Portuguese · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 34
O que você fez ontem?What did you do yesterday?
Past-time vocabulary: ontem, anteontem, passado, viajar, comprar, comer, beber, chegar, trabalhar, visitar. Key grammar: the pretérito perfeito (simple past). -ar verbs: eu -ei, você/ele -ou, nós -amos, eles -aram ("comprei, comprou, compramos, compraram"). -er/-ir verbs: eu -i, você/ele -eu/-iu, nós -emos/-imos, eles -eram/-iram ("comi, comeu"; "abri, abriu"). Use with "ontem", "anteontem", "na semana passada": "Ontem eu comprei um livro" (yesterday I bought a book). The classic mistake: the beginner leaves the verb in the present and only swaps the time word: "Ontem eu como pizza" ✗. In Portuguese the verb ALSO changes in the past: "Ontem eu comi pizza" ✓. Sound corner: the diphthongs "-ei" (comprei) and "-ou" (viajou).
Dialogue
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Ontem eu como ou comi?— Ontem eu como or comi?
- LucasMike, o que você comeu ontem?Mike, what did you eat yesterday?
- MikeOntem eu como pizza.Yesterday I ate pizza. (slip: the past is "comi", not the present "como")
- LucasNo passado o verbo muda, Mike. "comer" → "eu comi": "Ontem eu comi pizza".In the past the verb changes, Mike. "comer" → "eu comi": "Ontem eu comi pizza".
- MikeAh! Ontem eu comi pizza e bebi um suco.Ah! Yesterday I ate pizza and drank a juice.
- LucasIsso! Verbos em -er → "eu -i". E antes disso?That's it! -er verbs → "eu -i". And before that?
- MikeNa semana passada eu viajei para São Paulo.Last week I travelled to São Paulo.
Dialogue
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O fim de semana passado— Last weekend
- BiaLucas, o que você fez no fim de semana?Lucas, what did you do on the weekend?
- LucasNo sábado eu visitei os meus avós e almocei lá.On Saturday I visited my grandparents and had lunch there.
- BiaQue bom! E no domingo?How nice! And on Sunday?
- LucasNo domingo eu comprei um presente e assisti a um jogo. E você?On Sunday I bought a present and watched a game. And you?
- BiaEu trabalhei no sábado, mas no domingo descansei em casa.I worked on Saturday, but on Sunday I rested at home.
- LucasVocê mereceu o descanso!You deserved the rest!
Vocabulary
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- ontem
adverbyesterday
- anteontem
adverbthe day before yesterday
- passado
adjectivelast, past (a semana passada)
- viajar
verbto travel
- comprar
verbto buy
- comer
verbto eat
- beber
verbto drink
- chegar
verbto arrive
- trabalhar
verbto work
- visitar
verbto visit
Grammar
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The pretérito perfeito: the past
Explanation
The pretérito perfeito tells a finished action in the past (comprei = I bought, comi = I ate, viajei = I travelled). The regular endings depend on the conjugation. -AR verbs (comprar): eu comprei, você/ele comprou, nós compramos, eles compraram. -ER verbs (comer): eu comi, você/ele comeu, nós comemos, eles comeram. -IR verbs (abrir): eu abri, você/ele abriu, nós abrimos, eles abriram. Notice the "eu" pattern: -ar → -ei (comprei), -er → -i (comi), -ir → -i (abri); and "você/ele": -ar → -ou (comprou), -er → -eu (comeu), -ir → -iu (abriu). Use with past-time words: "Ontem eu comprei um livro" (yesterday I bought a book), "Na semana passada nós viajamos" (last week we travelled), "Você trabalhou no sábado?" (did you work on Saturday?). The classic mistake: in English, beginners sometimes leave the verb in the present and rely only on the time word ("Yesterday I eat" → "Yesterday I ate"). In Portuguese it is the same: it is NOT enough to add "ontem"; the verb MUST go into the past. "Ontem eu como pizza" ✗ → "Ontem eu comi pizza" ✓.
Examples
- Ontem eu comprei um livro.Yesterday I bought a book.
- Ela viajou para o Rio na semana passada.She travelled to Rio last week.
- Nós comemos pizza ontem à noite.We ate pizza last night.
- Você trabalhou no sábado?Did you work on Saturday?
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