Introduction

Abrir means “to open”, and this page covers exactly one thing: abrir 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 abrir, 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 abrir in the pretérito perfeito. It means to open, and every tense is regular — the only surprise is the past participle, which is aberto, not a regular -ido form, so learn it as a pair with the infinitive: abrir, aberto. Its present is abro, abres, abre, and its pretérito perfeito is abri, abriste, abriu. It is the verb for opening doors, books, shops and conversations. For example: “Ele abriu a porta ontem.” — “He opened the door.” Everything on this page uses the forms of abrir exactly as they are conjugated in the pretérito perfeito, so you can trust every form you see here.

Abrir in the Pretérito perfeito — full table

Person Form
eu abri
tu abriste
ele/ela abriu
nós abrimos
vós abristes
eles/elas abriram
Gerund: abrindo · Past participle: aberto
The gerund is abrindo, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Abrindo a porta, aprendo muito.” — “While opening the door, I learn a lot.” The past participle is aberto, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho aberto 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 abrir is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for abrir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the pretérito perfeito of abrir is formed

The pretérito perfeito of abrir has six forms: eu abri, tu abriste, ele abriu, nós abrimos, vós abristes, eles abriram. 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. abrir 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 abrir 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 aberto: tenho aberto. When the action is one finished event, reach for the simple form first.

Because the pretérito perfeito of abrir 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 abrir

The pretérito perfeito is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use abrir 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 abri a porta ontem.” — “I opened the door.”

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 abriu a porta ontem.” — “He opened the door.”

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 abrimos a porta ontem.” — “We opened the door.”

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 abriste a porta ontem.” — “You opened the door.”

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 abriram a porta ontem.” — “They opened the door.”

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 abriu a porta ontem.” — “He opened the door”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Ele abria a porta antigamente.” — “He used to open the door”
  • 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 abri a porta ontem.” — “I opened the door”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Eu abria a porta antigamente.” — “I used to open the door”
  • 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 abriste a porta ontem.” — “You opened the door”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Tu abrias a porta antigamente.” — “You used to open the door”
  • 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: abrir 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 abri a porta ontem.” — “I opened the door”
  2. “Tu abriste a porta ontem.” — “You opened the door”
  3. “Ele abriu a porta ontem.” — “He opened the door”
  4. “Nós abrimos a porta ontem.” — “We opened the door”
  5. “Vós abristes a porta ontem.” — “You opened the door”
  6. “Eles abriram a porta ontem.” — “They opened the door”
  7. “Eu abri a porta ontem.” — “I opened the door”
  8. “Ele abriu a porta ontem.” — “He opened the door”

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 abro a porta ontem.” Right: “Eu abri a porta ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito abri for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Eu abria a porta ontem.” Right: “Eu abri a porta 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 abri.
  • Wrong: “Eu abriste a porta.” Right: “Eu abri a porta ontem.” Why: The eu form is abri, not abriste. abriste is the tu form. Match the verb to the subject every time.
  • Wrong: “Eu abrir a porta.” Right: “Eu abri a porta ontem.” Why: The infinitive abrir never takes a subject and never forms a past tense on its own. After eu you need the conjugated pretérito perfeito form abri.

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 abrir in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) abriste
    • B) abri
    • C) abriu
    • D) abrimos

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

    • A) abri
    • B) abriu
    • C) abriste
    • D) abrimos

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

    • A) abri
    • B) abriste
    • C) abrimos
    • D) abriu

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

    • A) abrimos
    • B) abri
    • C) abriste
    • D) abriu

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

    • A) abri
    • B) abristes
    • C) abriste
    • D) abriu

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

    • A) abri
    • B) abriste
    • C) abriram
    • D) abriu

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

    • A) abriste
    • B) abriu
    • C) abrimos
    • D) abri

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

    • A) abriste
    • B) abri
    • C) abriu
    • D) abrimos

Answer key

  1. B) abri — the correct form is abri. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) abriste — the correct form is abriste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) abriu — the correct form is abriu. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) abrimos — the correct form is abrimos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) abristes — the correct form is abristes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) abriram — the correct form is abriram. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) abri — the correct form is abri. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) abriste — the correct form is abriste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does abrir mean in English?

abrir means “to open”. It is a irregular -ir verb.

How is the pretérito perfeito of abrir formed?

The six pretérito perfeito forms are: eu abri, tu abriste, ele abriu, nós abrimos, vós abristes, eles abriram.

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 abrir?

The gerund is abrindo and the past participle is aberto. The perfect tenses use ter + aberto.

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