Cumulative Actions up to the Present
To express an action gradually accumulating up to the present moment, Portuguese uses ter vindo a followed by an infinitive. This translates naturally to "has been [verb]-ing" in English and is especially useful for describing ongoing trends.
| Inflation has been increasing more and more. | A inflação tem vindo a aumentar cada vez mais. |
Using the Subjunctive
Phrases expressing emotion or opinion, like É triste que (It is sad that) or É bom que (It is good that), trigger the subjunctive mood. In this case, conjugate ter in the present subjunctive (e.g., tenha or tenham).
| It is sad that inflation has been destroying the economy. | É triste que a inflação tenha vindo a destruir a economia. |
| It is good that poverty has been decreasing. | É bom que a pobreza tenha vindo a diminuir. |
Discussing Economic Trends
Verbs like encarecer (to get more expensive) inherently express a process of change, pairing perfectly with this cumulative structure to discuss the cost of living and economic trends.
| The cost of bread has been going up every month. | O custo do pão tem vindo a subir todos os meses. |
| Housing has been getting more expensive. | A habitação tem vindo a encarecer. |
Reflexive Verbs and Negation
With reflexive verbs like agravar-se (to worsen), the pronoun typically attaches to the end of the infinitive in affirmative sentences.
| The crisis has been worsening more and more. | A crise tem vindo a agravar-se cada vez mais. |
However, negative words like não pull the pronoun to the front, placing it immediately before the conjugated verb ter.
| The problem has not been worsening. | O problema não se tem vindo a agravar. |
