Simple Past of Ser and Ir in Portuguese

Ejemplo con los verbos Ser e ir en el pretérito perfecto del portugués: Eles foram à Lapa. A aula de Caipirinha foi muito divertida.

What’ up y’all? Smooth sailing? Today’s Dica will teach us the difference between the Simple Past of Ser and Ir in Portuguese.

 

What’s the difference between the Simple Past of Ser and Ir in Portuguese?

To begin our conversation, let’s learn the difference between these two verbs. The verb ser is the verb to be, we use it to talk about things that we were in the past like personality, physical characteristics, etc… We’ll use this verb in this tense to explain things that we were in the past, but we are not anymore.

The verb ir is the verb to go, and we’ll use it to talk about places we’ve been to in the past. It is mostly used to talk about places and movement.

Now, let’s learn the conjugation of the Simple Past of Ser and Ir in Portuguese:

Conjugation of Past Perfect of Ser and Ir in Portuguese. Conjugação do verbo ser e do verbo ir no pretérito perfeito: Eu fui, você foi, ele foi, nós fomos, vocês foram, eles foram.

The verbs Ser and Ir have the same conjugation in the Simple Past. We can see the difference between them by the context in which they are used.

 

Let’s hear the pronunciation?

Verb Ser e Ir Pronunciation
Eu fui
Você / Ele / Ela foi
Nós fomos
Vocês / Eles / Elas foram

Let’s see some examples that show, in context, the difference between the Simple Past of Ser and Ir in Portuguese:

Examples with the verb Ser in the Past

O livro foi interessante
The book was interesting.

O argumento do professor foi muito bom.
The teacher’s argument was very good.

Eu nunca fui assaltado.
I have never been robbed.

Nós fomos bons amigos na escola.
We were good friends at school.

Examples with the verb Ir in the Past

Eles foram para a Europa no ano passado.
They went to Europe last year.

Ele foi para a Dinamarca de férias.
He went to Denmark on vacation.

Ela já foram a São Paulo três vezes.
They went to São Paulo three times.

Eu fui para a Argentina há um ano atrás.
I went to Argentina a year ago.

 

Exercise about Simple Past of Ser and Ir in Portuguese

Now that you’re learning Portuguese online, it’s time to practice! Complete the sentences with the correct conjugation and tell us if you used the verb ser or the verb ir in each case!

  1. Ele ______ presidente do Brasil.
  2. Eu nunca ______ à Lapa.
  3. Eles ______ estudar no Brasil com o visto de estudante.
  4. Elas sempre ______ boas estudantes.
  5. Em 2015 nós ______ aos Estados Unidos.
  6. Ela ______ professora no curso.
  7. Ele já ______ loiro, mas agora é ruivo.
  8. Nós ______ muito tímidos, mas agora somos mais extrovertidos.
  9. Enquanto estudávamos no Rio, nós ______ a todas as Atividades RioLIVE!
  10. Eu ______ à padaria e ao supermercado ontem de manhã.

 

There you go!
We have just learned about the past perfect of Ser and Ir in Portuguese.
Shall we create some examples to practice? Want to talk to us? Come chat on our Facebook page!

Big hug from everyone at Rio & Learn!

 

Ler esta Dica em Português     Leer esta Dica en Español
Click in the links below to see more related Dicas
Verbs ending in AR in the Past
Verbs ending in ER in the past
Past tense of Go in Portuguese
Portuguese Perfect and Imperfect

Answers

  1. Ele foi presidente do Brasil. (Verbo ser)
  2. Eu nunca fui à Lapa. (Verbo ir)
  3. Eles foram estudar no Brasil com o visto de estudante. (Verbo ir)
  4. Elas sempre foram boas estudantes. (Verbo ser)
  5. Em 2015 nós fomos aos Estados Unidos. (Verbo ir)
  6. Ela foi professora no curso. (Verbo ser)
  7. Ele já foi loiro, mas agora é ruivo. (Verbo ser)
  8. Nós fomos muito tímidos, mas agora somos mais extrovertidos. (Verbo ser)
  9. Enquanto estudávamos no Rio, nós fomos a todas as Atividades RioLIVE! (Verbo ir)
  10. Eu fui à padaria e ao supermercado ontem de manhã. (Verbo ir)

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