Double Past Participles

In this lesson, we’ll have a look at particípios passados duplosdouble past participlesCommunity Slow audio Play audio . ‘Double’ here means that some verbs can take the form of either a regular or an irregular participle, depending on the auxiliary verb being used with them.
Remember those verbs we marked off with an asterisk in the Irregular Participles learning note? They were ganharto win, to earnCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb , gastarto spendCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb , and pagarto payCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb . These are verbs that have double participles. Let’s see them in action:

Ganhar

Eles deviam ter ganhado o campeonato.They should have won the championship.Community Slow audio Play audio
O campeonato foi ganho pela outra equipa.The championship was won by the other team.Community Slow audio Play audio

Gastar

O presidente disse ter gastado muito tempo com os relatórios.The president said he had spent too much time on the reports.Community Slow audio Play audio
Foi gasto muito tempo com os relatórios.Too much time was spent on the reports.Community Slow audio Play audio

Pagar

Os meus patrões têm pagado bem!My bosses have paid me well!Community
Sou bem paga pelos meus patrões!I am paid well by my bosses!Community Slow audio Play audio

When do you use regular participles?

Notice that the sentences above which use terto haveCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb  as the auxiliary verb, employ regular participles, formed by adding ‘-ado‘ to the root of the main -AR verb. Ganhar becomes ter ganhadoto have wonCommunity Slow audio Play audio .  Gastar becomes ter gastadoto have spentCommunity Slow audio Play audio . Pagar becomes ter pagadoto have paidCommunity Slow audio Play audio . The other, less common auxiliary verb that also uses regular past participles is haverto have, to existCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb .
Eles haviam ganhado o torneio.They had won the tournament.Community Slow audio Play audio

When do you use irregular participles?

In contrast, the sentences above which use other auxiliary verbs – in this case, the verb serto be - permanentCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb – use irregular participles. Ganhar becomes ser ganhoto be wonCommunity Slow audio Play audio . Gastar becomes ser gastoto be spentCommunity Slow audio Play audio . Pagar becomes ser pagoto be paidCommunity Slow audio Play audio . Another example of an auxiliary verb that uses irregular past participles is estarto be - temporaryCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb .
O torneio está ganho.The tournament is won.Community Slow audio Play audio
Which verbs have double participles? Much like irregular verbs, there is no pattern or rule for knowing which verbs have double participles – you have to learn them one by one. You can find a few of the most common ones in the following table:

Main Verb	Regular Participle	Irregular Participle
absorverto absorbCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb	absorvidoabsorbedCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine	absortoabsorbedCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine
aceitarto acceptCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb	aceitadoacceptedCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine	aceiteacceptedCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle
agradecerto thankCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb	agradecidothankfulCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine	gratothankfulCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective, Masculine
completarto completeCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb	completadocompleted, completeCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine	completocompleted, completeCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine
entregarto deliverCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb	entregadodeliveredCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle	entreguedeliveredCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle
enxugarto dryCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb	enxugadodried, dryCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle	enxutodried, dryCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective, Masculine
fixarto fix(in place)Community Slow audio Play audio Verb	fixadofixed(in place)Community Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine	fixofixed(in place)Community Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine
ganharto winCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb	ganhadowonCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine	ganhowonCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine
gastarto spendCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb	gastadospentCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Singular, Masculine	gastospentCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Singular, Masculine
imprimirto printCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb	imprimidoprintedCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine	impressoprintedCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective, Singular, Masculine
pagarto payCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb	pagadopaidCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle	pagopaidCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine
limparto cleanCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb	limpadocleaned, cleanCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle	limpocleaned, cleanCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Singular, Masculine
matarto killCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb	matadokilledCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine	mortokilled, deadCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle
sujarto dirtyCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb	sujadodirtied, dirtyCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle	sujodirtied, dirtyCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective, Singular, Masculine

Double the Participles, Double the Trouble

The problem with double participles is that not even native, well-educated Portuguese speakers can always agree on the rules governing the use of double participles. In fact, certain grammatically incorrect forms are widely used. The verbs pagar and ganhar are prime examples of this phenomenon. You may often hear the incorrect forms “ter pago” and “ter ganho”, despite the correct forms being “ter pagado” and “ter ganhado”.
Past participles in Portuguese require a bit more effort to learn, but with a bit of study and practice you’ll soon have all the exceptions memorised. And if someone tries to tell you “ter ganho” is correct, point them towards this lesson! 😉