Portuguese Language/Grammar

Times and Aspects There are, in Portuguese, three tenses and several aspects, namely:

• Present, which expresses frequent or commonplace actions.
• Past tense, expressing actions completed in the past, being divided into:
  • Imparfect tense, unfinished actions;
  • Perfect tense, finished actions;
  • Plusperfect preterit, action prior to an already finished one;
• Future, which expresses specific actions that will occur in the future, being divided into:
  • Future of the present, actions that will be performed;
  • Future of the past, actions that could be performed.

In Portuguese, verbs are divided into six modes, according to what they express:

• Indicative, to express facts taken for granted (certainty);
• Conjunctive or subjunctive, to express suppositions (possibility);
• Imperative, to express instructions (order, request, advice);
• Conditional, to express conditions (usually based on assumptions);
• Infinitive, verbal forms that do not express anything autonomous, being divided into:
  • Personal infinitive, in which each form corresponds to a person;
  • Impersonal infinitive, where the form names its verb;

Periphrastic conjugation The periphrastic conjugation refers to non-tenses — let's call it that because, although it is grammatically correct to use any of the forms below, these are not tenses in our grammar.

We can use the periphrastic conjugation to express the following meanings:

• Need - ter de + infinitive ;
• Certainty - haver de + infinitive ;
• Intent - estar para + infinitive ;
• Future realization - verb ir in the present indicative + infinitive of the main verb;
• Close fulfillment - verb estar in the present tense + a + infinitive or verb estar in the present tense + gerund;
• Gradual realization - verb ir in the present tense + gerund;
• Simultaneous event(1) - verb ir in the imperfect tense of the indicative + a + infinitive;
• Simultaneous event(2) - verb estar in the imperfect tense of the indicative + a + infinitive;
• Probability or duty - verb dever in the present tense + infinitive;
• Advice or reflection - verb dever in the imperfect preterite of the indicative + infinitive;