Fiz vs. Tinha Feito: Tell Which Past Happened First in Portuguese — Practice

Use fiz for a completed event in the past

Fiz is the first-person singular simple past of fazer: eu fiz (I did/made). Use it to report a finished event, often with a time expression such as ontem, semana passada, or de manhã. The simple past moves the story forward.

Other common forms include fez (he/she/you did), fizemos (we did), and fizeram (they/you all did). Learn the forms with complete examples because fazer is irregular in several tenses.

Use tinha feito for an action already complete at a past point

Tinha feito combines the imperfect of ter with the past participle feito. It often means ‘had done’ and places one completed action before another past event: quando a reunião começou, eu já tinha feito as anotações (when the meeting started, I had already made the notes). The later past event gives you the reference point.

In careful writing, havia feito is another pluperfect form. Brazilian conversation commonly uses tinha feito. If the order is already obvious, speakers may use the simple past, so choose the compound form when you want to highlight that something was already done.

Remember: Use fiz for a completed past event. Use tinha feito to show that the action was already complete before another past moment.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. I made the payment last night.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Fiz o pagamento ontem à noite.

2. She asked a question during the meeting.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ela fez uma pergunta durante a reunião.

3. We made the reservation last month.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Nós fizemos a reserva no mês passado.

4. When he called, I had already left.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Quando ele ligou, eu já tinha saído.

5. She had made lunch before the guests arrived.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ela tinha feito o almoço antes de os convidados chegarem.

6. I made lunch yesterday and saved the leftovers.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Eu fiz o almoço ontem e guardei as sobras.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Use fiz for a completed past event. Use tinha feito to show that the action was already complete before another past moment.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Fiz vs. Tinha Feito: Tell Which Past Happened First in Portuguese lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.