falara/falaras/falara/faláramos/falaram

Mais-Que-Perfeito Simples

Level 6

The Mais-Que-Perfeito Simples is a synthetic (one-word) tense used to indicate that an event was already completed before another past event occurred. While semantically identical to the compound form (tinha falado), it is reserved for formal writing and literature.

How It Works

1. Formation
To form this tense, take the 3rd person plural of the Pretérito Perfeito (e.g., falaram), remove the -ram ending to find the stem (fala-), and add the following endings:

  • Eu: -ra (falara)
  • Tu: -ras (falaras)
  • Ele/Ela/Você: -ra (falara)
  • Nós: -ramos (faláramos)
  • Vós: -reis (faláreis)
  • Eles/Elas/Vocês: -ram (falaram)

Note: The nós and vós forms always require a written accent on the antepenultimate syllable (e.g., fizéramos, partíramos).

2. Usage and Register
This tense is almost never used in spoken Portuguese. If you use it in casual conversation, you will sound like a character from a 19th-century novel. It is primarily found in:

  • Formal literature (novels and poetry)
  • Legal and liturgical documents
  • High-register journalistic or academic prose

3. Irregulars
Because it is based on the Pretérito Perfeito stem, any verb irregular in the Preterite remains irregular here. For example, fazer becomes fizera (from fizeram), and ir/ser becomes fora (from foram).

Examples (4)

  1. Quando a polícia chegou, o ladrão já fugira.

    When the police arrived, the thief had already fled.

    Word by Word: When the police arrived, the thief already had-fled.

    The act of fleeing happened before the police arrived. In casual speech, one would say 'tinha fugido'.

  2. Ela finalmente visitou a cidade onde nascera.

    She finally visited the city where she had been born.

    Word by Word: She finally visited the city where (she) had-been-born.

    The birth happened long before the visit. 'Nascera' is the simple pluperfect of 'nascer'.

  3. Mal acabara de comer, o telefone tocou.

    Hardly had he finished eating when the phone rang.

    Word by Word: Hardly (he) had-finished of to-eat, the phone rang.

    This is a classic literary construction using 'mal' (hardly/scarcely) with the simple pluperfect.

  4. Tomara que ele venha!

    I hope that he comes!

    Word by Word: Had-taken that he comes!

    'Tomara' is a fossilized use of the pluperfect of 'tomar', now used as an exclamation meaning 'I hope' or 'Would that'.

Common Mistakes

  • Confusing the Pluperfect with the Future Indicative.

    Ele falara amanhã.
    Ele falará amanhã.

    The only difference between 'falara' (had spoken) and 'falará' (will speak) is the accent and stress. The pluperfect is stressed on the second-to-last syllable (fa-LA-ra), while the future is stressed on the last (fa-la-RÁ).

  • Using the simple pluperfect in casual conversation.

    Ontem eu já fizera o jantar quando você ligou.
    Ontem eu já tinha feito o jantar quando você ligou.

    While grammatically correct, using the simple form in speech sounds unnaturally stiff. Use the compound form with 'ter' for daily life.

  • Forgetting the accent on the 'nós' form.

    Nós fizeramos o trabalho.
    Nós fizéramos o trabalho.

    The 'nós' form of the simple pluperfect is always proparoxytone (stressed on the third-to-last syllable) and must have a written accent.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

falara/falaras/falara/faláramos/falaramLevel 6Mais-Que-Perfeito Simples

Learn This First

To understand the Mais-Que-Perfeito Simples, you need to know its semantic equivalent (the compound past perfect) and how its stem is derived from the Pretérito Perfeito. It also shares a strong morphological relationship with the Imperfeito do Subjuntivo.