Verb tenses · Brazilian Portuguese
Portuguese Present (Presente)
The present tense is for what is true now, what you do regularly, and, in speech, what you are about to do.
Eu trabalho no centro. I work downtown.
- Used constantly in speech
- Level A1
- Different in Portugal
- -ar
- -o -a -amos -am
- -er
- -o -e -emos -em
- -ir
- -o -e -imos -em
When to use the present
Habits and routines: what you do regularly.
Eu pego o ônibus todo dia às sete.
I catch the bus every day at seven.
Facts and things that are true in general.
No Rio faz calor quase o ano todo.
In Rio it's hot almost all year.
Something happening now, where English would say “I'm doing” (estar + gerund is also common).
O que você faz aqui?
What are you doing here?
A near, planned future, usually with a time word.
Amanhã eu falo com o chefe.
Tomorrow I'll talk to the boss.
Offers and quick suggestions, as a question.
Eu te ajudo com as malas?
Shall I help you with the bags?
Often confused with the present subjunctive and the gerund.
Regular verbs
Every regular verb follows one of these three: -ar like falar (to speak), -er like comer (to eat), -ir like partir (to leave). The ending is in bold and underlined. Tu is used in parts of Brazil, and is shown last.
| Person | falar | comer | partir |
|---|---|---|---|
| eueu | falo | como | parto |
| vocêvocê, ele, ela, a gente | fala | come | parte |
| nósnós | falamos | comemos | partimos |
| vocêsvocês, eles, elas | falam | comem | partem |
| tuturegional | falas | comes | partes |
Spelling changes
Some regular verbs change a letter in this tense to keep the sound of their stem. They aren't irregular: the change is in the spelling, not the sound.
Irregular verbs
The most common irregular verbs in the present, most used first. Verbs built on the same one change the same way: learn ter and you know manter and obter. Irregular forms are marked (irregular).
estar
- euestou (irregular)
- vocêestá (irregular)
- nósestamos
- vocêsestão (irregular)
- tuestás (irregular)
ir
- euvou (irregular)
- vocêvai (irregular)
- nósvamos (irregular)
- vocêsvão (irregular)
- tuvais (irregular)
ser
- eusou (irregular)
- vocêé (irregular)
- nóssomos (irregular)
- vocêssão (irregular)
- tués (irregular)
ter
- eutenho (irregular)
- vocêtem (irregular)
- nóstemos
- vocêstêm (irregular)
- tutens (irregular)
poder
- euposso (irregular)
- vocêpode
- nóspodemos
- vocêspodem
- tupodes
fazer
- eufaço (irregular)
- vocêfaz (irregular)
- nósfazemos
- vocêsfazem
- tufazes
Also: desfazer, satisfazer and 9 more
saber
- eusei (irregular)
- vocêsabe
- nóssabemos
- vocêssabem
- tusabes
querer
- euquero
- vocêquer (irregular)
- nósqueremos
- vocêsquerem
- tuqueres
Also: maisquerer, malquerer
dizer
- eudigo (irregular)
- vocêdiz (irregular)
- nósdizemos
- vocêsdizem
- tudizes
Also: contradizer, bendizer and 4 more
ver
- euvejo (irregular)
- vocêvê (irregular)
- nósvemos
- vocêsveem (irregular)
- tuvês (irregular)
haver
- euhei (irregular)
- vocêhá (irregular)
- nóshavemos / hemos
- vocêshão (irregular)
- tuhás (irregular)
vir
- euvenho (irregular)
- vocêvem (irregular)
- nósvimos
- vocêsvêm (irregular)
- tuvens (irregular)
Any verb in the present
How Brazilians use it
Você and a gente take the ele form
Brazilians use você for “you” and a gente for “we” in everyday speech, and both take the same form as ele: você fala, a gente fala. So in practice most people use only three or four forms of each verb.
In Portugal
In Portugal tu is the everyday “you” among friends and family, with its own forms: tu falas, tu comes, tu partes. In most of Brazil people say você fala, and tu is regional (often with the você form: tu fala).
Common mistakes
Not
Eu moro aqui desde três anos.ButEu moro aqui há três anos.
For something still going on, Portuguese uses the present with há + time: “I've lived here for three years”. Desde goes with a starting point: desde 2020.
Not
Eu sou cansado hoje.ButEu estou cansado hoje.
Ser and estar are both “to be”: estar for how things are right now (tired, sick, busy), ser for what something is.
Not
Eu fazo o jantar.ButEu faço o jantar.
Several common verbs are irregular in the eu form: fazer → faço, ter → tenho, ir → vou, poder → posso, dizer → digo.
Practise the present
Ten questions on the most common verbs. Type the form; you'll see right or wrong at once.
Cheat sheet
The endings and the most common irregular verbs on one printable page.
Present cheat sheet (PDF)Questions
How do you conjugate verbs in the present tense in Portuguese?
Take the -ar, -er or -ir off the infinitive and add the endings: falo, fala, falamos, falam; como, come, comemos, comem; parto, parte, partimos, partem. Common verbs like ser, estar, ter, ir and fazer are irregular.
Does Portuguese have a present continuous?
Yes: estar + gerund, as in estou trabalhando (I'm working). Brazilians use it a lot, but the simple present can also describe what is happening now.
Can you use the present tense for the future in Portuguese?
Yes, in speech, for plans and near events with a time word: amanhã eu te ligo (I'll call you tomorrow). The other everyday way is ir + infinitive: vou te ligar.
What are the most common irregular verbs in the Portuguese present tense?
Ser (sou, é, somos, são), estar (estou, está), ter (tenho, tem), ir (vou, vai), fazer (faço, faz), poder (posso, pode) and dizer (digo, diz). They are also the verbs you hear most.
Related tenses: the preterite, the future
See the present in real books
Tables teach the forms; stories teach when to use them. Read Brazilian books and stories at your level, tap any verb for its meaning in that sentence, and press Listen to hear the page in a Brazilian voice.
Start reading free