-ei/-aste/-ou/-amos/-astes/-aram

Pretérito Perfeito -AR Verbs

Level 2

The Pretérito Perfeito Simples is the standard way to talk about finished actions in the past. These endings are exclusive to -AR verbs. To conjugate, remove the ending and add: -ei, -aste, -ou, -amos, -astes, -aram. Watch out for irregulars like dar and estar.

How It Works

The Pretérito Perfeito Simples is the workhorse of Portuguese past tenses. Unlike the Pretérito Imperfeito, which describes background states or habits, the Perfeito focuses on completion. Note that these specific endings apply only to -AR verbs.

1. Conjugation Table:
To conjugate, take the stem (e.g., fal- from falar) and add:

  • Eu: -ei (falei)
  • Tu: -aste (falaste)
  • Você/Ele/Ela: -ou (falou)
  • Nós: -amos (falamos)
  • Vós: -astes (falastes - archaic/formal)
  • Vocês/Eles/Elas: -aram (falaram)

Note: Vocês is the standard plural 'you' in both Brazil and Portugal and always uses the 3rd person plural ending (-aram).

2. Spelling Changes (Eu form only):
To maintain the original sound of the verb stem, three types of verbs change their spelling in the first person singular:

  • -car → -quei: ficar becomes fiquei
  • -gar → -guei: chegar becomes cheguei
  • -çar → -cei: começar becomes comecei (Note: verbs ending in -zar like organizar are regular: organizei)

3. Past vs. Future Stress:
Be careful with the 3rd person plural. The past ending -aram is unstressed at the end (fa-LA-ram), while the future ending -arão is stressed on the final syllable (fa-la-RÃO).

4. Irregular Verbs:
Watch out for common -AR verbs that do not follow this pattern. For example, estar (estive) and dar (dei, deste, deu, demos, deram) are irregular.

5. Regional Differences:
In European Portuguese, the nós form is often written with an accent (-ámos) to distinguish it from the present tense. In Brazil, it is written as -amos. Additionally, Brazilians often use a gente with the 3rd person singular ending (a gente falou).

Examples (5)

  1. Ontem, eu estudei muito para a prova.

    Yesterday, I studied a lot for the exam.

    Word by Word: Yesterday, I studied much for the exam.

    A single, completed action that happened at a specific time (yesterday).

  2. Nós moramos em Lisboa por dois anos.

    We lived in Lisbon for two years.

    Word by Word: We lived in Lisbon for two years.

    Even though it lasted two years, the action is viewed as a completed block of time.

  3. Eu cheguei tarde e não falei com ninguém.

    I arrived late and didn't speak with anyone.

    Word by Word: I arrived late and not spoke with anyone.

    Note the spelling change in 'cheguei' (-gar to -guei) to keep the hard 'g' sound.

  4. Eles compraram um carro novo na semana passada.

    They bought a new car last week.

    Word by Word: They bought a car new in the week past.

    A discrete event that occurred and finished in the past.

  5. Você gostou do filme?

    Did you like the movie?

    Word by Word: You liked of the movie?

    Asking about a completed experience in the past.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the compound tense for a single past action.

    Eu tenho falado com ele ontem.
    Eu falei com ele ontem.

    In English, we say 'I have spoken,' but in Portuguese, the compound tense implies a repeated habit. For a one-time past event, use the simple preterite.

  • Forgetting the spelling change in the 'Eu' form for -car/-gar/-çar verbs.

    Eu ficei em casa.
    Eu fiquei em casa.

    Verbs ending in -car must change to -quei to keep the 'k' sound. Similarly, -çar verbs like 'começar' change to 'c' (comecei) to keep the 's' sound before the letter 'e'.

  • Confusing the past '-aram' with the future '-arão'.

    Eles falarão com o professor ontem.
    Eles falaram com o professor ontem.

    The ending -aram is for the past and is stressed on the second-to-last syllable (fa-LA-ram). The ending -arão is for the future and is stressed on the last syllable (fa-la-RÃO).

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-ei/-aste/-ou/-amos/-astes/-aramLevel 2Pretérito Perfeito -AR Verbs

Learn This First

To learn the Pretérito Perfeito (simple past) for -ar verbs, you first need to understand the basic structure of Portuguese verbs, specifically how regular -ar verbs are conjugated in the present tense. You also need a firm grasp of both singular and plural subject pronouns to correctly apply the different endings for each person.

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-ei-aste-ou-amos-astes