Verbs
Portuguese verbs change form (conjugate) based on who's performing the action. This is similar to Spanish and Italian, and once you learn the patterns, they're highly predictable. An important note: Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese use different pronoun systems, affecting which verb forms you'll use most. This page covers both variants.
Subject pronouns
Here's where Brazilian and European Portuguese differ most. Brazil primarily uses você (formal "you" that takes third-person verbs), while Portugal uses tu (informal "you" with second-person verbs). In Brazil, a gente ("the people") is commonly used instead of nós for "we", and it takes third-person singular verb forms:
| Brazil | Portugal | English |
|---|---|---|
| 🔊 eu | 🔊 eu | I |
| 🔊 você | 🔊 tu | you (informal) |
| 🔊 ele/ela | 🔊 ele/ela | he/she |
| 🔊 você | 🔊 o senhor | you (formal) |
| 🔊 a gente / nós | 🔊 nós | we |
| 🔊 vocês | 🔊 vocês | you (plural) |
| 🔊 eles/elas | 🔊 eles/elas | they |
Regular -AR verbs: 🔊 falar (to speak)
-AR verbs are the largest and most regular group in Portuguese. Remove the -ar ending to get the stem (fal-), then add the appropriate ending. This pattern applies to thousands of verbs:
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| eu | 🔊 falo |
| tu | 🔊 falas |
| você/ele/ela | 🔊 fala |
| nós | 🔊 falamos |
| vocês/eles | 🔊 falam |
Regular -ER verbs: 🔊 comer (to eat)
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| eu | 🔊 como |
| tu | 🔊 comes |
| você/ele/ela | 🔊 come |
| nós | 🔊 comemos |
| vocês/eles | 🔊 comem |
Regular -IR verbs: 🔊 partir (to leave)
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| eu | 🔊 parto |
| tu | 🔊 partes |
| você/ele/ela | 🔊 parte |
| nós | 🔊 partimos |
| vocês/eles | 🔊 partem |
Essential irregular verbs
As with all Romance languages, the most common verbs are irregular and must be memorised. Ser and estar (both meaning "to be" but used differently), ter (to have), ir (to go), and fazer (to do/make) appear in virtually every conversation.
🔊 Ser (to be — permanent)
Ser describes permanent or inherent characteristics: identity, origin, profession, nationality, time, and essential qualities. Think of it as answering "what/who is this?" rather than "how is this right now?":
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | 🔊 sou |
| tu | 🔊 és |
| você/ele | 🔊 é |
| nós | 🔊 somos |
| vocês/eles | 🔊 são |
🔊 Estar (to be — temporary/location)
Estar describes temporary states, conditions, locations, and the results of change. Use it for how someone feels, where something is, or conditions that could change. "I am tired" uses estar because tiredness is temporary:
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | 🔊 estou |
| tu | 🔊 estás |
| você/ele | 🔊 está |
| nós | 🔊 estamos |
| vocês/eles | 🔊 estão |
🔊 Ter (to have)
Ter means "to have" and is used for possession, age (🔊 "Eu tenho 30 anos" = "I have 30 years"), and in many expressions. It's also the auxiliary for forming compound tenses. In Brazilian Portuguese, ter often replaces haver for "there is/are":
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | 🔊 tenho |
| tu | 🔊 tens |
| você/ele | 🔊 tem |
| nós | 🔊 temos |
| vocês/eles | 🔊 têm |
🔊 Ir (to go)
Ir is essential for expressing movement and future plans. Combined with an infinitive, it forms a simple future: 🔊 "Vou comer" = "I'm going to eat". The present tense forms are highly irregular:
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | 🔊 vou |
| tu | 🔊 vais |
| você/ele | 🔊 vai |
| nós | 🔊 vamos |
| vocês/eles | 🔊 vão |
🔊 Fazer (to do/make)
Fazer is a versatile verb used in many expressions: 🔊 fazer uma pergunta (ask a question), 🔊 fazer anos (have a birthday), 🔊 fazer calor/frio (be hot/cold weather). It's irregular and essential:
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | 🔊 faço |
| tu | 🔊 fazes |
| você/ele | 🔊 faz |
| nós | 🔊 fazemos |
| vocês/eles | 🔊 fazem |
Ser vs Estar
Like Spanish, Portuguese has two "to be" verbs:
- Ser: Identity, origin, profession, permanent characteristics
- Estar: Location, temporary states, feelings