The Portuguese language has several verb tenses, each serving a specific purpose to express actions that occurred in the past. One of these tenses is the Pluperfect tense, also known as the Pretérito Mais-que-perfeito. In this tense, we describe actions that happened before another past action, emphasizing that the event in question took place even earlier in the past. In this explanation, we will explore how the Portuguese Pluperfect tense is formed and conjugated for different categories of verbs, providing example sentences along the way.
Formation of the Pluperfect Tense
To form the Pluperfect tense in Portuguese, we use the auxiliary verb “ter” (to have) or “haver” (to have), conjugated in the Imperfect Indicative, followed by the past participle of the main verb. The choice between “ter” and “haver” depends on the regional variation and personal preference. However, “ter” is more commonly used in most Portuguese-speaking countries.
Conjugation of “ter” in the Imperfect Indicative:
Eu tinha
Tu tinhas
Ele/Ela/Você tinha
Nós tínhamos
Vós tínheis
Eles/Elas/Vocês tinham
Example: Eu tinha estudado (I had studied)
Conjugation of “haver” in the Imperfect Indicative:
Eu havia
Tu havias
Ele/Ela/Você havia
Nós havíamos
Vós havíeis
Eles/Elas/Vocês haviam
Example: Nós havíamos chegado (We had arrived)
Conjugation of Regular Verbs in the Pluperfect Tense
Regular verbs in Portuguese follow predictable conjugation patterns. To conjugate regular verbs in the Pluperfect tense, we take the root of the verb and add the appropriate ending based on the subject pronoun.
Here is an example of conjugating the regular verb “falar” (to speak) in the Pluperfect tense:
Eu falara (I had spoken)
Tu falaras (You had spoken)
Ele/Ela/Você falara (He/She/You had spoken)
Nós faláramos (We had spoken)
Vós faláreis (You had spoken)
Eles/Elas/Vocês falaram (They had spoken)
Example sentence: Ele já falara com o professor antes de chegar à aula. (He had already spoken to the teacher before arriving at the class.)
Conjugation of Irregular Verbs in the Pluperfect Tense
Irregular verbs in Portuguese do not follow the standard conjugation patterns. They have unique conjugations that must be memorized. Here are a few examples of irregular verbs in the Pluperfect tense:
Ir (to go):
Eu fora (I had gone)
Tu foras (You had gone)
Ele/Ela/Você fora (He/She/You had gone)
Nós fôramos (We had gone)
Vós fôreis (You had gone)
Eles/Elas/Vocês foram (They had gone)
Example sentence: Nós já tínhamos ido ao cinema quando o filme começou. (We had already gone to the cinema when the movie started.)
Ser (to be):
Eu fora (I had been)
Tu foras (You had been)
Ele/Ela/Você fora (He/She/You had been)
Nós fôramos (We had been)
Vós fôreis (You had been)
Eles/Elas/Vocês foram (They had been)
Example sentence: Eles não tinham sido informados sobre a mudança de planos. (They had not been informed about the change of plans.)
Ter (to have):
Eu tivera (I had had)
Tu tiveras (You had had)
Ele/Ela/Você tivera (He/She/You had had)
Nós tivéramos (We had had)
Vós tivéreis (You had had)
Eles/Elas/Vocês tinham (They had had)
Example sentence: Ela já tivera experiências similares anteriormente. (She had already had similar experiences before.)
Fazer (to do/make):
Eu fizera (I had done/made)
Tu fizeras (You had done/made)
Ele/Ela/Você fizera (He/She/You had done/made)
Nós fizéramos (We had done/made)
Vós fizéreis (You had done/made)
Eles/Elas/Vocês fizeram (They had done/made)
Example sentence: Nós já fizéramos todos os preparativos para a festa quando os convidados chegaram. (We had already made all the preparations for the party when the guests arrived.)
In summary, the Portuguese Pluperfect tense (Pretérito Mais-que-perfeito) is used to express actions that happened before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verbs “ter” or “haver” in the Imperfect Indicative, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Regular verbs follow predictable conjugation patterns, while irregular verbs have unique conjugations that must be memorized. By understanding and practicing the conjugation of verbs in the Pluperfect tense, you can effectively express past actions that occurred before other events in Portuguese.
Originally posted 2023-07-16 18:09:31.