Double Past Participles
You already know how to form regular past participles by adding -ado or -ido to a verb. However, a special group of verbs has particípios duplos (double past participles). These verbs have both a regular, longer form and an irregular, shorter form.
The rule for choosing which one to use is entirely based on the auxiliary (helper) verb in the sentence:
- Use the regular form with ter (to have) for active compound tenses, like the Past Perfect Compound.
- Use the irregular form with ser (to be) or estar (to be) for passive sentences, or when using the participle purely as an adjective.
Let's see this in action with the verb suspender (to suspend). It has the regular form suspendido and the irregular form suspenso:
| The director had suspended the file. | O diretor tinha suspendido o processo. |
| The file is suspended, which is a problem. | O processo está suspenso, o que é um problema. |
Essential Double Participles
Here are the most common verbs with double participles that you will encounter when dealing with bureaucracy and documents.
| Infinitive | Regular (with ter) | Irregular (with ser / estar) |
|---|---|---|
| suspender (to suspend) | suspendido | suspenso |
| isentar (to exempt) | isentado | isento |
| entregar (to deliver) | entregado | entregue |
| imprimir (to print) | imprimido | impresso |
| aceitar (to accept) | aceitado | aceite |
Note: Because the irregular forms are used with "ser" or "estar", they act like adjectives. This means their endings must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe (e.g., *isento, isenta, isentos, isentas). The regular form used with "ter" always remains unchanged.*
Forms in Action
Here is how these double participles look in everyday administrative contexts, switching between the active voice and passive or descriptive states.
Isentar (to exempt):
| They had exempted the client from the fee. | Eles tinham isentado o cliente da taxa. |
| The original is exempt from taxes. | O original está isento de impostos. |
Entregar (to deliver):
| We had delivered the original to the clerk. | Nós tínhamos entregado o original ao funcionário. |
| The stamp was delivered yesterday. | O carimbo foi entregue ontem. |
| The delivered document has a stamp. | O documento entregue tem um carimbo. |
Imprimir (to print) and Aceitar (to accept):
| I had printed the file while you were reading. | Eu tinha imprimido o processo enquanto tu lias. |
| The printed application is on the desk. | O requerimento impresso está na secretária. |
| I had accepted the bureaucracy. | Eu tinha aceitado a burocracia. |
| He gives what is accepted. | Ele dá aquilo que está aceite. |