maisqueperfeito

Maisqueperfeito is a term used in Portuguese grammar to describe a past action that had already occurred before another past action. It is equivalent to the pluperfect in English and is used to express anteriority in the past.

There are two main forms of the mais-que-perfeito: the compound form and the simple form. The compound form (pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto) is built with the imperfect of the auxiliary verbs ter or haver plus the past participle of the main verb. Examples include eu tinha falado, ela havia chegado, or the more literary eu houvera falado. This form is the one most commonly used in everyday speech and writing in Brazilian Portuguese.

The simple form (pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples) is formed by attaching suffixes to the infinitive of the verb, with -ara/-aras/-ara/-áramos/-áreis/-aram for -ar verbs and -era/-eras/-era/-éramos/-êreis/-ram for -er/-ir verbs. Examples include eu falara, tu falaras, ele falara, nós faláramos, vós faláreis, eles falarem. The simple form is largely literary and formal, and appears less frequently in contemporary speech, though it remains part of standard written Portuguese.

Usage and regional variation: In Brazilian Portuguese, the compound form is predominant in speech and most writing. The simple form tends to be reserved for literary style or historical texts. In European Portuguese, both forms exist, with the compound form also common in everyday language, while the simple form appears more often in formal or traditional contexts.

Examples: Compound: Quando cheguei, ela já tinha saído. Simple: Quando chegara, ela saíra.