Participles in Portuguese Grammar with Examples

Introduction

Participles are essential building blocks in Portuguese grammar that every learner must master. These versatile verb forms serve multiple functions: they help create compound tenses, act as adjectives, and form the passive voice. Understanding participles opens the door to expressing complex ideas, describing states of being, and communicating with greater precision in Portuguese.

What Are Participles in Portuguese Grammar?

A particípio (participle) is a non-finite verb form that bridges the gap between verbs and adjectives. In Portuguese, particípios are primarily used in three ways: forming compound tenses with auxiliary verbs, functioning as adjectives to describe nouns, and constructing passive voice sentences.

Unlike finite verbs that change according to person and number, particípios have limited inflection. They typically agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify when used as adjectives, but remain invariable when forming compound tenses with the auxiliary verb ter (to have).

Regular Participles: Formation and Patterns

Regular particípios in Portuguese follow predictable patterns based on verb conjugation groups. The Portuguese language has three main verb conjugations, identified by their infinitive endings: -ar, -er, and -ir.

Forming Regular Participles from -AR Verbs

Verbs ending in -ar form their particípios by replacing the infinitive ending with -ado. This is the most common pattern in Portuguese, as -ar verbs represent the largest conjugation group.

Examples:
falar (to speak) → falado (spoken)
trabalhar (to work) → trabalhado (worked)
estudar (to study) → estudado (studied)
comprar (to buy) → comprado (bought)
amar (to love) → amado (loved)

When used in sentences, these particípios maintain their form in compound tenses but change to agree with nouns when functioning as adjectives. For instance: Ele tem falado muito (He has spoken a lot) uses the invariable form, while As palavras faladas foram claras (The spoken words were clear) shows gender and number agreement.

Forming Regular Participles from -ER Verbs

Verbs ending in -er create their particípios by replacing the infinitive ending with -ido. This pattern applies to numerous common Portuguese verbs.

Examples:
comer (to eat) → comido (eaten)
beber (to drink) → bebido (drunk)
vender (to sell) → vendido (sold)
correr (to run) → corrido (run)
entender (to understand) → entendido (understood)

Forming Regular Participles from -IR Verbs

Verbs ending in -ir also form their particípios using the -ido ending, identical to -er verbs. This makes memorizing these patterns more manageable for learners.

Examples:
partir (to leave/depart) → partido (left/departed)
dormir (to sleep) → dormido (slept)
decidir (to decide) → decidido (decided)
abrir (to open) → aberto (opened) – Note: This is actually irregular
vestir (to wear/dress) → vestido (worn/dressed)

Irregular Participles: Common Exceptions

While regular patterns make learning straightforward, Portuguese has numerous irregular particípios that must be memorized. These irregularities often exist because the verbs are frequently used, and language tends to preserve older forms for common words.

Frequently Used Irregular Participles

Some of the most essential verbs in Portuguese have irregular particípios that don’t follow the standard -ado or -ido patterns:

abrir (to open) → aberto (opened)
cobrir (to cover) → coberto (covered)
dizer (to say) → dito (said)
escrever (to write) → escrito (written)
fazer (to do/make) → feito (done/made)
pôr (to put) → posto (put)
ver (to see) → visto (seen)
vir (to come) → vindo (come)

These irregular forms appear constantly in everyday Portuguese. Mastering them early accelerates your ability to communicate naturally and understand native speakers.

Compound Verbs with Irregular Participles

Verbs derived from irregular verbs typically maintain the same irregular particípio pattern. This consistency helps learners predict forms once they know the base verb.

Examples:
descrever (to describe) → descrito (described) – from escrever
descobrir (to discover) → descoberto (discovered) – from cobrir
refazer (to redo) → refeito (redone) – from fazer
prever (to foresee) → previsto (foreseen) – from ver
repor (to replace) → reposto (replaced) – from pôr

Double Participles: A Unique Portuguese Feature

One fascinating aspect of Portuguese grammar is the existence of particípios duplos (double participles) – verbs that possess both a regular and an irregular participle form. This phenomenon occurs with approximately a dozen verbs and follows specific usage rules.

