Fiz vs. Tinha Feito: Tell Which Past Happened First in Portuguese
Fiz reports a completed past action; tinha feito can show that the action was already complete before another past moment.
Real Life Portuguese · 5 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
Fiz is the first-person singular simple past of fazer: eu fiz (I did/made). Use it to report a finished event, often with a time expression such as ontem, semana passada, or de manhã. The simple past moves the story forward.
Use fiz for a completed event in the past
Other common forms include fez (he/she/you did), fizemos (we did), and fizeram (they/you all did). Learn the forms with complete examples because fazer is irregular in several tenses.
Fiz o pagamento ontem à noite.
I made the payment last night.
Ela fez uma pergunta durante a reunião.
She asked a question during the meeting.
Nós fizemos a reserva no mês passado.
We made the reservation last month.
Use tinha feito for an action already complete at a past point
Tinha feito combines the imperfect of ter with the past participle feito. It often means ‘had done’ and places one completed action before another past event: quando a reunião começou, eu já tinha feito as anotações (when the meeting started, I had already made the notes). The later past event gives you the reference point.
In careful writing, havia feito is another pluperfect form. Brazilian conversation commonly uses tinha feito. If the order is already obvious, speakers may use the simple past, so choose the compound form when you want to highlight that something was already done.
Quando ele ligou, eu já tinha saído.
When he called, I had already left.
Ela tinha feito o almoço antes de os convidados chegarem.
She had made lunch before the guests arrived.
Eu fiz o almoço ontem e guardei as sobras.
I made lunch yesterday and saved the leftovers.
Put it into practice
Use fiz for a completed past event. Use tinha feito to show that the action was already complete before another past moment.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “I made the payment last night”?
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