“I have seen” or “I saw”? This is one of the most common doubts for Brazilian learners, because in Portuguese we usually say “eu vi” for both. The key question is simple: are you talking about a finished time in the past, or about a period that connects to now?“I have seen” ou “I saw”? Essa é uma das dúvidas mais comuns entre brasileiros, porque em português normalmente dizemos “eu vi” nos dois casos. A pergunta-chave é simples: você está falando de um momento já encerrado no passado ou de um período que chega até agora?
A2 Two tenses, two ways of looking at the past
Both tenses talk about actions that happened before now. The difference is not the action itself, but how the speaker sees the time. The past simple places the action in a finished time: yesterday, last year, in 2019, when I was a child. The present perfect connects the past to the present: the time is not mentioned, or the period is still open.Os dois tempos falam de ações que aconteceram antes de agora. A diferença não está na ação, mas em como quem fala enxerga o tempo. O past simple coloca a ação num tempo encerrado: ontem, ano passado, em 2019, quando eu era criança. O present perfect liga o passado ao presente: o momento não é mencionado, ou o período ainda está aberto.
The forms
Regular verbs have the same form in the past and the past participle (work, worked, worked). Irregular verbs often change: go, went, gone; see, saw, seen; eat, ate, eaten. Learn the three forms together.Os verbos regulares têm a mesma forma no passado e no particípio (work, worked, worked). Os irregulares costumam mudar: go, went, gone; see, saw, seen; eat, ate, eaten. Aprenda as três formas juntas.
Finished time: past simple
If you say when something happened, or the time is clearly over, use the past simple. Words like yesterday, last week, ago, in 2020 and when I was ten are strong signals.Se você diz quando algo aconteceu, ou se o tempo claramente já terminou, use o past simple. Palavras como yesterday, last week, ago, in 2020 e when I was ten são sinais fortes.
- I visited Salvador last year. (Eu visitei Salvador no ano passado.)
- She finished her homework two hours ago. (Ela terminou a lição de casa há duas horas.)
- We didn’t go to school yesterday. (Nós não fomos à escola ontem.)
- When did you start your new job? (Quando você começou no emprego novo?)
Experience with no time: present perfect
When the exact time is not important or not known, and you talk about experiences in your life up to now, use the present perfect. Ever and never are very common here.Quando o momento exato não importa ou não é conhecido, e você fala de experiências da sua vida até agora, use o present perfect. Ever e never são muito comuns aqui.
- I have been to Buenos Aires three times. (Já fui a Buenos Aires três vezes.)
- Have you ever eaten açaí with tapioca? (Você já comeu açaí com tapioca?)
- My grandmother has never used a smartphone. (Minha avó nunca usou um smartphone.)
- They have lost their keys. (Eles perderam as chaves e ainda não acharam.)
Past simple
Finished time, a specific moment, a story.Tempo encerrado, momento específico, uma história.
I lost my phone on Saturday. (Perdi meu celular no sábado.)
Present perfect
No time mentioned; the result matters now.Sem tempo mencionado; o que importa é o resultado agora.
I have lost my phone. (Perdi meu celular e estou sem ele.)
Teacher’s tip
Ask yourself: “Can I answer the question when?” If the sentence has a finished time, or the listener can ask “When?” and you will give a date, go with the past simple. If the answer is “it doesn’t matter” or “at some point in my life”, use the present perfect.Pergunte a si mesmo: “Dá para responder quando?” Se a frase tem um tempo encerrado, ou se o ouvinte pode perguntar “When?” e você vai dar uma data, use o past simple. Se a resposta é “não importa” ou “em algum momento da minha vida”, use o present perfect.
From experience to details
In real conversations, we often open with the present perfect (a general experience) and then switch to the past simple to give details, because the details belong to a specific moment.Nas conversas reais, muitas vezes começamos com o present perfect (uma experiência geral) e depois mudamos para o past simple para dar detalhes, porque os detalhes pertencem a um momento específico.
- Have you ever been to Bonito? Yes, I went there in July. (Você já foi a Bonito? Sim, fui em julho.)
- I’ve met Anitta! I saw her at the airport last month. (Eu já conheci a Anitta! Eu a vi no aeroporto mês passado.)
B1 Unfinished time, recent news and key words
At B1, you need to look closely at the time expressions. Some always go with one tense, others can go with both, and the choice changes the meaning.No B1, você precisa olhar com atenção para as expressões de tempo. Algumas sempre andam com um dos tempos, outras podem ir com os dois, e a escolha muda o sentido.
Signal words
| Time word | Example | Português | Tense |
|---|---|---|---|
| yesterday / last … / ago | I called her an hour ago. | Liguei para ela há uma hora. | past simple |
| in + year / when … | He moved to Curitiba in 2018. | Ele se mudou para Curitiba em 2018. | past simple |
| ever / never | Have you ever failed a test? | Você já foi reprovado numa prova? | present perfect |
| just / already / yet | I’ve already paid the bill. | Eu já paguei a conta. | present perfect |
| for / since (until now) | We’ve lived here since 2015. | Moramos aqui desde 2015. | present perfect |
| today / this week (still open) | I’ve drunk three coffees today. | Já tomei três cafés hoje. | present perfect |
For and since: still true or finished?
