The simple past tense (Pretérito Perfeito Simples) of the core verbs ter (to have), estar (to be), poder (to be able to), and saber (to know) is highly irregular.
While their stems change dramatically, notice that they all share similar endings. Pay special attention to the eu and ele/ela/você forms. For saber, they are identical. For the others, the root vowel changes slightly between the first and third person (e.g., tive vs. teve).
| Pronoun | Ter (to have) | Estar (to be) | Poder (to be able to) | Saber (to know) |
|---|
| Eu | tive | estive | pude | soube |
| Tu | tiveste | estiveste | pudeste | soubeste |
| Ele / Ela / Você | teve | esteve | pôde | soube |
| Nós | tivemos | estivemos | pudemos | soubemos |
| Eles / Elas / Vocês | tiveram | estiveram | puderam | souberam |
Ter and Estar
Use the past tense of ter and estar to describe past states, conditions, or possession, such as being sick or having a fever.
Poder
Use poder to talk about what you were (or weren't) able to do in the past. Notice that the ele/ela/você form (pôde) has a circumflex accent to distinguish it from the present tense pode.
Saber
When saber (to know) is used in the simple past tense, it usually translates to "found out" or "learned" a new piece of information, rather than a continuous state of knowing.
Bringing It Together
Because these four verbs are essential building blocks of Portuguese, you will frequently combine them to explain past situations, abilities, and discoveries.
