Pretérito Mais-que-Perfeito do Indicativo (Past Perfect / Pluperfect Indicative Tense)
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito do indicativo is used to describe actions that had been completed before another past action.
It appears in two forms: a simple form (more formal/literary) and a compound form (more common in everyday speech).
Mood
The indicative mood expresses actions that are factual and certain.
The pluperfect tense in the indicative mood places an action further back in the past than another past action.
- Indicative mood = certainty, facts, reality
- Pluperfect tense = "past of the past"
1. Simple Pluperfect
Formation
Add the following endings to the verb stem according to its infinitive ending (-ar, -er, -ir):
| Person | AR Verbs | ER Verbs | IR Verbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eu (I) | falara | comera | partira |
| Tu (you, sg.) | falaras | comeras | partiras |
| Ele/Ela/Você | falara | comera | partira |
| Nós (we) | faláramos | comêramos | partíramos |
| Vós (you, pl.) | faláreis | comêreis | partíreis |
| Eles/Elas/Vocês | falaram | comeram | partiram |
Note: This form is mostly found in literature, formal writing, and legal contexts. In speech, the compound form is preferred.
Usage
- To indicate an action completed before another past action:
Quando ele chegou, eu já falara com ela. (When he arrived, I had already spoken with her.) - To narrate sequential past events in formal writing:
Ela dissera a verdade antes de partir. (She had told the truth before leaving.)
2. Compound Pluperfect
Formation
Use the auxiliary verb ter or haver in the pretérito imperfeito do indicativo + the past participle of the main verb.
| Auxiliary | AR Example | ER Example | IR Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ter | tinha falado | tinha comido | tinha partido |
| haver | havia falado | havia comido | havia partido |
| ter (nós) | tínhamos falado | tínhamos comido | tínhamos partido |
| haver (nós) | havíamos falado | havíamos comido | havíamos partido |
Usage
- To indicate an action completed before another past action (most common in speech):
Eu tinha falado com ela antes de ele chegar. (I had spoken with her before he arrived.) - To express hypothetical past situations (often paired with conditionals):
Se ele tivesse chegado mais cedo, eu já teria terminado. (If he had arrived earlier, I would have already finished.)
Irregular Past Participles (for the Compound Form)
Some verbs have irregular past participles that must be memorised:
| Infinitive | Past Participle |
|---|---|
| ser (to be) | sido |
| ver (to see) | visto |
| fazer (to do) | feito |
| escrever (to write) | escrito |
| pôr (to put) | posto |
| dizer (to say) | dito |
Differences Between Brazilian and European Portuguese
- Pronouns and conjugation:
- In BP, você is far more common than tu, and is conjugated like ele/ela:
- BP: Você tinha falado (You had spoken)
- EP: Tu tinhas falado (You had spoken)
- In BP, você is far more common than tu, and is conjugated like ele/ela:
- Simple Form:
- In BP, the simple pluperfect (falara, comera, partira) is almost never used in speech and is rare even in formal writing, replaced almost entirely by the compound form.
- In EP, the simple form is rare in speech but appears in literature and formal documents.
- Compound Form:
- BP uses ter almost exclusively as the auxiliary (tinha falado).
- EP uses both ter and haver, with haver more common in formal contexts.
- Example (BP vs. EP):
- BP: Quando ele chegou, eu já tinha falado com ela.
- EP: Quando ele chegou, eu já falara com ela. (formal) / ... já tinha falado (informal)
Common Time Expressions
- Já (already)
- Antes de (before)
- Quando (when)
- Depois que (after)
Examples
- Simple (EP formal): Quando cheguei, ele já partira. (When I arrived, he had already left.)
- Compound (EP informal / BP default): Nós tínhamos estudado antes do teste. (We had studied before the test.)
