-i/-este/-eu/-emos/-estes/-eram

Pretérito Perfeito -ER Verbs

Level 2

The Pretérito Perfeito Simples is the standard past tense for finished events. For -er verbs, you remove the ending and add: -i, -este, -eu, -emos, -estes, -eram.

How It Works

The Pretérito Perfeito Simples is the 'workhorse' of Portuguese narrative. It moves a story forward by listing events that are finished and bounded.

1. Conjugation Pattern:
To conjugate regular -er verbs, take the stem (e.g., com- from comer) and add these endings:

  • Eu: -i (comi)
  • Tu: -este (comeste)
  • Você/Ele/Ela / A gente: -eu (comeu)
  • Nós: -emos (comemos)
  • Vós: -estes (comestes)
  • Vocês/Eles/Elas: -eram (comeram)

Note: In Brazilian Portuguese, a gente is the standard informal way to express 'we' and uses the 3rd person singular conjugation (e.g., A gente comeu).

2. The 'Nós' Ambiguity:
Notice that the nós form (comemos) is identical to the present tense. Context or time markers like ontem (yesterday) or agora (now) are used to tell them apart.

3. Usage vs. English:
Unlike English, which often uses 'I have eaten' for recent events, Portuguese uses the simple form (Já comi). The compound form in Portuguese (Tenho comido) actually means you have been doing something repeatedly lately, which is a common trap for learners.

4. Irregular Verbs Warning:
Be aware that many high-frequency -er verbs are irregular in this tense and do not follow the -i/-este/-eu pattern. Verbs like fazer, ter, poder, saber, and querer have their own unique conjugations (the archaic vós forms are omitted here for simplicity). Note that for verbs like saber and querer, the 1st and 3rd person singular forms are identical (eu soube / ele soube and eu quis / ele quis). Also, the circumflex accent on pôde is a mandatory differential accent used to distinguish the past tense (ele pôde) from the present tense (ele pode).

Examples (5)

  1. Ontem, eu bebi muito café.

    Yesterday, I drank a lot of coffee.

    Word by Word: Yesterday, I drank much coffee.

    Uses the 'eu' form (-i) for a completed action at a specific time (yesterday).

  2. Ela vendeu o carro na semana passada.

    She sold the car last week.

    Word by Word: She sold the car in the week past.

    Uses the 'ela' form (-eu) for an action that finished in the past.

  3. Nós comemos pizza no jantar.

    We ate pizza for dinner.

    Word by Word: We ate pizza in the dinner.

    The 'nós' form (-emos) looks like the present tense, but 'dinner' provides the past context.

  4. Eles correram cinco quilómetros hoje de manhã.

    They ran five kilometers this morning.

    Word by Word: They ran five kilometers today of morning.

    Uses the 'eles' form (-eram) for a completed exercise session.

  5. Tu escreveste a carta?

    Did you write the letter?

    Word by Word: You wrote the letter?

    Uses the 'tu' form (-este), common in Portugal and parts of Brazil.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the compound 'have done' for a single past event.

    Eu tenho comido uma maçã hoje.
    Eu comi uma maçã hoje.

    In Portuguese, 'tenho comido' implies a repeated habit (I have been eating apples lately). For a single finished action, use the simple preterite.

  • Using the Preterite for past habits or descriptions.

    Quando eu era criança, eu comi muitos doces.
    Quando eu era criança, eu comia muitos doces.

    For ongoing habits in the past ('I used to eat'), you must use the Pretérito Imperfeito instead.

How It Connects

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

-i/-este/-eu/-emos/-estes/-eramLevel 2Pretérito Perfeito -ER Verbs

Learn This First

To learn the preterite (past tense) of -er verbs, learners must first be comfortable with subject pronouns and the concept of regular verb conjugation in the present tense for the same verb group.

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Words in This Pattern

-emos