Introduction

Pedir means “to ask for”, and this page covers exactly one thing: pedir 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 pedir, 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 pedir in the pretérito perfeito. It means to ask for something, and it takes a direct object — peço um café. The eu form is peço, with ç, while the other present forms keep the d: pedes, pede, pedimos, pedis, pedem. Its pretérito perfeito is pedi, pediste, pediu, so the past is completely regular. Do not confuse it with perguntar, which means to ask a question of a person. For example: “Ele pediu um café ontem.” — “He asked for a coffee.” Everything on this page uses the forms of pedir exactly as they are conjugated in the pretérito perfeito, so you can trust every form you see here.

Pedir in the Pretérito perfeito — full table

Person Form
eu pedi
tu pediste
ele/ela pediu
nós pedimos
vós pedistes
eles/elas pediram
Gerund: pedindo · Past participle: pedido
The gerund is pedindo, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Pedindo um café, aprendo muito.” — “While asking for a coffee, I learn a lot.” The past participle is pedido, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho pedido 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 pedir is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for pedir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the pretérito perfeito of pedir is formed

The pretérito perfeito of pedir has six forms: eu pedi, tu pediste, ele pediu, nós pedimos, vós pedistes, eles pediram. 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. pedir 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 pedir 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 pedido: tenho pedido. When the action is one finished event, reach for the simple form first.

Because the pretérito perfeito of pedir 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 pedir

The pretérito perfeito is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use pedir 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 pedi um café ontem.” — “I asked for a coffee.”

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 pediu um café ontem.” — “He asked for a coffee.”

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 pedimos um café ontem.” — “We asked for a coffee.”

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 pediste um café ontem.” — “You asked for a coffee.”

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 pediram um café ontem.” — “They asked for a coffee.”

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 pediu um café ontem.” — “He asked for a coffee”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Ele pedia um café antigamente.” — “He used to ask for a coffee”
  • 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 pedi um café ontem.” — “I asked for a coffee”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Eu pedia um café antigamente.” — “I used to ask for a coffee”
  • 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 pediste um café ontem.” — “You asked for a coffee”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Tu pedias um café antigamente.” — “You used to ask for a coffee”
  • 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: pedir 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 pedi um café ontem.” — “I asked for a coffee”
  2. “Tu pediste um café ontem.” — “You asked for a coffee”
  3. “Ele pediu um café ontem.” — “He asked for a coffee”
  4. “Nós pedimos um café ontem.” — “We asked for a coffee”
  5. “Vós pedistes um café ontem.” — “You asked for a coffee”
  6. “Eles pediram um café ontem.” — “They asked for a coffee”
  7. “Eu pedi um café ontem.” — “I asked for a coffee”
  8. “Ele pediu um café ontem.” — “He asked for a coffee”

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

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 pedir in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) pediste
    • B) pedi
    • C) pediu
    • D) pedimos

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

    • A) pedi
    • B) pediu
    • C) pediste
    • D) pedimos

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

    • A) pedi
    • B) pediste
    • C) pedimos
    • D) pediu

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

    • A) pedimos
    • B) pedi
    • C) pediste
    • D) pediu

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

    • A) pedi
    • B) pedistes
    • C) pediste
    • D) pediu

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

    • A) pedi
    • B) pediste
    • C) pediram
    • D) pediu

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

    • A) pediste
    • B) pediu
    • C) pedimos
    • D) pedi

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

    • A) pediste
    • B) pedi
    • C) pediu
    • D) pedimos

Answer key

  1. B) pedi — the correct form is pedi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) pediste — the correct form is pediste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) pediu — the correct form is pediu. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) pedimos — the correct form is pedimos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) pedistes — the correct form is pedistes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) pediram — the correct form is pediram. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) pedi — the correct form is pedi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) pediste — the correct form is pediste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does pedir mean in English?

pedir means “to ask for”. It is a regular -ir verb.

How is the pretérito perfeito of pedir formed?

The six pretérito perfeito forms are: eu pedi, tu pediste, ele pediu, nós pedimos, vós pedistes, eles pediram.

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 pedir?

The gerund is pedindo and the past participle is pedido. The perfect tenses use ter + pedido.

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