Usage Rules for Double Participles

When a verb has double particípios, the choice between forms depends on the auxiliary verb and construction:

The regular form (ending in -ado or -ido) is used with the auxiliary verbs ter (to have) and haver (to have, formal) to form compound tenses.

The irregular form is used with the auxiliary verbs ser (to be) and estar (to be) to form passive voice constructions and as adjectives.

Common Verbs with Double Participles

aceitar (to accept) → aceitado (with ter/haver) / aceito (with ser/estar)
Example: Ele tinha aceitado o convite (He had accepted the invitation)
Example: O convite foi aceito por ele (The invitation was accepted by him)

entregar (to deliver) → entregado / entregue
Example: Nós tínhamos entregado o pacote (We had delivered the package)
Example: O pacote foi entregue ontem (The package was delivered yesterday)

ganhar (to win/earn) → ganhado / ganho
Example: Ela tem ganhado muitos prêmios (She has won many prizes)
Example: O prêmio foi ganho por ela (The prize was won by her)

gastar (to spend) → gastado / gasto
pagar (to pay) → pagado / pago
pegar (to catch/grab) → pegado / pego
salvar (to save) → salvado / salvo
soltar (to release) → soltado / solto

Using Participles in Compound Tenses

The primary function of particípios is forming compound verb tenses. In Portuguese, compound tenses combine an auxiliary verb with a particípio to express completed actions, ongoing processes with results, or states that continue from the past.

The Present Perfect Tense

The pretérito perfeito composto (present perfect) combines the present tense of ter with a particípio. This tense describes actions that began in the past and continue to the present, or repeated actions.

Formation: ter (present) + particípio

Examples:
Eu tenho estudado português todos os dias (I have been studying Portuguese every day)
Ela tem trabalhado muito ultimamente (She has been working a lot lately)
Nós temos comido bem (We have been eating well)
Eles têm viajado para o Brasil (They have been traveling to Brazil)

The Past Perfect Tense

The pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto (past perfect or pluperfect) uses the imperfect tense of ter with a particípio. This construction indicates an action completed before another past action.

Formation: ter (imperfect) + particípio

Examples:
Eu tinha terminado o trabalho quando ele chegou (I had finished the work when he arrived)
Ela tinha saído antes da festa começar (She had left before the party started)
Nós tínhamos visto o filme antes (We had seen the movie before)
Eles tinham comido quando chegamos (They had eaten when we arrived)

The Future Perfect Tense

The futuro do presente composto (future perfect) combines the future tense of ter with a particípio to describe actions that will be completed by a specific future time.

Formation: ter (future) + particípio

Examples:
Eu terei terminado até amanhã (I will have finished by tomorrow)
Ela terá chegado antes de nós (She will have arrived before us)
Nós teremos aprendido muito (We will have learned a lot)
Eles terão partido quando você chegar (They will have left when you arrive)

Participles as Adjectives

Beyond forming compound tenses, particípios frequently function as adjectives in Portuguese. When used this way, they must agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify, just like regular adjectives.

Gender and Number Agreement

The basic particípio form is masculine singular. To create other forms, follow these patterns:

Masculine singular: -ado, -ido (base form)
Feminine singular: -ada, -ida
Masculine plural: -ados, -idos
Feminine plural: -adas, -idas

Examples with cansado (tired):
O homem cansado (the tired man) – masculine singular
A mulher cansada (the tired woman) – feminine singular
Os homens cansados (the tired men) – masculine plural
As mulheres cansadas (the tired women) – feminine plural

Common Adjectival Participles

Many particípios are so frequently used as adjectives that they’re often learned as standalone adjectives rather than verb forms:

aberto (open): A porta está aberta (The door is open)
fechado (closed): As janelas estão fechadas (The windows are closed)
quebrado (broken): O copo está quebrado (The glass is broken)
perdido (lost): Estou perdido (I am lost)
ocupado (busy/occupied): Ela está muito ocupada (She is very busy)
organizado (organized): Meu quarto está organizado (My room is organized)
preparado (prepared): Estamos preparados para o exame (We are prepared for the exam)

Forming the Passive Voice with Participles

The voz passiva (passive voice) in Portuguese is constructed using the auxiliary verb ser (to be) combined with a particípio. In passive constructions, the particípio acts as an adjective and must agree with the subject in gender and number.

