VERBS

 

1. Ser-Estar

 

In Portuguese, both verbs ser and estar mean to be and it is difficult to distinguish both for beginners.
Ser is used for permanent or unchangeable situations like nationality, origin, profession, marital status, etc.  Estar is used for temporary or changeable situations, also for a state of being.

 

VERBS

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

ser 

(to be - permanent)

Ela é bonita. (sempre)

She is pretty. (always)

Ele é de São Paulo. 

He is from São Paulo

O carro é grande.

The car is big.

É muito caro. 

It is very expensive.

estar 

(to be - temporary)

Ela está bonita. (hoje)

She is pretty. (today)

Ele está em São Paulo. 

He is in São Paulo

O carro está quebrado.

The car is broken.

Está muito caro.

It is very expensive.

2. Ser-Estar-Ficar-Andar-Viver

These verbs are often confused as they mean more or less the same in English.

VERBS

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

ser (to be)

Ele é nervoso.

He is nervous. (always)

estar (to be)

Ele está nervoso.

He is nervous. (now)

ficar (to become)

Ele fica nervoso.

He becomes/gets nervous.

andar (to be)

Ele anda nervoso.

He has been nervous lately.

viver (to be)

Ele vive nervoso.

He is always nervous.

3. Estar-Fazer 

In Brazil, these verbs have different meanings. 

VERBS

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

estar (to be)

Está muito frio hoje.

It is very cold today.

fazer (to be)

Está fazendo muito frio.

It is very cold.

Aqui não faz muito frio.

Here it is not very cold.

 

 

 

 

 

4. Ter-Sentir-Estar

Sentir and ter have the same meaning and their use is normally linked with some situation at a given time. (at this time, at 11 o'clock, after my gym class, when, etc.). Estar is used for temporary situations and it is more frequently used than ter/sentir

VERBS

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

ter (to feel)

Eu sempre tenho fome a esta hora.

I always feel hungry at this time.

sentir (to feel)

Eu sempre sinto fome a esta hora.

I always feel hungry at this time.

estar (to be)

Eu estou com fome.

I am hungry (now).

5. Gostar-Gostaria

Gostar means to enjoy or to like while gostaria is the conditional form of gostar and it is only used in unreal situations (if clauses) or as a polite form.

VERBS

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

gostar (to like)

Eu gosto de dançar.

I like dancing.

gostaria (would like)

Eu gostaria de dançar.

I would like to dance.

Se eu soubesse, eu gostaria de dançar.

If I knew how to dance, I would like to dance.

6. Ir-Andar

Sometimes verbs ir and andar have exactly the same meaning (to ride, to fly, to walk, etc.). For this reason,  they are often confused. Ir means to go to somewhere and it must be followed by a destination while andar is not followed by a destination.

VERBS

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

ir (to go)

Eu vou ao Brasil de avião.

I am going to Brazil by plane.

andar (to walk)

Eu ando muito de avião.

I fly a lot.

Eu adoro andar a cavalo

I love riding on a horseback.

7. Ir-Vir

Ir (to go) is used to indicate a movement away from the speaker or the place where the speaker is at the moment of speaking while vir (to come) is used to indicate a movement toward the speaker or the place where the speaker is at the moment of speaking.


If used to indicate a movement, ir (to go) is followed by the preposition lá/ali (there) while vir (to come) is followed by the preposition aqui/cá (here). The preposition is often omitted, but try to use it at least mentally in order to make it easier to distinguish both and not misuse them.

 

 

VERBS

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

ir (to go)

Ele não foi à aula hoje.

He did not go to class today.

vir (to come)

Ele não veio à aula hoje.

He didn't come to class today.

8. Levar-Trazer

Levar (to take) is used to indicate a movement away from the speaker or the place where the speaker is at the moment of speaking while trazer (to bring) is used to indicate a movement toward the speaker or the place where the speaker is at the moment of speaking.
If used to indicate a movement, levar (to take) is followed by the preposition lá/ali (there) while trazer (to bring) is followed by the preposition aqui (here). The preposition is often omitted, but try to use it at least mentally in order to make it easier to distinguish both and not misuse them.

VERBS

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

levar (to take)

Vou levar as crianças lá.

I will take the children there.

trazer (to bring)

Vou trazer as crianças aqui.

I will bring the children here.

9. Precisar-Precisar de

In Brazil, there is a difference between both verbs. Precisar means to have to or must and it is followed by an infinitive verb while precisar de means to need and it is followed by an object.

VERBS

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

precisar (to have to)

Preciso ir ao banco.

I have to go to the bank.

precisar (to need)

Preciso de dinheiro.

I need money.

10. Provar-Tentar

These verbs are often confused as they are both the same word in English.

VERBS

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

provar (to try on )

Posso provar esta camisa?

Can I try on this shirt?

provar (to try)

Quero provar este vinho.

I want to try this wine.

tentar (to try)

Eu vou tentar falar com ele.

I will try to talk to him.

11. Saber-Conhecer

Saber means to know something or to know how to do something while conhecer means to know a place or a person. 

VERBS

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

saber (to know)

Eu sei onde fica esta rua.

