In my main guide, I cover the rules for forming Portuguese past participles. But as you’ll quickly discover, knowing the grammar is only half the battle. The other half is memorizing the common, everyday verbs that simply don’t follow those rules.
This article is your cheat sheet for those words.
Think of this as the practical vocabulary list that accompanies the grammar lesson. I’ve compiled the essential irregular participles you’ll actually use day-to-day in Portugal, organized by the situations where you’ll need them most. Bookmark this page and use it as a quick reference whenever you get stuck.
Getting small words like ‘aberta’ right makes a big difference in sounding natural.
The Daily Workhorses
Trust me, these are the irregulars you’re going to use constantly. Mastering this short list will have a huge impact on your daily interactions, as they pop up in almost every conversation, from describing a delivered package to mentioning a movie you’ve seen.
[!tip] Masculine vs. Feminine Remember that these participles often act like adjectives, so they need to agree in gender with the noun they’re describing. I’ll include both the masculine (-o) and feminine (-a) forms.
| English | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Opened | Aberto / Aberta |
| Covered | Coberto / Coberta |
| Said | Dito / Dita |
| Written | Escrito / Escrita |
| Done / Made | Feito / Feita |
| Put / Placed | Posto / Posta |
| Seen / Viewed | Visto / Vista |
| Come | Vindo / Vinda |
| Born | Nascido / Nascida |
| Dead | Morto / Morta |
| Saved | Salvo / Salva |
| Welcome | Bem-vindo / Bem-vinda |
The “Two-for-One” Verbs (Don’t Panic)
Okay, here’s where it gets a little tricky, even for native speakers. Some verbs in Portuguese are extra special and have two past participles: a longer, regular one (ending in -ado/-ido) and a shorter, irregular one.
Here’s the simple rule I use to keep my sanity:
- Use the long, regular form (e.g., salvado) with the helping verbs
ter(to have) orhaver(to have). This is for forming active voice tenses, like “Eu tenho salvado os documentos” (I have been saving the documents). - Use the short, irregular form (e.g., salvo) with the helping verbs
ser(to be) orestar(to be). This is for forming the passive voice or using the participle as an adjective, like “O documento está salvo” (The document is saved).
Honestly, in 90% of daily situations, you’ll be using the short, irregular one (e.g., “Está entregue,” - “It is delivered”). But it’s helpful to know the other one exists so you aren’t confused when you see it.
| English | Portuguese (Irregular / Regular) |
|---|---|
| Accepted | Aceite / Aceitado |
| Lit / Turned on | Aceso / Acendido |
| Delivered | Entregue / Entregado |
| Won / Earned | Ganho / Ganhado |
| Spent / Worn out | Gasto / Gastado |
| Printed | Impresso / Imprimido |
| Cleaned | Limpo / Limpado |
| Saved | Salvo / Salvado |
Audio lessons and PDF study guides to accompany every lesson
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Kitchen and Food Irregulars
If you spend any time in a Portuguese kitchen or restaurant, you need these words. My first attempt at making bacalhau à brás was a disaster because the recipe said the potatoes needed to be fritas (fried). I just kind of boiled them. The result was a soggy mess. Details matter! Knowing these will help you actually follow a recipe or understand a menu correctly.
You’ll find these participles all over Portuguese recipes and menus.
| English | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Roasted | Assado / Assada |
| Cooked / Boiled | Cozido / Cozida |
| Fried | Frito / Frita |
| Grilled | Grelhado / Grelhada |
| Ground | Moído / Moída |
| Sautéed | Refogado / Refogada |
| Filled | Recheado / Recheada |
| Dried | Seco / Seca |
| Broken | Partido / Partida |
| Made | Feito / Feita |
Business and Formal Irregulars
Now for the words that save you when you need to sound like you have your life together. Think about dealing with Finanças, signing a rental contract, or reading an official email. Using the correct participle here can make a world of difference in how seriously you’re taken. These are essential for navigating Portuguese bureaucracy.
[!tip] My Hard-Won Bureaucracy Tip I have to share this one because it caused me so much confusion. The word deferido means “approved” or “granted.” For the longest time, I thought it meant “deferred” or “refused” because it sounds like it! When you get that official letter and see o seu pedido foi deferido, it’s good news!
| English | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Signed | Assinado / Assinada |
| Accepted | Aceite |
| Received | Recebido / Recebida |
| Paid | Pago / Paga |
| Included | Incluído / Incluída |
| Resolved | Resolvido / Resolvida |
| Expressed | Expresso / Expressa |
| Printed | Impresso / Impressa |
| Suspended | Suspenso / Suspensa |
| Delivered | Entregue |
| Approved / Granted | Deferido / Deferida |
You’ve Got This
Look, nobody masters these overnight. You will absolutely say the wrong one from time to time, and it’s okay. Heck, even native speakers get tripped up by the “two-for-one” verbs. It’s not uncommon to hear someone pause mid-sentence and say “salvo… salvado???” trying to remember the rule. The goal is progress, not perfection.
Every time you consciously choose aberto and avoid the temptation to create a word like abrido, you’re building the right reflex. It’s one of those small things that makes a huge difference.
Remember, memorizing these words is just one part of the timeline. To see how to use them to tell stories about the past, check out my master guide on Portuguese Verb Tenses.
Frequently Asked Questions
[!faq]- Why can’t I just add “-ado” or “-ido” to every verb to make the past participle? While that is the standard rule for regular verbs, Portuguese, like English, has many common verbs that are irregular. Verbs like “fazer” (to do/make) and “ver” (to see) have been used so frequently throughout history that they’ve developed their own short forms (feito, visto) that you just have to memorize.
[!faq]- What’s the most common mistake foreigners make with these? Besides using a non-existent form like “abrida,” the most common mistake is with the double participle verbs. Many learners use the short, irregular form (like pago) with the verb ter, saying “Eu tenho pago” when the more grammatically correct form is “Eu tenho pagado.” While you’ll often be understood (and some of these forms are so rare even natives question them), using the correct form shows a higher level of mastery.
[!faq]- For the double participle verbs, which one should I default to if I panic? When in doubt, use the short, irregular form (e.g., pago, aceite, entregue). It’s far more common in everyday speech because it’s used as an adjective (“the bill is paid,” “the package was delivered”), which is a very frequent construction.
[!faq]- How important is my pronunciation of these words? It’s quite important, but don’t let that intimidate you. For example, with feito, make sure you pronounce the “ei” sound correctly (like the “ay” in “say”). With posto, the “o” is a closed sound. Listening to native speakers is the best way to improve, and you can try a few free lessons to hear how I approach it. There’s no free lesson of these past participles in particular, but the ones that are there will definitely improve your pronunciation!
[!faq]- Is there a list of all the irregular participles? There are comprehensive lists online, but they can be overwhelming. The best approach, in my experience, is to learn them in context based on frequency. The lists in this article cover the most essential ones, and you can browse the blog archive to find more articles on specific grammar points as you need them.