Basic Passive Voice Structure

Formation: ser (conjugated) + particípio (agreeing with subject)

Active voice: O professor corrigiu as provas (The teacher corrected the tests)
Passive voice: As provas foram corrigidas pelo professor (The tests were corrected by the teacher)

Active voice: A empresa contratou novos funcionários (The company hired new employees)
Passive voice: Novos funcionários foram contratados pela empresa (New employees were hired by the company)

Passive Voice in Different Tenses

The tense of the passive voice is determined by conjugating the auxiliary verb ser while the particípio maintains agreement with the subject:

Present: O livro é lido por muitas pessoas (The book is read by many people)
Past: A casa foi construída em 1990 (The house was built in 1990)
Future: Os resultados serão anunciados amanhã (The results will be announced tomorrow)
Imperfect: As cartas eram enviadas toda semana (The letters were sent every week)

Participles with Estar: Expressing States

While ser creates the passive voice focusing on actions, estar combined with particípios describes resulting states or conditions. This distinction is crucial for expressing yourself accurately in Portuguese.

With ser (action/process): A janela foi aberta pelo vento (The window was opened by the wind) – emphasis on the action
With estar (resulting state): A janela está aberta (The window is open) – emphasis on the current state

Additional examples:
O trabalho está terminado (The work is finished) – state
As crianças estão cansadas (The children are tired) – condition
A comida está pronta (The food is ready) – state
Os documentos estão organizados (The documents are organized) – condition

Absolute Participle Constructions

Portuguese uses construções absolutas (absolute constructions) with particípios to create concise, elegant expressions. These structures provide additional information about circumstances, causes, or conditions without requiring full clauses.

Examples:
Terminado o trabalho, fomos para casa (The work finished, we went home)
Resolvido o problema, todos ficaram felizes (The problem solved, everyone was happy)
Chegados ao hotel, descansamos um pouco (Having arrived at the hotel, we rested a bit)
Feita a tarefa, ela saiu (The task done, she left)

These constructions are more common in formal writing and literary Portuguese but understanding them enhances reading comprehension and stylistic range.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Learning particípios involves navigating several potential pitfalls. Being aware of common errors helps you develop accurate usage patterns from the start.

Agreement Errors

Forgetting to make particípios agree when used as adjectives or in passive voice is a frequent mistake:

Incorrect: As meninas está cansado
Correct: As meninas estão cansadas (The girls are tired)

Incorrect: Os livros foram comprado ontem
Correct: Os livros foram comprados ontem (The books were bought yesterday)

Using Wrong Participle Forms with Double Participles

Mixing up regular and irregular forms with double participle verbs creates unnatural Portuguese:

Incorrect: O pacote foi entregado pelo correio
Correct: O pacote foi entregue pelo correio (The package was delivered by the post office)

Incorrect: Ela tem ganho muitos prêmios
Correct: Ela tem ganhado muitos prêmios (She has won many prizes)

Confusing Ser and Estar with Participles

Using ser when estar is appropriate (or vice versa) changes meaning significantly:

A porta foi aberta às 9h (The door was opened at 9am) – action, use ser
A porta está aberta (The door is open) – state, use estar

Practical Tips for Mastering Participles

Developing fluency with particípios requires consistent practice and strategic learning approaches. Here are effective methods to internalize these essential forms:

Create Personalized Example Lists

Build your own collection of particípios from verbs you frequently use. Write sentences using each form in different contexts: compound tenses, as adjectives, and in passive voice. Personal examples stick better than abstract lists.

Practice Agreement Patterns

Take several particípios and practice declining them through all gender and number combinations. Write complete sentences for each variation to reinforce the pattern in context.

