The Pluperfect Continuous tense in Portuguese, also known as Pretérito Mais-que-perfeito do Indicativo, is used to describe actions that had been ongoing in the past before another past event occurred. This tense combines the concepts of continuous or progressive action (similar to the Present Continuous tense) and the completion of an action in the past (similar to the Past Perfect tense). In other words, it indicates an action that started in the past, continued for a certain period of time, and was still ongoing when another past action happened.
Conjugation of the Pluperfect Continuous Tense:
To conjugate verbs in the Pluperfect Continuous tense, you need to know the auxiliary verb “ter” (to have) in the Imperfect tense (Imperfeito do Indicativo), and the gerund form of the main verb. The conjugation of the auxiliary verb “ter” in the Imperfect tense is as follows:
Eu tinha (I had)
Tu tinhas (You had)
Ele/ela/você tinha (He/she/you had)
Nós tínhamos (We had)
Vós tínheis (You all had)
Eles/elas/vocês tinham (They/you all had)
The gerund form of the main verb is created by adding the suffix “-ndo” to the stem of regular verbs. For irregular verbs, the gerund form varies. Let’s now explore how each category of verbs is conjugated in the Pluperfect Continuous tense.
Regular Verbs:
For regular verbs, the gerund form is created by adding the suffix “-ando” to the stem of -ar verbs and “-endo” to the stem of -er and -ir verbs. Here are some examples:
Amar (to love):
Eu estava amando (I had been loving)
Tu estavas amando (You had been loving)
Ele/ela/você estava amando (He/she/you had been loving)
Nós estávamos amando (We had been loving)
Vós estáveis amando (You all had been loving)
Eles/elas/vocês estavam amando (They/you all had been loving)
Comer (to eat):
Eu estava comendo (I had been eating)
Tu estavas comendo (You had been eating)
Ele/ela/você estava comendo (He/she/you had been eating)
Nós estávamos comendo (We had been eating)
Vós estáveis comendo (You all had been eating)
Eles/elas/vocês estavam comendo (They/you all had been eating)
Partir (to leave):
Eu estava partindo (I had been leaving)
Tu estavas partindo (You had been leaving)
Ele/ela/você estava partindo (He/she/you had been leaving)
Nós estávamos partindo (We had been leaving)
Vós estáveis partindo (You all had been leaving)
Eles/elas/vocês estavam partindo (They/you all had been leaving)
Irregular Verbs:
Irregular verbs have unique forms for the gerund. Here are some examples of irregular verbs in the Pluperfect Continuous tense:
Fazer (to do/make):
Eu estava fazendo (I had been doing/making)
Tu estavas fazendo (You had been doing/making)
Ele/ela/você estava fazendo (He/she/you had been doing/making)
Nós estávamos fazendo (We had been doing/making)
Vós estáveis fazendo (You all had been doing/making)
Eles/elas/vocês estavam fazendo (They/you all had been doing/making)
Dormir (to sleep):
Eu estava dormindo (I had been sleeping)
Tu estavas dormindo (You had been sleeping)
Ele/ela/você estava dormindo (He/she/you had been sleeping)
Nós estávamos dormindo (We had been sleeping)
Vós estáveis dormindo (You all had been sleeping)
Eles/elas/vocês estavam dormindo (They/you all had been sleeping)
Vir (to come):
Eu estava vindo (I had been coming)
Tu estavas vindo (You had been coming)
Ele/ela/você estava vindo (He/she/you had been coming)
Nós estávamos vindo (We had been coming)
Vós estáveis vindo (You all had been coming)
Eles/elas/vocês estavam vindo (They/you all had been coming)
Example Sentences:
Eu estava amando a vida antes de ficar doente. (I had been loving life before getting sick.)
Eles estavam comendo quando a energia acabou. (They had been eating when the power went out.)
Nós estávamos partindo para a praia quando começou a chover. (We had been leaving for the beach when it started raining.)
Ele estava fazendo o jantar quando o telefone tocou. (He had been making dinner when the phone rang.)
Eu estava dormindo quando o despertador tocou. (I had been sleeping when the alarm clock went off.)
Ela estava vindo para a festa quando o pneu do carro furou. (She had been coming to the party when the car tire punctured.)
These examples illustrate the use of the Pluperfect Continuous tense in different contexts. It shows actions that had been ongoing in the past and were still happening when another past event occurred. By using this tense, you can convey a sense of duration and continuity in the past. Remember to pay attention to the conjugation of the auxiliary verb “ter” and the gerund form of the main verb to properly construct sentences in the Pluperfect Continuous tense.
Overall, the Pluperfect Continuous tense adds depth and specificity to past actions in Portuguese, allowing you to accurately express the duration of ongoing events before another past action took place. With practice, you will become more comfortable and confident in using this tense to effectively communicate in Portuguese.
Originally posted 2023-07-16 17:41:52.