The aim of this work is to analyse the aspectual oposition between Pretérito Perfeito Simples do Indicativo and Pretérito Perfeito Composto with the same verbal form in Padre Antônio Vieira’s letters, based on, especially in Castilho (1968), Travaglia (1980) and Campos (1997). In the letters it is noticed the use of these two tenses with in: 1. aspectual contrast, as in nowadays; 2. constructions aparently of pretérito perfeito composto, meaning happened act and 3. vestiges of old constructions formed by past participle in concordance to direct object. Vieira lived in XVII century belonging to modern portuguese period (second half of XVI century and all XVII century), according to periodization study by Bechara (1985). Futhermore, were observed the diachronic process envolving compound tenses in Portuguese establishing their possible origins, according Bomfim (2002).