Portuguese Phrase
O pacote chegou ontem.
Meaning
This sentence means “The package arrived yesterday.” It states that a delivery or parcel was received on the previous day. The verb ‘chegar’ is used in the perfect past (pretérito perfeito) to indicate a completed action.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to inform someone about the arrival time of a parcel, a mail item, or any delivered object. It’s common in everyday conversation, at work when confirming receipt of shipments, or when chatting with friends about a package you were expecting.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Opacotechegouontem
Definite article (O)
The article ‘o’ agrees in gender and number with the noun ‘pacote’ (masculine singular).
Noun (pacote)
‘Pacote’ means ‘package’ or ‘parcel’; it’s a masculine noun.
Verb (chegou)
‘Chegou’ is the third‑person singular of ‘chegar’ in the pretérito perfeito, used for actions completed at a specific past time.
Adverb of time (ontem)
‘Ontem’ means ‘yesterday’ and signals that the verb should be in a past tense.
🗨In Conversation
O pacote chegou ontem?
Did the package arrive yesterday?
Sim, chegou ontem à tarde.
Yes, it arrived yesterday in the afternoon.
✕Common Mistakes
O pacote chegava ontem.
Do not use ‘chegava’ (imperfect) because the action is completed, not ongoing.
O pacote chegou hoje.
Avoid using ‘hoje’ (today) which changes the meaning.
Pacote chegou ontem.
Do not omit the article ‘O’; Portuguese requires the definite article before ‘pacote’ in this context.
↔Alternatives
O encomenda chegou ontem.
The parcel arrived yesterday.
A entrega foi feita ontem.
The delivery was made yesterday.
Chegou o pacote ontem.
The package came yesterday.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, it’s common to ask about the status of a delivery using ‘chegou’ or ‘entregou’. When speaking with a courier service, you might also mention the tracking number. Note that ‘pacote’ is more informal; for formal contexts you can use ‘encomenda’. Also, Brazilians often add the time of day (e.g., ‘de manhã’, ‘à tarde’) for extra clarity.