Introduction

Sorrir means “to smile”, and this page covers exactly one thing: sorrir 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 sorrir, 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 sorrir in the pretérito perfeito. It means to smile, and it is irregular in the present and the subjunctive: the present is sorrio, sorris, sorri, sorrimos, sorrides, sorriem, and the pretérito perfeito is regular — sorri, sorriste, sorriu, sorrimos, sorristes, sorriram. Its participle is sorrido and its gerund is sorrindo. Do not confuse it with rir, which means to laugh. For example: “Ele sorriu para a Maria ontem.” — “He smiled at Maria.” Everything on this page uses the forms of sorrir exactly as they are conjugated in the pretérito perfeito, so you can trust every form you see here.

Sorrir in the Pretérito perfeito — full table

Person Form
eu sorri
tu sorriste
ele/ela sorriu
nós sorrimos
vós sorristes
eles/elas sorriram
Gerund: sorrindo · Past participle: sorrido
The gerund is sorrindo, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Sorrindo para a Maria, aprendo muito.” — “While smiling at Maria, I learn a lot.” The past participle is sorrido, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho sorrido 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 sorrir is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for sorrir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the pretérito perfeito of sorrir is formed

The pretérito perfeito of sorrir has six forms: eu sorri, tu sorriste, ele sorriu, nós sorrimos, vós sorristes, eles sorriram. 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. sorrir 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 sorrir 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 sorrido: tenho sorrido. When the action is one finished event, reach for the simple form first.

Because the pretérito perfeito of sorrir 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 sorrir

The pretérito perfeito is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use sorrir 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 sorri para a Maria ontem.” — “I smiled at Maria.”

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 sorriu para a Maria ontem.” — “He smiled at Maria.”

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 sorrimos para a Maria ontem.” — “We smiled at Maria.”

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 sorriste para a Maria ontem.” — “You smiled at Maria.”

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 sorriram para a Maria ontem.” — “They smiled at Maria.”

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 sorriu para a Maria ontem.” — “He smiled at Maria”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Ele sorria para a Maria antigamente.” — “He used to smile at Maria”
  • 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 sorri para a Maria ontem.” — “I smiled at Maria”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Eu sorria para a Maria antigamente.” — “I used to smile at Maria”
  • 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 sorriste para a Maria ontem.” — “You smiled at Maria”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Tu sorrias para a Maria antigamente.” — “You used to smile at Maria”
  • 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: sorrir 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 sorri para a Maria ontem.” — “I smiled at Maria”
  2. “Tu sorriste para a Maria ontem.” — “You smiled at Maria”
  3. “Ele sorriu para a Maria ontem.” — “He smiled at Maria”
  4. “Nós sorrimos para a Maria ontem.” — “We smiled at Maria”
  5. “Vós sorristes para a Maria ontem.” — “You smiled at Maria”
  6. “Eles sorriram para a Maria ontem.” — “They smiled at Maria”
  7. “Eu sorri para a Maria ontem.” — “I smiled at Maria”
  8. “Ele sorriu para a Maria ontem.” — “He smiled at Maria”

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

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 sorrir in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) sorriste
    • B) sorri
    • C) sorriu
    • D) sorrimos

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

    • A) sorri
    • B) sorriu
    • C) sorriste
    • D) sorrimos

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

    • A) sorri
    • B) sorriste
    • C) sorrimos
    • D) sorriu

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

    • A) sorrimos
    • B) sorri
    • C) sorriste
    • D) sorriu

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

    • A) sorri
    • B) sorristes
    • C) sorriste
    • D) sorriu

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

    • A) sorri
    • B) sorriste
    • C) sorriram
    • D) sorriu

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

    • A) sorriste
    • B) sorriu
    • C) sorrimos
    • D) sorri

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

    • A) sorriste
    • B) sorri
    • C) sorriu
    • D) sorrimos

Answer key

  1. B) sorri — the correct form is sorri. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) sorriste — the correct form is sorriste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) sorriu — the correct form is sorriu. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) sorrimos — the correct form is sorrimos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) sorristes — the correct form is sorristes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) sorriram — the correct form is sorriram. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) sorri — the correct form is sorri. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) sorriste — the correct form is sorriste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does sorrir mean in English?

sorrir means “to smile”. It is a irregular -ir verb.

How is the pretérito perfeito of sorrir formed?

The six pretérito perfeito forms are: eu sorri, tu sorriste, ele sorriu, nós sorrimos, vós sorristes, eles sorriram.

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 sorrir?

The gerund is sorrindo and the past participle is sorrido. The perfect tenses use ter + sorrido.

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