Tenho Feito vs. Fiz: Talking About Repeated Actions in Portuguese
English “I have done” does not always translate with Portuguese ter + participle. Learn when Brazilians use tenho feito and when fiz is clearer.
Real Life Portuguese · 6 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
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.
Use tenho feito for a pattern continuing up to now
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.
Tenho estudado português todas as noites.
I have been studying Portuguese every night.
A gente tem conversado bastante ultimamente.
We have been talking a lot lately.
Você tem usado esse aplicativo?
Have you been using this app?
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.
Fiz a tarefa ontem.
I did the assignment yesterday.
Fiz esse curso no ano passado.
I took this course last year.
Você já fez esse exercício?
Have you done this exercise yet?
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.
Put it into practice
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.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “Have you done this exercise yet”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
Build on this guide with everyday expressions and native Brazilian audio. Choose iPhone, Android, or the web app.