Log inSign up

A revolução começou há quase cinquenta anos.

A revolução começou há quase cinquenta anos.
The revolution started almost fifty years ago.
From Lesson 82:Time elapsed in the past (há)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about A revolução começou há quase cinquenta anos.

Why do we use há to translate "ago"?
In Portuguese, a form of the verb haver (which gives us há) is used to express elapsed time. While English puts "ago" after the time period ("fifty years ago"), Portuguese puts há before the time period: há quase cinquenta anos (literally "there is almost fifty years").
Why is começou in the simple past tense?
Because the revolution starting was a single, completed action in the past. When you use há to mean "ago", you are talking about an event that is already finished, so it naturally pairs with the Pretérito Perfeito (the simple past).
Why does começou have a cedilla (ç)?
The infinitive is começar. In Portuguese, the letter c makes a hard "k" sound before a, o, and u. To keep the soft "s" sound from the infinitive, we must add a cedilla before the o ending in começou. Notice that in the "I" form, comecei, there is no cedilla because c already makes a soft sound before e.
Can I put the time expression at the beginning of the sentence?
Yes! Just like in English, you can move it to the front for emphasis: Há quase cinquenta anos, a revolução começou. However, keeping it at the end of the sentence is the most natural and common word order.

Learn A revolução começou há quase cinquenta anos 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 →