The irregular verbs of the Spanish (Castilian) and Portuguese language are very similar, but we also see differences. In the table below I put some of these differing forms side by side.
Spanish | Portuguese | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
verb | yo | él | verb | eu | ele | |
andar 1 | anduve | anduvo | andar 1 | andei | andou | |
decir | dije | dijo | dizer | disse | disse | |
traer | traje | trajo | trazer | trouxe | trouxe | |
ser, ir | fui | fue | ser, ir | fui | foi | |
estar | estuve | estuvo | estar | estive | esteve | |
tener | tuve | tuvo | ter | tive | teve | |
haber | hube | hubo | haver | (houve) 4 | houve | |
caber | cupe | cupo | caber | coube | coube | |
saber | supe | supo | saber | soube | soube | |
sepa | sepa | saiba | saiba | |||
hacer | hice | hizo | fazer | fiz | fez | |
poder | pude | pudo | poder | pude | pôde | |
poner | puse | puso | por | pus | pôs | |
querer | quise | quiso | querer | quis | quis | |
ver | vi | vio | ver | vi | viu | |
venir | vine | vino | vir | vim | veio |
The verb “andar” is regular in Portuguese but irregular in Spanish.
In Spanish, the first person of the perfect often ends in -e while the third person form has -o. In Portuguese however the first and third person conjugations are equal.
Where Spanish has “j” (this is [x] phonetically), there is often an “x” in Portuguese. Although mostly a written “x” sounds the same as “ch” ([S] phonetically), this is not the case with these verbs: for example “trouxe” sound as if it were “trousse”.
In the conjugation of “dizer” they indeed even write “disse”. Could it be that in old documents, this was written “dixe”? I think I have seen examples of this.
And in fact they do exist, as becomes clear from this Googles search: +dixe site://purl.pt.
This spelling was most notably used by the author Gaspar Correia. Gaspar Correia lived from 1495 to 1561. The work he wrote, Lendas da Índia, was first published as late as 1858/1864.
“Houve” in the first person is only theoretical, it never occurs in the living language. See Eu houve? Doesn't exist!.
Copyright © 2007-2010 de R. Harmsen,
10 April 2009. My own English translation of the
Portuguese original.