For can go with both tenses. With the present perfect, the situation is still true now. With the past simple, the situation is over. This is where Brazilians often make mistakes, because Portuguese uses the present tense: “Moro aqui há dez anos” is I have lived here for ten years, never “I live here for ten years”.For pode ir com os dois tempos. Com o present perfect, a situação ainda é verdadeira. Com o past simple, a situação acabou. Aqui os brasileiros erram muito, porque o português usa o presente: “Moro aqui há dez anos” é I have lived here for ten years, nunca “I live here for ten years”.
- I have worked at this school for six years. (Trabalho nesta escola há seis anos, e continuo trabalhando.)
- I worked at that bank for six years. (Trabalhei naquele banco por seis anos, mas saí.)
- She has known Pedro since primary school. (Ela conhece o Pedro desde o ensino fundamental.)
Open and closed periods
Expressions like today, this morning and this year depend on the moment you speak. If the period is still going on, use the present perfect. If it is already over, use the past simple. At 10 a.m. you say “I’ve had two meetings this morning”; at 4 p.m. you say “I had two meetings this morning”.Expressões como today, this morning e this year dependem do momento em que você fala. Se o período ainda está em andamento, use o present perfect. Se já terminou, use o past simple. Às 10h você diz “I’ve had two meetings this morning”; às 16h você diz “I had two meetings this morning”.
The same logic works with people. If a person is no longer alive, their life is a closed period: “Machado de Assis wrote many novels” (not “has written”). A living author can still write more: “Itamar Vieira Junior has written several books”.A mesma lógica vale para pessoas. Se a pessoa já morreu, a vida dela é um período fechado: “Machado de Assis wrote many novels” (e não “has written”). Um autor vivo ainda pode escrever mais: “Itamar Vieira Junior has written several books”.
News and recent events
We use the present perfect to announce news, often with just. When we give the details (where, when, how), we change to the past simple. You will see this pattern in every news website.Usamos o present perfect para anunciar uma novidade, muitas vezes com just. Quando damos os detalhes (onde, quando, como), mudamos para o past simple. Você vai ver esse padrão em qualquer site de notícias.
- Brazil has won the match! They scored in the last minute. (O Brasil ganhou o jogo! Eles marcaram no último minuto.)
- I’ve just received my IELTS results. I got a 7. (Acabei de receber meu resultado do IELTS. Tirei 7.)
- Has the bus left yet? Yes, it left five minutes ago. (O ônibus já saiu? Sim, saiu há cinco minutos.)
UK and US
In the US, people often use the past simple with just, already and yet in informal speech: “Did you eat yet?” In the UK, the present perfect is preferred: “Have you eaten yet?” In exams like Cambridge and IELTS, the present perfect is the safe choice.Nos Estados Unidos, é comum usar o past simple com just, already e yet na fala informal: “Did you eat yet?” No Reino Unido, prefere-se o present perfect: “Have you eaten yet?” Em provas como Cambridge e IELTS, o present perfect é a escolha segura.
Golden rule
A finished time expression and the present perfect never go together. If you write “yesterday”, “last week”, “in 2010” or “ago”, the verb must be in the past simple.Uma expressão de tempo encerrado e o present perfect nunca andam juntos. Se você escreveu “yesterday”, “last week”, “in 2010” ou “ago”, o verbo tem que estar no past simple.
Questions with when and how long
A question with when asks for a point in time, so it takes the past simple: “When did you arrive?” A question with how long about a situation that is still true takes the present perfect: “How long have you been in Canada?”Uma pergunta com when pede um ponto no tempo, então leva past simple: “When did you arrive?” Uma pergunta com how long sobre uma situação que continua leva present perfect: “How long have you been in Canada?”
Common Mistakes
Watch out
✗ I have seen him yesterday. ✓ I saw him yesterday.Com “yesterday” (tempo encerrado), use o past simple.
✗ I live in Piracicaba for five years. ✓ I have lived in Piracicaba for five years.“Moro aqui há cinco anos” pede present perfect em inglês, não o presente.
✗ When have you arrived? ✓ When did you arrive?Perguntas com “when” usam past simple.
✗ Did you ever try sushi? ✓ Have you ever tried sushi?Para experiências de vida, o padrão é o present perfect (o past simple aqui é bem informal e típico dos EUA).
✗ I have went to the beach. ✓ I have gone to the beach.Depois de have/has vem o particípio (gone), não o passado (went).
Quick Summary
| Use | Example | Tense |
|---|---|---|
| Finished time, date, ago | I met Ana in 2021. | past simple |
| Life experience, no time | I’ve met Ana’s parents. | present perfect |
| Still true (for / since) | I’ve known Ana for years. | present perfect |
| Finished situation (for) | I lived with Ana for a year. | past simple |
| News, then details | Ana has passed! She got 980. | both |
Practice Time
Quiz