Double Past Participles

In this lesson, we’ll have a look at particípios passados duplosdouble past participles Slow audio Play audio . ‘Double’ here means that some verbs can take the form of either a regular or an irregular participle, depending on the auxiliary verb being used with them.
Remember those verbs we marked off with an asterisk in the Irregular Participles learning note? They were ganharto win, to earn Slow audio Play audio Verb , gastarto spend Slow audio Play audio Verb , and pagarto pay Slow audio Play audio Verb . These are verbs that have double participles. Let’s see them in action:

Ganhar

Eles deviam ter ganhado o campeonato.They should have won the championship. Slow audio Play audio
O campeonato foi ganho pela outra equipa.The championship was won by the other team. Slow audio Play audio

Gastar

O presidente disse ter gastado muito tempo com os relatórios.The president said he had spent too much time on the reports. Slow audio Play audio
Foi gasto muito tempo com os relatórios.Too much time was spent on the reports. Slow audio Play audio

Pagar

Os meus patrões têm pagado bem!My bosses have paid me well!
Sou bem paga pelos meus patrões!I am paid well by my bosses! Slow audio Play audio

When do you use regular participles?

Notice that the sentences above which use terto have Slow audio Play audio Verb  as the auxiliary verb, employ regular participles, formed by adding ‘-ado‘ to the root of the main -AR verb. Ganhar becomes ter ganhadoto have won Slow audio Play audio .  Gastar becomes ter gastadoto have spent Slow audio Play audio . Pagar becomes ter pagadoto have paid Slow audio Play audio . The other, less common auxiliary verb that also uses regular past participles is haverto have, to exist Slow audio Play audio Verb .
Eles haviam ganhado o torneio.They had won the tournament. Slow audio Play audio

When do you use irregular participles?

In contrast, the sentences above which use other auxiliary verbs – in this case, the verb serto be - permanent Slow audio Play audio Verb – use irregular participles. Ganhar becomes ser ganhoto be won Slow audio Play audio . Gastar becomes ser gastoto be spent Slow audio Play audio . Pagar becomes ser pagoto be paid Slow audio Play audio . Another example of an auxiliary verb that uses irregular past participles is estarto be - temporary Slow audio Play audio Verb .
O torneio está ganho.The tournament is won. Slow audio Play audio
Which verbs have double participles? Much like irregular verbs, there is no pattern or rule for knowing which verbs have double participles – you have to learn them one by one. You can find a few of the most common ones in the following table:

Main Verb	Regular Participle	Irregular Participle
absorverto absorb Slow audio Play audio Verb	absorvidoabsorbed Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine	absortoabsorbed Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine
aceitarto accept Slow audio Play audio Verb	aceitadoaccepted Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine	aceiteaccepted Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle
agradecerto thank Slow audio Play audio Verb	agradecidothankful Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine	gratothankful Slow audio Play audio Adjective, Masculine
completarto complete Slow audio Play audio Verb	completadocompleted, complete Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine	completocompleted, complete Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine
entregarto deliver Slow audio Play audio Verb	entregadodelivered Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle	entreguedelivered Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle
enxugarto dry Slow audio Play audio Verb	enxugadodried, dry Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle	enxutodried, dry Slow audio Play audio Adjective, Masculine
fixarto fix(in place) Slow audio Play audio Verb	fixadofixed(in place) Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine	fixofixed(in place) Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine
ganharto win Slow audio Play audio Verb	ganhadowon Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine	ganhowon Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine
gastarto spend Slow audio Play audio Verb	gastadospent Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Singular, Masculine	gastospent Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Singular, Masculine
imprimirto print Slow audio Play audio Verb	imprimidoprinted Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine	impressoprinted Slow audio Play audio Adjective, Singular, Masculine
pagarto pay Slow audio Play audio Verb	pagadopaid Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle	pagopaid Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine
limparto clean Slow audio Play audio Verb	limpadocleaned, clean Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle	limpocleaned, clean Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Singular, Masculine
matarto kill Slow audio Play audio Verb	matadokilled Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine	mortokilled, dead Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle
sujarto dirty Slow audio Play audio Verb	sujadodirtied, dirty Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle	sujodirtied, dirty Slow audio Play audio Adjective, Singular, Masculine

Double the Participles, Double the Trouble

The problem with double participles is that not even native, well-educated Portuguese speakers can always agree on the rules governing the use of double participles. In fact, certain grammatically incorrect forms are widely used. The verbs pagar and ganhar are prime examples of this phenomenon. You may often hear the incorrect forms “ter pago” and “ter ganho”, despite the correct forms being “ter pagado” and “ter ganhado”.
Past participles in Portuguese require a bit more effort to learn, but with a bit of study and practice you’ll soon have all the exceptions memorised. And if someone tries to tell you “ter ganho” is correct, point them towards this lesson! 😉