Tenho Feito vs. Fiz: Talking About Repeated Actions in Portuguese — Practice

Use tenho feito for a pattern continuing up to now

In Brazilian Portuguese, tenho feito often describes an action that has happened repeatedly or regularly over a stretch of time that reaches the present. It can correspond to English “I have been doing” or “I have done,” depending on context.

The form is ter in the present plus a past participle: tenho estudado (I have been studying), temos conversado (we have been talking). The time period or context usually makes the repeated meaning clear.

Use fiz for a completed event in the past

Fiz is the simple past of fazer: I did or I made. Use it for a completed action, especially with a finished time such as ontem (yesterday) or no ano passado (last year). It can also describe a completed experience without a stated date.

This is a key difference from English. A sentence with “I have done” may use the Portuguese simple past if you mean one finished event. Translate the timeline and meaning, not the English verb form alone.

Ask how the action fits the timeline

When you are unsure, ask whether the sentence describes a pattern continuing to now or one completed event. Tenho feito highlights the pattern; fiz places the action in the past as a completed event. Other tenses may be more natural for a specific sentence, so use the context rather than forcing a single translation.

• Repeated lately: Tenho caminhado de manhã.
• Finished yesterday: Caminhei ontem de manhã.
• One completed action: Já fiz isso.

Remember: Describe one habit from this week and one thing you finished yesterday. Choose tenho feito for a continuing pattern and the simple past for the completed event.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. I have been studying Portuguese every night.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Tenho estudado português todas as noites.

2. We have been talking a lot lately.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A gente tem conversado bastante ultimamente.

3. Have you been using this app?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você tem usado esse aplicativo?

4. I did the assignment yesterday.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Fiz a tarefa ontem.

5. I took this course last year.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Fiz esse curso no ano passado.

6. Have you done this exercise yet?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você já fez esse exercício?

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Describe one habit from this week and one thing you finished yesterday. Choose tenho feito for a continuing pattern and the simple past for the completed event.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Tenho Feito vs. Fiz: Talking About Repeated Actions in Portuguese lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.