Introduction

Ouvir means “to hear”, and this page covers exactly one thing: ouvir in the pretérito perfeito. The pretérito perfeito is the tense Portuguese speakers reach for when they talk about one finished action in the past, especially in conversation. On this page you will find the full pretérito perfeito table for ouvir, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the pretérito imperfeito, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about ouvir in the pretérito perfeito. It means to hear and to listen, and one verb covers both senses in Portuguese, where English splits them. Its present is irregular — ouço, ouves, ouve, ouvimos, ouvis, ouvem — while the rest of the conjugation is regular. For example: “Ele ouviu música ontem.” — “He heard music.” Everything on this page uses the forms of ouvir exactly as they are conjugated in the pretérito perfeito, so you can trust every form you see here.

Ouvir in the Pretérito perfeito — full table

Person Form
eu ouvi
tu ouviste
ele/ela ouviu
nós ouvimos
vós ouvistes
eles/elas ouviram
Gerund: ouvindo · Past participle: ouvido
The gerund is ouvindo, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Ouvindo música, aprendo muito.” — “While hearing music, I learn a lot.” The past participle is ouvido, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho ouvido is the pretérito perfeito composto, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the pretérito perfeito is only one part of how ouvir is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for ouvir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the pretérito perfeito of ouvir is formed

The pretérito perfeito of ouvir has six forms: eu ouvi, tu ouviste, ele ouviu, nós ouvimos, vós ouvistes, eles ouviram. The participle is given here in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table. ouvir is irregular in other tenses, but its pretérito perfeito follows the regular endings: the -ar endings are -ei, -aste, -ou, -ámos, -astes, -aram, and the -er and -ir endings are -i, -este, -eu, -emos, -estes, -eram. Learn the six forms as a set and the tense is yours.

Two things about the pretérito perfeito of ouvir are worth noticing. First, it is the tense of finished events with a clear result, so it pairs naturally with time words such as ontem, esta semana and no ano passado — those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense. Second, it is a simple tense, built from one word, unlike the pretérito perfeito composto, which needs ter plus the participle ouvido: tenho ouvido. When the action is one finished event, reach for the simple form first.

Because the pretérito perfeito of ouvir is one word per person, it is cheap to learn once the six forms are fixed. Learn them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and say each one with a time word, so the tense and its time words are learnt together.

When to use the pretérito perfeito of ouvir

The pretérito perfeito is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use ouvir in the pretérito perfeito most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. One finished action

The pretérito perfeito describes a single action that is finished, especially in spoken Portuguese. When the action has a clear end, the pretérito perfeito is the natural choice. Example: “Eu ouvi música ontem.” — “I heard music.”

2. Recent events

Use the pretérito perfeito for things that happened recently — today, this week, this morning — where the result is still visible in the present. Example: “Ele ouviu música ontem.” — “He heard music.”

3. A sequence of events

When you tell what happened first, second and third, each step takes the pretérito perfeito. The tense moves the story forward one finished action at a time. Example: “Nós ouvimos música ontem.” — “We heard music.”

4. An experience in your life

Use the pretérito perfeito for things you have done in your life, with or without a time expression. It is the tense of experience as much as of yesterday. Example: “Tu ouviste música ontem.” — “You heard music.”

5. News and results

When you report news or a result, the pretérito perfeito carries it: something happened, and now the situation is different. The result matters more than the process. Example: “Eles ouviram música ontem.” — “They heard music.”

Pretérito Perfeito vs Pretérito Imperfeito: how to choose

The closest tense to the pretérito perfeito is the pretérito imperfeito, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the pretérito perfeito describes one finished action, while the pretérito imperfeito describes an ongoing or habitual action in the past, or the background of a scene. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the pretérito perfeito sentences use words such as ontem or esta semana, while the pretérito imperfeito sentences use antigamente or todos os dias.

  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele ouviu música ontem.” — “He heard music”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Ele ouvia música antigamente.” — “He used to hear music”
  • The pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event; the pretérito imperfeito sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu ouvi música ontem.” — “I heard music”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Eu ouvia música antigamente.” — “I used to hear music”
  • The pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event; the pretérito imperfeito sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu ouviste música ontem.” — “You heard music”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Tu ouvias música antigamente.” — “You used to hear music”
  • The pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event; the pretérito imperfeito sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.

Example sentences: ouvir in the pretérito perfeito

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Eu ouvi música ontem.” — “I heard music”
  2. “Tu ouviste música ontem.” — “You heard music”
  3. “Ele ouviu música ontem.” — “He heard music”
  4. “Nós ouvimos música ontem.” — “We heard music”
  5. “Vós ouvistes música ontem.” — “You heard music”
  6. “Eles ouviram música ontem.” — “They heard music”
  7. “Eu ouvi música ontem.” — “I heard music”
  8. “Ele ouviu música ontem.” — “He heard music”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Eu ouço música ontem.” Right: “Eu ouvi música ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito ouvi for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Eu ouvia música ontem.” Right: “Eu ouvi música ontem.” Why: The pretérito imperfeito describes an ongoing or habitual past action, not one finished event. For a single finished action yesterday, use the pretérito perfeito ouvi.
  • Wrong: “Eu ouviste música.” Right: “Eu ouvi música ontem.” Why: The eu form is ouvi, not ouviste. ouviste is the tu form. Match the verb to the subject every time.
  • Wrong: “Eu ouvir música.” Right: “Eu ouvi música ontem.” Why: The infinitive ouvir never takes a subject and never forms a past tense on its own. After eu you need the conjugated pretérito perfeito form ouvi.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the eu form of ouvir in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) ouviste
    • B) ouvi
    • C) ouviu
    • D) ouvimos

  2. What is the tu form of ouvir in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) ouvi
    • B) ouviu
    • C) ouviste
    • D) ouvimos

  3. What is the ele/ela form of ouvir in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) ouvi
    • B) ouviste
    • C) ouvimos
    • D) ouviu

  4. What is the nós form of ouvir in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) ouvimos
    • B) ouvi
    • C) ouviste
    • D) ouviu

  5. What is the vós form of ouvir in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) ouvi
    • B) ouvistes
    • C) ouviste
    • D) ouviu

  6. What is the eles/elas form of ouvir in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) ouvi
    • B) ouviste
    • C) ouviram
    • D) ouviu

  7. What is the eu form of ouvir in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) ouviste
    • B) ouviu
    • C) ouvimos
    • D) ouvi

  8. What is the tu form of ouvir in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) ouviste
    • B) ouvi
    • C) ouviu
    • D) ouvimos

Answer key

  1. B) ouvi — the correct form is ouvi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ouviste — the correct form is ouviste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) ouviu — the correct form is ouviu. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) ouvimos — the correct form is ouvimos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) ouvistes — the correct form is ouvistes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) ouviram — the correct form is ouviram. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) ouvi — the correct form is ouvi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) ouviste — the correct form is ouviste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does ouvir mean in English?

ouvir means “to hear”. It is a irregular -ir verb.

How is the pretérito perfeito of ouvir formed?

The six pretérito perfeito forms are: eu ouvi, tu ouviste, ele ouviu, nós ouvimos, vós ouvistes, eles ouviram.

When do I use the pretérito perfeito instead of the pretérito imperfeito?

Use the pretérito perfeito for one finished action in the past. Use the pretérito imperfeito for an ongoing or habitual past action, or for background description. The time words are your best clue: ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.

What are the gerund and past participle of ouvir?

The gerund is ouvindo and the past participle is ouvido. The perfect tenses use ter + ouvido.

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