Past Participle in Portuguese

In Portuguese, we use the Past Participle to form Perfect tenses and the passive voice. In addition, we use Past Participles as adjectives. 

In what follows, I will walk you through the Portuguese Past Participle in greater detail. Read on.

There’s also the Present Participle or Gerúndio as we call it in Portuguese. Learn more about it: Portuguese Gerund: Progressive Tenses and Beyond.

Past Participles and Their Verb Forms

Regular Past Participles

Generally, the 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 conjugational groups:

1st group  -ar	2nd group -er	3rd group -ir
Filmar (film)	Mexer (stir)	Partir (depart)
Filmado	Mexido	Partido

Irregular Past Participles

Here are a few verbs with irregular Past Participles:

	Past Participles
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 versatile and idiomatic. Learn more about it it: The Portuguese Verb “Fazer” and All the Things You Say with It.

Shifting Past Participles

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 elected Marcelo for president in 2016. Ser O Marcelo foi novamente eleito presidente em 2021.  Marcelo was again elected president in 2021.

* While textbooks insist on using regular/irregular participles according to the principles stated before, you’ll often hear people using the irregular form also following Ter/Haver.

For instance, if we were to rewrite the sentence above: O povo tinha elegido o Marcelo to O povo tinha eleito o Marcelo, that wouldn’t hurt anyone’s ears. There are, nonetheless, a few verbs (for example Morrer or Prender) where it would sound off. When in doubt, stick to the principles. 

Past Participle and Compound Tenses (Perfect tenses)

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. (fazer) I’ve been working out every day. A Lúcia tinha-se esquecido de tomar o comprimido. (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.

* Haver used as the auxiliary verb is more common in the Brazilian standard. Here are a couple of 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?

Past Participle and the Passive Voice

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. (compor) This song was composed by me. O João foi salvo pelo nadador salvador. (salvar) João was saved by the lifeguard.

* Portuguese, like other Romance languages, has two to Be’s, 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 as Adjectives

Past Participles are often used 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* concerning the noun they refer to:

Eu sou interessado em política. (interessar) I am generally interested in politics.  A Isabel está cansada. (cansar) Isabel is tired. O Mário ficou surpreendido quando me viu. (surpreender) Mário was surprised when he saw me. Sentimo-nos desanimados quando perdemos o jogo. (desanimar) We felt low spirited when we lost that game.  Vocês andam muito aborrecidos ultimamente. (aborrecer) You’ve been quite bored lately.

* Learn more about Portuguese gender and number:
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.