Today I eat. Tomorrow I will eat.) Step 3: «ir» is irregular and breaks the pattern: «Ontem fui. Hoje vou. Amanhã irei.» (Yesterday I went. Today I go. Tomorrow I will go.) Step 4: check that the time word and the verb match: «Ontem vou» is wrong.
Irregular verbs do not copy the pattern
If you know that «comer» gives «comi», you may think all verbs do the same. That is why people say «eu fazi» or «eu sabi». It does not work like that: «fazer» gives «fiz» and «saber» gives «soube». Irregular verbs are learnt one by one, with the help of sentences you repeat. And a curiosity: «fui» serves for both «ir» and «ser»: «Ontem fui à escola» (Yesterday I went to school) and «Fui aluno aqui» (I was a pupil here).
Telling what happened and what will happen
You use verb tenses all day. You tell Mum what you did: «Hoje brinquei no recreio.» (Today I played at break.) You say what you are doing: «Agora desenho.» (Now I draw.) You plan the weekend: «No sábado iremos ao jardim.» (On Saturday we will go to the garden.) When you write a story, keep the tense from start to end so the reader does not get lost: if you begin in the past, stay in the past.
Test what you learned
Which sentence says that two things happen at the same time?
- a) Ontem li e hoje escrevo.
- b) Primeiro comi a sopa e depois dormi.
- c) Amanhã lerei e depois escreverei.
- d) Enquanto o pai cozinha, eu ponho a mesa.
Correct answer: d) Enquanto o pai cozinha, eu ponho a mesa. — Yes: «enquanto» and two present verbs show both things going on together.
«Ontem, eles ___ (cantar) na festa.» (Yesterday they ___ (sing) at the party.) Which form goes in the gap?
- a) cantam
- b) cantaram
- c) cantarão
- d) cantou
Correct answer: b) cantaram — Yes: «ontem» asks for the pretérito perfeito, and for «eles» the ending of «cantar» is -aram.
«Ontem eu ___ (fazer) o trabalho de casa.» (Yesterday I ___ (do) my homework.) Which form is right?
- a) fazi
- b) faço
- c) fiz
- d) farei
Correct answer: c) fiz — Yes: «fiz» is the irregular pretérito perfeito of «fazer».
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