chegámos

Chegámos is the first-person plural form of the Portuguese verb chegar in the pretérito perfeito simples, meaning "we arrived" or "we reached." It is used to describe a completed action of arriving at a place in the past.

Regional usage and variation

The form with the acute accent on the a, cheg-Á-mos, is standard in European Portuguese, including Portugal and many Lusophone communities abroad. In Brazilian Portuguese, the corresponding standard form is chegamos, without the accent, and this is the form most commonly used in Brazil for the same tense and person.

Spelling and pronunciation notes

The accent on á marks the stressed syllable in chegámos. This form is tied to the regular conjugation pattern of -ar verbs in the pretérito perfeito simples for the first-person plural. Some Brazilian varieties may prefer the non-accented chegamos for the same tense.

Usage tips

Chegámos is typically used with a time reference or a description of arriving at a location, such as Chegámos tarde à festa (We arrived late at the party) or Chegámos ao topo após várias horas (We reached the top after several hours). When writing for Brazilian audiences, chegamos would be used instead in everyday contexts.

Etymology and related forms

Chegar comes from the Latin verb ad- or pro-forms related to reaching or arriving. The related noun or adjective forms and other tenses follow standard Portuguese conjugation patterns for -ar verbs.

See also: chegar, pretérito perfeito simples, Portuguese conjugation.