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Ela formou-se há dois dias.

Ela formou-se há dois dias.
She graduated two days ago.
From Lesson 82:Time elapsed in the past (há)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about Ela formou-se há dois dias.

Why is the word há used here to mean "ago"?
The word há comes from the verb haver (to exist). When talking about elapsed time in the past, Portuguese uses há followed by the amount of time. While we say "two days ago" in English, the Portuguese structure literally translates closer to "there are two days" since the action happened.
Do I always use the simple past tense with há?
Yes, when you use há to mean "ago", you are describing a finished action at a specific time in the past. Because of this, the main verb (like formou here) needs to be in the Pretérito Perfeito (the simple past tense).
Why does formou have a -se attached to it?
In Portuguese, the verb for "to graduate" is formar-se, which is a reflexive verb (literally meaning "to form oneself"). Because the subject is ela (she), we must use the matching third-person reflexive pronoun se.
Could I write Ela se formou instead of Ela formou-se?
In European Portuguese, the reflexive pronoun normally attaches to the end of the verb with a hyphen in simple, positive sentences. Putting it before the verb (Ela se formou) is very common in Brazilian Portuguese, but it is incorrect in Portugal unless a specific negative word or conjunction forces the pronoun to move to the front.

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