Entrou

Entrou is a verb form in Portuguese, functioning as the third-person singular of the pretérito perfeito do indicativo for the verb entrar. It translates to “he entered” or “she entered,” and in Brazilian Portuguese it is also used with você (you entered) because você takes the third-person conjugation. The form marks a completed action in the past.

Etymology and morphology: Entrar comes from Latin intrare, and entrou is derived from this root through regular Portuguese conjugation patterns. The pretérito perfeito is used to narrate events that occurred and were completed in the past, often in brief past clauses or timelines. The form is invariable for gender and, as a past tense, it pairs with a subject pronoun to indicate who performed the action.

Usage and examples: Common constructions include statements of movement or change of state, such as “Ele entrou na sala” (He entered the room) or “Ela entrou no carro” (She got into the car). The form also appears in phrases like “entrou em desespero” (entered into despair) where it conveys a transition or onset. In narrative writing, entrou helps advance a sequence of past events.

Cognates and related forms: Portuguese forms a family with other Romance languages that express completed past actions of entrar bearing similar meanings, such as Spanish entró and Italian entrò. These cognates reflect a shared Latin heritage.

See also: entrar; pretérito perfeito do indicativo; verb conjugation.