Past Tense

Jéssica is upset after a fight with her best friend Daniela.

In the Simple Past 2 unit we practiced with some of the most common irregular Portuguese verbs in the simple past (pretérito perfeito do indicativo): ir, ser, estar, dar, and querer.  Now let’s continue with a few more!

Damiana and Rui chat about what they like to do during different seasons of the year in Portugal. (Recorded in September 2024)

Damiana catches a thief in the office!

In today’s Shorty, we’ll answer the simple question, “What did you do yesterday?”, using the Portuguese simple past tense (pretérito perfeito), as well as the past continuous tense (pretérito imperfeito).

Two customers, Francisca and André, share their conflicting opinions about a new cat café called “O Gatedo”.

During summer festivals in the Algarve, many crowds have been captivated by the music of Humberto Silva, Portuguese singer and accordion player. After interviewing the musician, Lena Strang shares his story with us through this Portuguese adaptation of her article.

A man talks about what he did yesterday and today. Notice how different forms of the past tense are used throughout the story.

Nuno talks to Helena about her sleeping problem.

Rivals Joaquim and Rita catch up and discuss their careers. How many Portuguese-English cognates do you notice throughout their dialogue?

Four punishments in one day?! Note: pôr de castigo basically means to punish (someone). In this Shorty, the phrase takes on a few different meanings given the different contexts (detention, time-out, grounded, etc.).

Martim finds his calling. Verbs practice: irregular Portuguese verbs in the simple past tense (pretérito perfeito).

Sofia and André talk about everything they did yesterday with their friends. Notice how different forms of the past tense are used throughout the dialogue.

A brother and sister reminisce on happy memories before clearing out their parents’ home.

A man spends the day at the mechanic.

After inheriting her grandparents’ cherished home, Matilde decides to do some renovations.

Rodrigo reminisces about his favourite tavern: Tasquinha do Zé Pipo. Notice how the imperfeito do indicativo (past continuous) is used throughout the dialogue.

After almost a decade of Practice Portuguese, it’s time for us to move onto the next phase…

The arrival of spring reminds Rita of the weekends spent at her grandparents’ farm. As you hear about her favourite memories, you can practice your “R” pronunciation and the pretérito imperfeito do indicativo tense.

In today’s European Portuguese Listening Practice, a brother confronts his sister about an exciting job offer she has been keeping a secret. Why has she been trying to hide it from everyone? 🚀 Explore the difference between the verbs dizer, falar, and contar.

Jorge tells Rute about all the bad luck he’s had lately. As a pronunciation challenge, see if you can notice all the similar sounding words (i.e. Minimal Pairs) spread throughout the dialogue.

Adriana tells Nuno about how her last relationship ended. Verbs practice: irregular verbs in the simple past

Explore the difference between the verbs dizer, falar, and contar in this dialogue between a brother and sister.

Jorge tells Soraia about meeting up with an old “friend” over the weekend. Notice the use of many regular and irregular verbs in the simple past tense.