Introduction

Ter means “to have”, and this page covers exactly one thing: ter 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 ter, 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 ter in the pretérito perfeito. It expresses possession, and it is also the verb Portuguese uses for age, hunger, thirst and many physical states, where English uses “to be”. It is the auxiliary verb for every compound tense in Portuguese, so learning its forms pays off in every perfect tense. Note the present: tenho, tens, tem, temos, tendes, têm — the ele form tem and the eles form têm differ only by the accent. For example: “Ele teve um livro ontem.” — “He had a book.” Everything on this page uses the forms of ter exactly as they are conjugated in the pretérito perfeito, so you can trust every form you see here.

Ter in the Pretérito perfeito — full table

Person Form
eu tive
tu tiveste
ele/ela teve
nós tivemos
vós tivestes
eles/elas tiveram
Gerund: tendo · Past participle: tido
The gerund is tendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Tendo um livro, aprendo muito.” — “While having a book, I learn a lot.” The past participle is tido, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho tido 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 ter is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for ter, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the pretérito perfeito of ter is formed

The pretérito perfeito of ter has six forms: eu tive, tu tiveste, ele teve, nós tivemos, vós tivestes, eles tiveram. 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. ter is irregular in the pretérito perfeito, so the six forms have to be learnt as a set instead of derived from the infinitive. The stem changes completely in this tense, and no rule predicts the forms — learn them whole, starting with eu and ele, the two forms you will use most.

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

Because the pretérito perfeito of ter 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 ter

The pretérito perfeito is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use ter 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 tive um livro ontem.” — “I had a book.”

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 teve um livro ontem.” — “He had a book.”

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 tivemos um livro ontem.” — “We had a book.”

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 tiveste um livro ontem.” — “You had a book.”

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 tiveram um livro ontem.” — “They had a book.”

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 teve um livro ontem.” — “He had a book”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Ele tinha um livro antigamente.” — “He used to have a book”
  • 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 tive um livro ontem.” — “I had a book”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Eu tinha um livro antigamente.” — “I used to have a book”
  • 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 tiveste um livro ontem.” — “You had a book”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Tu tinhas um livro antigamente.” — “You used to have a book”
  • 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: ter 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 tive um livro ontem.” — “I had a book”
  2. “Tu tiveste um livro ontem.” — “You had a book”
  3. “Ele teve um livro ontem.” — “He had a book”
  4. “Nós tivemos um livro ontem.” — “We had a book”
  5. “Vós tivestes um livro ontem.” — “You had a book”
  6. “Eles tiveram um livro ontem.” — “They had a book”
  7. “Eu tive um livro ontem.” — “I had a book”
  8. “Ele teve um livro ontem.” — “He had a book”

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

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 ter in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) tiveste
    • B) tive
    • C) teve
    • D) tivemos

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

    • A) tive
    • B) teve
    • C) tiveste
    • D) tivemos

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

    • A) tive
    • B) tiveste
    • C) tivemos
    • D) teve

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

    • A) tivemos
    • B) tive
    • C) tiveste
    • D) teve

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

    • A) tive
    • B) tivestes
    • C) tiveste
    • D) teve

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

    • A) tive
    • B) tiveste
    • C) tiveram
    • D) teve

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

    • A) tiveste
    • B) teve
    • C) tivemos
    • D) tive

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

    • A) tiveste
    • B) tive
    • C) teve
    • D) tivemos

Answer key

  1. B) tive — the correct form is tive. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tiveste — the correct form is tiveste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) teve — the correct form is teve. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) tivemos — the correct form is tivemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) tivestes — the correct form is tivestes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) tiveram — the correct form is tiveram. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) tive — the correct form is tive. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) tiveste — the correct form is tiveste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does ter mean in English?

ter means “to have”. It is a irregular -er verb.

How is the pretérito perfeito of ter formed?

The six pretérito perfeito forms are: eu tive, tu tiveste, ele teve, nós tivemos, vós tivestes, eles tiveram.

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 ter?

The gerund is tendo and the past participle is tido. The perfect tenses use ter + tido.

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