Portuguese Phrase
Você já regou as plantas?
Meaning
The speaker is asking whether the listener has already watered the plants. It implies that watering is expected or scheduled, and the speaker wants to know if the task is completed.
When to use
Use this question when you share a living space with someone who tends the houseplants, in a garden with a partner, or when you’re reminding a child about a daily chore. It works both in casual conversation and in a polite request for confirmation.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Vocêjáregouasplantas?
Pronoun Você
Second‑person singular pronoun used for polite or neutral address; it does not change the verb conjugation.
Adverb já (already)
Placed before the verb in the past tense to indicate that the action may have happened before now.
Preterite regou
Third‑person singular form of the verb regar (to water) in the simple past (pretérito perfeito).
Definite article as
Feminine plural article that agrees with the noun plantas.
Question intonation
In spoken Portuguese the rising intonation at the end signals a yes/no question; the written question mark is optional in informal messages.
🗨In Conversation
Você já regou as plantas?
Have you already watered the plants?
Sim, reguei há dez minutos.
Yes, I watered them ten minutes ago.
✕Common Mistakes
Você já regou a planta?
The noun is plural; you need the plural article "as" and the plural noun "plantas".
Você já regar as plantas?
Using the infinitive "regar" instead of the past tense "regou" changes the meaning to a suggestion rather than a completed action.
Você regou já as plantas?
Placing "já" after the verb is uncommon and sounds unnatural.
↔Alternatives
Já regou as plantas?
Already watered the plants?
Você já cuidou das plantas?
Have you already taken care of the plants?
As plantas já foram regadas?
Have the plants already been watered?
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, many households keep a variety of indoor plants, and watering schedules are a common topic of daily conversation. Using "já" signals that you expect the action to have been done by now, which is considered polite because it shows you trust the other person’s responsibility. In the South, people often add "tá tudo bem" after the question to soften it: "Você já regou as plantas, tá tudo bem?"