consegUi

Consegui is a Portuguese verb form that represents the first-person singular of the pretérito perfeito (simple past) of the verb conseguir. It translates roughly as "I managed to" or "I was able to," and it can also carry the nuance of "I obtained" in certain contexts. The infinitive of the verb is conseguir, and its present forms convey ability or possibility, such as "eu consigo" (I can).

Origin and meaning: conseguir comes from Latin con-sequī, meaning to follow up or to reach. In modern Portuguese, the verb encompasses meanings related to obtaining, achieving, or being able to do something. The form «consegui» specifically marks a completed past action performed by the speaker.

Usage notes: Consegui is used to express a past achievement or successful completion. For example, "Consegui terminar o relatório" means "I managed to finish the report." It also appears in constructions that indicate obtaining agreement or getting someone to do something, such as "Consegui que ele viesse" (I managed to get him to come). The negative form is "não consegui" (I couldn’t). As a frequently used verb, conseguir is irregular in several tenses, so other subject forms differ significantly from consegui.

Conjugation overview: Conseguir provides forms across tenses and persons, with the pretérito perfeito first-person singular being consegUi. In everyday speech, speakers may use regionally varying forms for other persons (for example, PT uses "conseguiste" or "conseguiu" in corresponding forms, while BP commonly uses "conseguí" or "conseguiu" for the past). The present tense tends to use "eu consigo" and related forms for other persons.

Examples: Consegui chegar a tempo. Não consegui abrir o arquivo. Consegui que ela concordasse.