estive/estiveste/esteve/estivemos/estiveram

Pretérito Perfeito De Estar

Level 2

Use estive, esteve, etc., to say where you were or how you felt for a specific, finished period of time (e.g., 'I was in London for a week').

How It Works

The verb estar is irregular in the Pretérito Perfeito. It primarily uses the stem estiv-, though the 3rd person singular esteve uses the variation estev-. Instead of regular endings, it uses the specific endings of a 'strong preterite' (pretérito forte)—a shared set of endings (-e, -este, -e, -emos, -estes, -eram) used by other highly irregular verbs.

1. Conjugation:

  • Eu estive
  • Tu estiveste
  • Ele/Ela/Você esteve
  • Nós estivemos
  • Vós estivestes (rare in modern spoken Portuguese)
  • Eles/Elas/Vocês estiveram

2. When to use it:
Use this tense when the time frame is closed or specific. If you say 'Estive em Paris,' you are viewing your time there as a completed trip. If you say 'Estive doente ontem,' you are stating that the illness is over.

3. Estive vs. Fui:
Because English uses 'I was' for both, it is important to contrast estive (from estar) with fui (from ser). Use estive for temporary states or locations (e.g., Estive cansado - I was tired). Use fui for permanent traits or identities (e.g., Fui professor - I was a teacher).

4. Pronunciation & Register:
In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, the initial 'es-' is often dropped (e.g., 'tive, 'teve). Warning: This makes the forms of estar sound identical to the forms of ter (e.g., eu tive), so you must rely on context to distinguish them.

Regarding stress, only the 1st and 3rd person singular are stem-stressed (es-TI-ve, es-TE-ve). All other forms, including the plurals, stress the ending (e.g., es-ti-VES-te, es-ti-VE-mos, es-ti-VE-ram).

5. Stem Connection:
The irregular stem estiv- is highly important because it serves as the foundation for other advanced tenses, such as the Imperfect Subjunctive (estivesse), the Future Subjunctive (estiver), and the simple Pluperfect Indicative (estivera). Becoming confident with this stem now will make learning those tenses much easier.

Examples (4)

  1. Eu estive em Lisboa no verão passado.

    I was in Lisbon last summer.

    Word by Word: I was in Lisbon in the summer past.

    Uses 'estive' because the trip to Lisbon is a completed event in a specific time frame (last summer).

  2. Nós estivemos na praia o dia todo.

    We were at the beach all day.

    Word by Word: We were at the beach the day all.

    The phrase 'o dia todo' (all day) provides a clear boundary, requiring the Pretérito Perfeito.

  3. Onde é que você esteve ontem à noite?

    Where were you last night?

    Word by Word: Where is it that you were yesterday at night?

    Asking about a specific completed point in time (yesterday night) triggers 'esteve'.

  4. Eles estiveram doentes, mas agora estão bem.

    They were sick, but now they are well.

    Word by Word: They were sick, but now [they] are well.

    The state of being sick is presented as finished because they are now well.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'fui' (from 'ir') to describe a stay in a location.

    Eu fui em Paris por uma semana.
    Eu estive em Paris por uma semana.

    While 'fui' (I went) is common in colloquial speech, 'estive' is the correct way to emphasize the duration or the state of being in a place.

  • Confusing 'estive' with 'estava' for background descriptions.

    Eu estive em casa quando o telefone tocou.
    Eu estava em casa quando o telefone tocou.

    Use 'estava' (Imperfeito) for background actions that were ongoing when something else happened. Use 'estive' only if the state itself is the completed event.

  • Confusing 'estive' with 'tenho estado' (I have been).

    Eu estive morando aqui há um ano.
    Eu moro aqui há um ano.

    English speakers often use 'I have been' for actions still happening. In Portuguese, use the present tense for ongoing actions starting in the past.

How It Connects

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estive/estiveste/esteve/estivemos/estiveramLevel 2Pretérito Perfeito De Estar

Learn This First

To learn the preterite of 'estar', learners first need to be familiar with the verb's basic meaning and usage in the present tense. Additionally, because 'estar' is highly irregular in the past tense, comparing its conjugation to other irregular verbs like 'ter' helps in identifying the common '-ive-' stem pattern used in Portuguese irregular preterites.

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