Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Ontem fui a um espetáculo fantástico.

Ontem fui a um espetáculo fantástico.

I went to a fantastic show yesterday.

Breakdown of Ontem fui a um espetáculo fantástico.

a / an / some (all forms)

Questions & Answers about Ontem fui a um espetáculo fantástico.

Since fui can mean "I was" or "I went", how do we know which one it is here?

Context is your key! The verbs ser (to be) and ir (to go) share the exact same forms in the simple past tense. Because fui is followed by a um espetáculo (to a show), it only makes sense as "I went". If it meant "I was", it would usually be followed by a descriptive word or identity, not a destination.

Why is the preposition a used here for "to", instead of para?

In Portuguese, we use ir a (to go to) when referring to a short visit or a temporary stay, like going to a show, a restaurant, or the supermarket. We use ir para when the move is more permanent or long-term, like moving to a new country.

Why is the word order espetáculo fantástico instead of fantástico espetáculo?

In Portuguese, descriptive adjectives like fantástico almost always come right after the noun they describe (espetáculo). In English, we put the adjective first, but Portuguese usually flips this order.

Where is the word for "I" in this sentence?

The pronoun eu (I) is dropped. Because fui is the specific "I" form of the verb in the past tense, Portuguese speakers usually leave out the eu unless they really need to emphasize who did the action.