A2 (Elementary)Lesson 2: Simple Past (Pretérito Perfeito)
Narrating a past experience in Brazil is more than listing what happened — it's chaining events with sequencing words (primeiro, depois, aí), framing the story to pull your listener in, and reacting with feeling. With the pretérito perfeito you already know, plus a handful of connectors and the all-important aí, you can turn a flat report into a story people actually want to hear.
Open with a hook: "Deixa eu te contar...", "Sabe o que aconteceu?"
Use the pretérito perfeito for completed main events: fui, cheguei, vi, aconteceu. Background may use the imperfeito; a vivid retelling may use the historical present.
Chain them with connectors: primeiro, depois, então, aí, no final
aí is the storytelling glue: "Aí eu falei...", "Foi aí que..."
React with feeling: "Foi incrível!", "Fiquei surpreso!"
Keep the listener hooked: "sabe?", "né?", "acredita?"
For drama, slip into the present: "Cheguei lá e não tem nada!"
Wrap up with a punchline: "No final, deu tudo certo!"
familiar opening + completed events in the pretérito perfeito, linked with primeiro / depois / então / aí / no final + reactions and listener tags (sabe?, né?, acredita?); optional historical present
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Brazilians love a good story — weekend recaps, travel adventures, the wild thing that happened at the bakery. Sharing experiences is how people bond here, so narrating well isn't just grammar, it's social glue. Master these moves and you'll go from a flat "Fui. Vi. Voltei." to stories that make people laugh, gasp, and jump in with their own — which is exactly when a conversation really takes off.
Use an opening phrase to introduce what happened. Deixa eu… is a colloquial request, sabe asks a question in the present, and vai acreditar refers to the future. These openings already contain the past form aconteceu:
"Deixa eu te contar o que aconteceu." (Let me tell you what happened.)
"Você não vai acreditar no que aconteceu." (You won't believe what happened.)
"Sabe o que me aconteceu ontem?" (You know what happened to me yesterday?)
Use the pretérito perfeito (fui, cheguei, vi…) for completed main events. A story can also use the imperfeito for background and the historical present for a vivid retelling. Link the completed events with sequencing words:
| Connector | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| primeiro | first | Primeiro fui ao banco. |
"Sabe o que aconteceu no sábado? Primeiro, acordei bem cedo para ir à praia. Aí peguei um trânsito enorme na estrada. Quando cheguei, começou a chover. Acredita? Mas aí encontrei uns amigos e a gente acabou indo ao shopping. No final, foi até divertido!" (You know what happened on Saturday? First, I woke up really early to go to the beach. Then I hit huge traffic on the road. When I arrived, it started to rain. Can you believe it? But then I ran into some friends and we ended up going to the mall. In the end, it was actually fun!)
"Ano passado, fui para o Nordeste. Nossa, que lugar incrível! No primeiro dia, já comi acarajé pela primeira vez. Depois fui para a praia — água quente e transparente. Aí, no terceiro dia, fiz um passeio de buggy. Cara, foi muita adrenalina! Voltei querendo morar lá!" (Last year, I went to the Northeast. Wow, what an amazing place! On the first day, I already tried acarajé for the first time. Then I went to the beach — warm, clear water. Then, on the third day, I did a buggy ride. Man, what a rush! I came back wanting to live there!)
"Ontem aconteceu uma coisa no trabalho... No meio da apresentação para o chefe, de repente o computador travou. Fiquei desesperado! Então o estagiário falou: 'Calma, eu resolvo.' Em dois minutos, ele arrumou tudo. Me salvou! Agora ele é meu herói!" (Yesterday something happened at work... In the middle of the presentation to the boss, the computer suddenly froze. I panicked! Then the intern said: "Relax, I've got it." In two minutes, he fixed everything. He saved me! Now he's my hero!)
"Deixa eu te contar o que aconteceu na academia. No meio do treino, uma mulher chegou e disse: 'Com licença, sua blusa está do avesso.' Olhei para a blusa — que vergonha! Passei a manhã toda assim e ninguém falou nada! Morri de vergonha!" (Let me tell you what happened at the gym. In the middle of my workout, a woman came up
It's tempting, but a wall of aí gets monotonous:
❌ "Aí acordei, aí tomei café, aí saí, aí peguei o ônibus..."
✅ Mix it up: "Primeiro acordei, tomei café e saí. Aí peguei o ônibus."
To describe background — what was going on when the main event happened — Portuguese often uses the imperfeito. In this practice, focus on a chain of completed events in the pretérito perfeito: acordei, cheguei, vi, aconteceu.
The historical present can describe past events in both spoken and written narratives. The shift is intentional; it is not inherently a textbook error:
"Ontem fui ao banco. Chego lá e está fechado!"
Causo is a Brazilian word for a story or an incident, and also for a short narrative, usually told aloud. A storyteller may add humor or exaggeration, but the word does not only mean an invented tall tale. Listen to how the story is told as well as what happened.
Source: Aulete — causo
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