Pretérito perfeito composto: tenho feito ≠ "I have done"
Pretérito perfeito composto: tenho feito ≠ "I have done" means “tenho feito means "I have been doing (repeatedly/continuously)", not a single finished action”. This is the biggest false friend between Portuguese and Spanish or English. Formation: ter (presente) + particípio — tenho falado · tem comido · temos ido
tenho feito means "I have been doing (repeatedly/continuously)", not a single finished action
B1Formation
ter (presente) + particípio — tenho falado · tem comido · temos ido
Explanation
This is the biggest false friend between Portuguese and Spanish or English. Spanish he hecho and English "I have done" normally describe one completed event; Portuguese tenho feito does not. It expresses an action repeated or sustained over a stretch of time reaching the present: Tenho trabalhado muito ultimamente means "I've been working a lot lately". For a single finished event Portuguese uses the simple past: Já comi, not "já tenho comido". Two refinements are worth keeping. First, the value is iterative OR durative depending on the verb: with a state verb, Tenho estado doente means ill throughout, not ill repeatedly. Second, the Spanish-to-Portuguese rule is conditional — when the Spanish itself is durative, the Portuguese compound is right after all: he comido mal últimamente → tenho comido mal ultimamente.
Examples
Note
The trap in one line: Spanish "¿Ya has comido?" → Portuguese "Já comeu?", answered "Já comi" — never "já tenho comido".
FAQ
Pretérito perfeito composto: tenho feito ≠ "I have done" — what does it mean and how is it used?
tenho feito means "I have been doing (repeatedly/continuously)", not a single finished action. This is the biggest false friend between Portuguese and Spanish or English. Spanish he hecho and English "I have done" normally describe one completed event; Portuguese tenho feito does not. It expresses an action repeated or sustained over a stretch of time reaching the present: Tenho trabalhado muito ultimamente means "I've been working a lot lately". For a single finished event Portuguese uses the simple past: Já comi, not "já tenho comido". Two refinements are worth keeping. First, the value is iterative OR durative depending on the verb: with a state verb, Tenho estado doente means ill throughout, not ill repeatedly. Second, the Spanish-to-Portuguese rule is conditional — when the Spanish itself is durative, the Portuguese compound is right after all: he comido mal últimamente → tenho comido mal ultimamente.
Pretérito perfeito composto: tenho feito ≠ "I have done" — how do you form it?
ter (presente) + particípio — tenho falado · tem comido · temos ido
Pretérito perfeito composto: tenho feito ≠ "I have done" — any usage notes?
The trap in one line: Spanish "¿Ya has comido?" → Portuguese "Já comeu?", answered "Já comi" — never "já tenho comido".