Log inSign up

Eu escrevi o texto ontem.

Eu escrevi o texto ontem.
I wrote the text yesterday.
From Lesson 65:Past tense of regular -er and -ir verbs·Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Eu escrevi o texto ontem.

eu
I
escrever
to write
ontem
yesterday
o texto
the text

Questions & Answers about Eu escrevi o texto ontem.

Why does escrever change to escrevi?
This is the simple past tense (Pretérito perfeito). For regular verbs ending in "-er", you drop the "-er" and add -i to make the eu (I) form. So the infinitive escrever (to write) becomes escrevi (I wrote).
Could I just say Escrevi o texto ontem without the eu?
Yes, absolutely! In Portuguese, the verb ending usually tells you who the subject is. Since escrevi can only mean "I wrote", you can drop the eu. Including it just adds a little emphasis, as if saying "I wrote the text yesterday."
How do you pronounce the "x" in texto?
The letter "x" has a few different sounds in Portuguese. In the word texto, it makes a "sh" sound, much like the "s" makes at the end of a syllable in Portugal. It does not sound like the "ks" in the English word "text".
Where should time words like ontem (yesterday) go in a sentence?
They are very flexible! Putting ontem at the end of the sentence is perfectly natural, but you could also put it at the very beginning and say Ontem eu escrevi o texto.

Learn Eu escrevi o texto ontem and more in Portuguese

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Portuguese →