The present perfect tense is used in English to describe events that happened recently or started in the past and continue in the present. In Portuguese, it is different. The present perfect tense is used in Portuguese to describe repeated actions in the past that extend to the present. It is more similar to the present perfect continuous tense in English, e.g., “I have been working hard.”
The present perfect is a compound tense, meaning it requires an auxiliary verb, in this case, the irregular verb “ter” or “haver” in the present tense, followed by the past participle. The auxiliary “ter” or “haver” serves a similar function to the auxiliary “have” in English, e.g., “I have done my homework.”
| “-ar” verbs | “ter”/“haver” in present tense + (verb stem+ ado) |
| “-er” verbs | “ter”/“haver” in present tense + (verb stem+ ido) |
| “-ir” verbs | “ter”/“haver” in present tense + (verb stem+ ido) |
Both “ter” and “haver” are grammatically correct and can be used interchangeably. However, the use of “haver” is usually limited to writing. In everyday language, the verb “ter” is often used.
The table below summarizes the conjugation rules of the three verb groups in the present perfect tense:
| -ar ending e.g., falar | -er ending e.g., comer | -ir ending e.g., partir | ||
| eu | tenho/hei | falado | comido | partido |
| ele/ela/você | tem/há | |||
| nós | temos/havemos | |||
| eles/elas/vocês | têm/hão |
Here are some more examples in context:
| Você tem bebido o café. | You have been drinking coffee. |
| Ela tem falado com a mãe. | She has been speaking to her mother. |
| Nós temos comido. | We have been eating. |
| Eles têm vivido aqui. | They have been living here. |
Irregular Past Participles
1. There are a few verbs with irregular past participles:
| Verb | Past Participle | Meaning | Examples |
| abrir | aberto | to open | Eu tenho aberto a porta. I have been opening the door. |
| cobrir | coberto | to cover | Nós têm coberto o chão. We have been covering the floor. |
| dizer | dito | to say | Eu te tenho dito isso. I have been telling you so. |
| escrever | escrito | to write | Ela tem escrito uma carta. She has been writing a letter. |
| fazer | feito | to do | Eu tenho feito a tarefa. I have been doing the task. |
| pôr | posto | to put | Ele nos tem posto em perigo. He has been putting us in danger. |
| ver | visto | to see | Eu tenho visto o último evento. I have been seeing the latest event. |
| vir | vindo | to come | O homem tem vindo de longe. The man has been coming from far away. |
Notice that the past participle and the gerund of the verb “vir” (to come) are identical, i.e., “vindo.”
The verbs above can be used with prefixes that change the meaning, but the irregular form remains the same. For example, the past participles of the verb “descobrir” (to discover) is “descoberto,” which is similar to the past participle of the original verb “cobrir” without the prefix, i.e., “coberto.”
2. There are also some verbs that have both regular and irregular past participles. Here are the most common ones:
| aceitar | to accept | aceitado, aceito |
| acender | to turn on or to light | acendido, aceso |
| dispersar | to disperse | dispersado, disperso |
| eleger | to elect | elegido, eleito |
| entregar | to deliver | entregado, entregue |
| expressar | to express | expressado, expresso |
| exprimir | to express | exprimido, expresso |
| expulsar | to expel or to throw out | expulsado, expulso |
| extinguir | to extinguish | extinguido, extinto |
| fritar | to fry | fritado, frito |
| ganhar | to win | ganhado, ganho |
| gastar | to spend | gastado, gasto |
| impergir | to immerse | imergido, imerso |
| limpar | to clean | limpado, limpo |
| matar | to kill | matado, morto |
| pagar | to pay | pagado, pago |
| pegar | to get | pegado, pego |
| prender | to arrest or hold | prendido, preso |
| salvar | to save | salvado, salvo |
| soltar | to release | soltado, solto |
| submergir | to submerge | submergido, submerso |
| suprimir | to suppress | suprimido, supresso |
| suspender | to suspend | suspendido, suspenso |
In general, it is preferrable, but not always required, to use the regular form when the past participle is used after the auxiliary “ter” or “haver,” e.g., “Ele tem aceitado” (He has been accepting).
On the other hand, the irregular shorter form is often used when the past participle is used as an adjective, e.g., “É aceito aqui” (It is accepted here).
Next: Special Uses of “Haver” & “Ter”
Other lessons in Level III:
Level III – Elementary
2. The Verb “to Know”: “Saber” vs. “Conhecer”
3. Indefinite Adjectives & Pronouns
6. Special Uses of “Haver” & “Ter”
