Introduction

Partir means “to leave”, and this page covers exactly one thing: partir 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 partir, 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 partir in the pretérito perfeito. It means to leave and to depart, especially on a journey, and it is completely regular. It is the model verb for the -ir conjugation in the tables of this guide, and it is different from deixar, which means to leave something behind. For example: “Ele partiu para Lisboa ontem.” — “He left for Lisbon.” Everything on this page uses the forms of partir exactly as they are conjugated in the pretérito perfeito, so you can trust every form you see here.

Partir in the Pretérito perfeito — full table

Person Form
eu parti
tu partiste
ele/ela partiu
nós partimos
vós partistes
eles/elas partiram
Gerund: partindo · Past participle: partido
The gerund is partindo, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Partindo para Lisboa, aprendo muito.” — “While leaving for Lisbon, I learn a lot.” The past participle is partido, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho partido 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 partir is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for partir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the pretérito perfeito of partir is formed

The pretérito perfeito of partir has six forms: eu parti, tu partiste, ele partiu, nós partimos, vós partistes, eles partiram. 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. partir is regular in the pretérito perfeito: 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 — the endings never change for a regular verb.

Two things about the pretérito perfeito of partir 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 partido: tenho partido. When the action is one finished event, reach for the simple form first.

Because the pretérito perfeito of partir 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 partir

The pretérito perfeito is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use partir 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 parti para Lisboa ontem.” — “I left for Lisbon.”

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 partiu para Lisboa ontem.” — “He left for Lisbon.”

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 partimos para Lisboa ontem.” — “We left for Lisbon.”

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 partiste para Lisboa ontem.” — “You left for Lisbon.”

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 partiram para Lisboa ontem.” — “They left for Lisbon.”

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 partiu para Lisboa ontem.” — “He left for Lisbon”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Ele partia para Lisboa antigamente.” — “He used to leave for Lisbon”
  • 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 parti para Lisboa ontem.” — “I left for Lisbon”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Eu partia para Lisboa antigamente.” — “I used to leave for Lisbon”
  • 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 partiste para Lisboa ontem.” — “You left for Lisbon”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Tu partias para Lisboa antigamente.” — “You used to leave for Lisbon”
  • 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: partir 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 parti para Lisboa ontem.” — “I left for Lisbon”
  2. “Tu partiste para Lisboa ontem.” — “You left for Lisbon”
  3. “Ele partiu para Lisboa ontem.” — “He left for Lisbon”
  4. “Nós partimos para Lisboa ontem.” — “We left for Lisbon”
  5. “Vós partistes para Lisboa ontem.” — “You left for Lisbon”
  6. “Eles partiram para Lisboa ontem.” — “They left for Lisbon”
  7. “Eu parti para Lisboa ontem.” — “I left for Lisbon”
  8. “Ele partiu para Lisboa ontem.” — “He left for Lisbon”

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

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 partir in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) partiste
    • B) parti
    • C) partiu
    • D) partimos

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

    • A) parti
    • B) partiu
    • C) partiste
    • D) partimos

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

    • A) parti
    • B) partiste
    • C) partimos
    • D) partiu

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

    • A) partimos
    • B) parti
    • C) partiste
    • D) partiu

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

    • A) parti
    • B) partistes
    • C) partiste
    • D) partiu

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

    • A) parti
    • B) partiste
    • C) partiram
    • D) partiu

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

    • A) partiste
    • B) partiu
    • C) partimos
    • D) parti

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

    • A) partiste
    • B) parti
    • C) partiu
    • D) partimos

Answer key

  1. B) parti — the correct form is parti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) partiste — the correct form is partiste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) partiu — the correct form is partiu. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) partimos — the correct form is partimos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) partistes — the correct form is partistes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) partiram — the correct form is partiram. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) parti — the correct form is parti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) partiste — the correct form is partiste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does partir mean in English?

partir means “to leave”. It is a regular -ir verb.

How is the pretérito perfeito of partir formed?

The six pretérito perfeito forms are: eu parti, tu partiste, ele partiu, nós partimos, vós partistes, eles partiram.

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 partir?

The gerund is partindo and the past participle is partido. The perfect tenses use ter + partido.

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