Read Authentic Portuguese Texts

Exposure to native Portuguese writing helps you internalize natural particípio usage. News articles, blogs, and literature showcase how these forms function in real communication. Notice patterns and contexts where different constructions appear.

Focus on High-Frequency Irregular Forms

Prioritize memorizing the irregular particípios of common verbs like fazer, ver, dizer, and escrever. These appear constantly in daily Portuguese, so mastering them early provides immediate returns.

Use Flashcards for Double Participles

Create flashcards specifically for verbs with double particípios, including the usage rule on each card. Regular review prevents confusion between the regular and irregular forms.

Cultural Notes on Participle Usage

Understanding how native speakers actually use particípios goes beyond grammar rules. Regional variations and informal speech patterns provide valuable insights into authentic communication.

Brazilian Portuguese Preferences

In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, compound tenses with ter are extremely common and often preferred over simple past tenses for recent actions. You’ll hear Eu tenho estudado muito (I have been studying a lot) more frequently than in formal writing.

The present perfect with ter conveys ongoing or repeated actions, while the simple preterite indicates completed actions: Eu estudei ontem (I studied yesterday) versus Eu tenho estudado todos os dias (I have been studying every day).

Formal Versus Informal Contexts

Absolute participle constructions and certain passive voice structures appear more in formal writing, journalism, and academic texts. In casual conversation, Brazilians often prefer active voice constructions or alternative phrasings.

Formal: Concluído o projeto, a equipe celebrou (The project concluded, the team celebrated)
Informal: Quando o projeto foi concluído, a equipe celebrou (When the project was concluded, the team celebrated)

Advanced Applications of Participles

As you progress in Portuguese, you’ll encounter more sophisticated uses of particípios that add nuance and style to communication.

Participles in Conditional Structures

Compound conditional tenses use particípios to express hypothetical situations in the past:

Eu teria viajado se tivesse tempo (I would have traveled if I had time)
Ela teria comprado a casa se tivesse dinheiro (She would have bought the house if she had money)

Participles in Subjunctive Mood

The perfect subjunctive combines the subjunctive of ter with particípios for hypothetical or uncertain completed actions:

Espero que ele tenha chegado bem (I hope he has arrived safely)
Duvido que eles tenham terminado o trabalho (I doubt they have finished the work)

Exercises to Practice Participles

Regular practice solidifies your understanding and builds automaticity with particípios. Try these exercises independently or with a language partner.

Transformation Exercises

Convert active voice sentences to passive voice, paying attention to particípio agreement:

Active: O chef preparou a comida
Passive: A comida foi preparada pelo chef

Tense Formation Practice

Take a regular verb and create sentences using its particípio in present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect tenses. This reinforces both particípio forms and auxiliary verb conjugations.

Agreement Drills

Write sentences using the same particípio as an adjective with nouns of different genders and numbers. This builds awareness of agreement patterns naturally.

Resources for Continued Learning

Expanding your particípio knowledge requires quality learning materials and consistent exposure to Portuguese.

Portuguese grammar books specifically covering verb conjugations provide comprehensive reference material. Online conjugation tools allow you to quickly check regular and irregular particípios for any verb. Language exchange platforms connect you with native speakers who can provide feedback on your particípio usage in conversation.

Portuguese podcasts and videos expose you to natural speech patterns where compound tenses and adjectival particípios appear constantly. Watching Brazilian television series with Portuguese subtitles helps you notice how particípios function in authentic dialogue.

Mobile apps with grammar exercises often include specific sections on participles and compound tenses. Regular practice through these platforms builds recognition and production skills gradually.

Conclusion

Mastering particípios in Portuguese grammar unlocks sophisticated expression and deeper comprehension. These versatile forms appear throughout the language in compound tenses, adjectival uses, and passive constructions. With dedicated practice, attention to agreement patterns, and exposure to authentic Portuguese, you’ll develop natural fluency with participles and significantly enhance your overall Portuguese communication abilities.