This intensive course is for language learners striving toward the B1 level.
My suggestion* for these two weeks is to focus on:
*There's always room to adjust the course according to the group's preferences:
After this course, you'll have come closer to the B1 level and have the tools and strategies to get there and beyond.
Not sure if you should enroll in the A2 or B1 course?
Geared toward Absolute Beginners, this course gives you a solid start and foundation to build upon.
This is an introductory course to the Portuguese language as spoken in Portugal. Throughout the course, we will focus on the Portuguese sound system and basic Portuguese grammar.
You will also learn how to introduce yourself and day-to-day, useful phrases. Finally, we will discuss learning resources and strategies to support your learning journey.
After the course, you will have a basic understanding of European Portuguese pronunciation and grammar. You will also be capable of engaging in simple, short oral interactions. Last but not least, you will be aware of a variety of learning resources and strategies to help you succeed at learning the language.
I will keep you updated on upcoming course seasons
This intensive course is for language learners striving toward the A2 level.
My suggestion* for these two weeks is to focus on:
*There's always room to adjust the course according to the group's preferences:
After this course, you'll have come closer to the A2 level and have the tools and strategies to get there and beyond.
Not sure if you should enroll in the A2 or B1 course?
This intensive course is for language learners striving toward the A1 level.
If you have just started your learning journey, you may find this course too challenging. Consider enrolling for the Clean Slate A0 instead (if available).
This is an all-round course, meaning that we’ll work on all aspects of language learning (at the A1 level):
After this course, you'll have come closer to the A1 level and have the tools and strategies to get there and beyond.
Not sure if you should enroll in the A1 or A2 course?
In Portuguese, we use the past participle to form perfect tenses as well as the passive voice. In addition, we use past participles as adjectives.
In what follows, I will walk you through the Portuguese past participle’s usage in greater detail while providing you with concrete examples.
Let’s get started.
! Of course, there’s also the present participle, or gerúndio as we call it in Portuguese. Read the following article to learn more about how we use this verb form: Portuguese Gerund: Progressive Tenses and Beyond.
In general, the Portuguese past participle is formed by replacing the suffixes –ar, -er, and -ir* of the infinitive verb forms with either –ado or –ido. Here’s an example for each of the 3 regular conjugation groups:
| 1st conjugation group (-ar) | 2nd conjugation group (-er) | 3rd conjugation group (-ir) |
| Filmar film | Mexer stir | Partir depart |
| Filmado | Mexido | Partido |
* Note that the verb pôr (put) and its derivatives (repor, transpor, impor, etc. ) exceptionally end in -or, which deviates from all other verbs that end either in -ar, –er, or –ir.
Here are a few verbs with irregular past participles:
| Infinitive | Past participle |
| abrir (open) | aberto |
| cobrir (cover) | coberto |
| dizer (say) | dito |
| escrever (write) | escrito |
| fazer * (do) | feito |
| pagar (pay) | pago |
| ver (see) | visto |
| vir (come) | vindo |
| pôr (put) | posto |
* The Portuguese verb fazer is extremely versatile. Learn more about its idiomatic riches in this post: The Portuguese Verb “Fazer” and All the Things You Say with It.
Some verbs have two past participle forms, one regular and the other irregular. The regular form is used in connection with the auxiliary verbs ter and haver, whereas the irregular one is used with ser or estar :
| Regular participle ter/haver | Irregular participle ser/estar | |
| aceitar (accept) | aceitado | aceite |
| entregar (deliver) | entregado | entregue |
| matar (kill) | matado | morto |
| salvar (save) | salvado | salvo |
| acender (light) | acendido | acesso |
| eleger (elect) | elegido | eleito |
| morrer (die) | morrido | morto |
| prender (arrest) | prendido | preso |
| exprimir (express) | exprimido | expresso |
| imprimir (print) | imprimido | impresso |
Here’s an example with the verb eleger:
| ter O povo tinha elegido * o Marcelo para presidente em 2016. The people had elected Marcelo for president in 2016. ser O Marcelo foi novamente eleito presidente agora em 2021. Marcelo was again elected president now in 2021. |
* While textbooks continue to insist on the use of regular/irregular participles according to the principles stated above, in practice, you often hear people using the irregular form with ter/haver. For instance, if we were to rewrite the sentence above to O povo tinha eleito o Marcelo …, that wouldn’t hurt anyone’s ears (apart from those of a few puritans). There are, nonetheless, a few verbs (for example morrer or prender) where it would sound wrong. Stick to textbooks’ guidelines when in doubt.
Compound tenses in Portuguese are formed with the auxiliary ter followed by the past participle of the main verb:
| Eu tenho feito desporto todos os dias. (v. fazer) I’ve been working out every day. A Lúcia tinha-se esquecido de tomar o comprimido. (v. esquecer-se) Lúcia had forgotten to take the medicine. |
We can also use haver * instead of ter, especially in the imperfect tense:
| A Lúcia havia-se esquecido de tomar o comprimido. Lúcia had forgotten to take the medicine. |
* The use of haver as the auxiliary verb is somewhat more common in the Brazilian standard. Here’s a couple of reading suggestions to learn more about (1) haver and (2) how the Brazilian and European standards compare:
1. The Portuguese Verb “Haver” and All the Things You Say with It
2. European vs. Brazilian Portuguese – How Different Are They, Really?
In Portuguese, as in English, the passive voice is formed by the verb ser (to be)* followed by the past participle:
| Esta música foi composta por mim. (v. compor) This song was composed by me. O João foi salvo pelo nadador salvador. (v. salvar) João was saved by the lifeguard. |
* Portuguese, like other Romance languages, has two verbs “to be”, namely ser and estar. Learn when to use one and the other: Portuguese Verbs Ser and Estar: How and When to Use Either.
Past participles often act as adjectives when they follow linking verbs such as ser, estar, ficar, sentir-se, or andar. In that case, they agree in gender and number * regarding the noun they refer to:
| Eu sou interessado em política. (v. interessar) I am generally interested in politics. A Isabel está cansada. (v. cansar) Isabel is tired. O Mário ficou ** surpreendido quando me viu. (v. surpreender) Mário was surprised when he saw me. Sentimo-nos desanimados quando perdemos o jogo. (v. desanimar) We felt low spirited when we lost that game. Vocês andam muito aborrecidos ultimamente. (v. aborrecer) You’ve been quite bored lately. |
* Learn more about Portuguese gender and number with the articles below:
1. Disentangling Gender with Portuguese Masculine-to-Feminine Spelling Patterns.
2. Forming the Plural in Portuguese: Singular-to-Plural Conversion Patterns You Need to Care About.
** The Portuguese verb ficar is widely used and means different things in different contexts. Learn about using ficar to its full potential: Making the Most of the Portuguese Verb “Ficar”: Verb Usage and Conjugation.
Break Free from the Tyranny of the Present Tense
Stay tuned for upcoming online courses and other learning materials.