The Past Perfect Tense in Português is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. It's like saying 'I had done something before something else happened.'
Important Points
It is formed using the imperfect tense of the verb 'ter' (to have) plus the past participle of the main verb.
It helps to show the sequence of events in the past.
It is often used with time expressions like 'já' (already), 'antes' (before), and 'nunca' (never).
Examples
Eu já tinha comido quando ele chegou.
Ela nunca tinha visto o mar antes daquela viagem.
Nós tínhamos terminado o trabalho antes do prazo final.
To make a sentence in the Past Perfect Tense, you first use the verb 'ter' in its imperfect form: 'tinha', 'tinhas', 'tinha', 'tínhamos', 'tinham'. Then, you add the past participle of the main verb. For example, 'comer' becomes 'comido'.
Important Points
The past participle often ends in -ado or -ido for regular verbs.
Irregular verbs have unique past participles, like 'escrito' (written) or 'visto' (seen).
The Past Perfect Tense is used in storytelling to set the scene and explain what happened first.