I know where this street is.

saber (to know how)

Eu sei nadar.

I know how to/can swim.

conhecer (to know)

Eu conheço esta rua.

know this street.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12. Saber-Poder-Conseguir

Both saber and poder can be translated into English as can. However, poder is also translated as may, to be able depending on the context.


Conseguir means to manage, to be able, to get, to obtain, can depending on the context.

 

VERBS

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

saber (can)

Ela não sabe nadar.

She cannot swim. (at all)

poder (can/may)

Ela não pode nadar.

She cannot swim. (today)

Posso entrar?

May I come in?

conseguir (can)

Você conseguiu falar com ele?

Did you manage to talk to him?

13. Ter-Ter que

Ter means to have and an object while ter que follows it or ter de means to have to or must and is followed by a verb.

 

VERBS

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

ter (to have)

Você tem filhos?

Do you have children?

ter que (to have to)

Ele tem que viajar amanhã.

He has to travel tomorrow.

14. Tocar-Jogar-Brincar

All these verbs are easily confused because they have the same meaning (to play) in English. Tocar is used for instruments; jogar is for sports/cards and brincar is used for children's play. 

 

VERBS

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

tocar (to play/ring)

Ele toca violão.

He plays the guitar.

O telefone está tocando.

The telephone is ringing.

jogar (to play)

Você joga tênis/cartas?

Do you play tennis/cards?

brincar (to play/joke)

As crianças estão brincando.

The children are playing.

Você está brincando?

Are you kidding?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15. Verbos + que (verbs + que)

In Portuguese, there are some verbs which require the conjunction that (que) while in English it is not required at all or it can often be omitted. The conjunction que (that) is especially used with the subjunctive mood.

VERBS

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

achar (to think)

Acho que ele está em casa.

I think that he is at home.

dizer (to say)

Ele disse que ele não pode.

He said that he cannot.

esperar (to hope)

Espero que não chova.

I hope that it will not rain.

querer (to want)

Ele quer que eu vá com ele.

He wants me to go with him.

saber (to know)

Eu sei que ele tem tempo.

I know that he has time.

16. Verbos + prep. (verbs + prepositions)

In Portuguese, there are verbs which are followed by prepositions that differ from English. Try to learn the most important verbs along with the prepositions and remember that a preposition usually varies in gender (masculine/feminine) and in number (singular/plural), if it is followed by a noun.

VERBS

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

gostar (to like)

Ele gosta muito do Brasil.

He loves Brazil.

começar (to begin)

Ele começou a trabalhar.

He began working.

ir (to go)

Não posso ir à reunião.

I cannot go to the meeting.

precisar (to need)

Você precisa destas cartas?

Do you need these letters?

17. Verbos impessoais (impersonal verbs)

Certain verbs in Portuguese are only used in the 3rd person. This is usually 3rd person singular (he/she/it), but may be 3rd person plural (they), if referring to animals.

These verbs often refer to natural phenomenon or are used in idiomatic expressions. 

Remark: Sometimes the meaning of the verb will change when used as impersonal verb.

VERBS

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

chover (to rain)

Choveu muito ontem.

It rained a lot yesterday.

latir (to bark)

Os cachorros estão latindo.

The dogs are barking.

dar (to give)

pra você ligar depois?

Can you call me later?

fazer (to do)

Faz um ano que moro aqui.

I have lived here for one year.

haver (there is/are)

muita gente aqui.

There are many people here.

ter (there is/are)

Tem muita gente aqui.

There are many people here.

 

A verb is an action or a doing word in a sentence. It is the most important word in a sentence that must always be present to complete an idea. In Portuguese, the endings of verbs are more varied and there are more tenses available than in English. Therefore, Portuguese verbs are much more complicated than English verbs.

Conjugation

x

There are three conjugations, that is, three main verb groups in Portuguese.

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CONJUGATIONS

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

verbs ending in -ar

falar

to speak

verbs ending in -er

beber

to drink

Verbs ending in -ir

assistir

to watch

 

Mood

In Portuguese, the verbs are divided into three moods.

Indicative

used to express a sure fact.

Subjunctive

used to express an unsure or possible fact, a wish, etc.

Imperative

used to express a command, a wish or an advice.

x

Remark: 

·         The subjunctive is used after certain verbs, expressions, conjunctions and adverbs. It is normally difficult to understand it as it does not have a corresponding form in English.

·         The study of the subjunctive is for intermediate and advanced students, but you can easily communicate in Portuguese without it in the early stage.

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Tenses

x

In Portuguese, a tense can be called simple tense or compound tense. A simple tense consists of only one verb, that is, the main verb while a compound tense consists of two verbs, that is, an auxiliary verb and the main verb.


The main auxiliary verbs used in Portuguese to form compound tenses are estar (to be, used to form continuous tenses); ir (to go, used to form the future tense); ter (to have, used to form perfect tenses) and ser (to be, used to form the passive voice). 

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Regular Verbs

x

Regular verbs have a invariable radical (falar - to speak) and are easy to memorize. Each conjugation follows a different, but regular pattern.

Below you will find an example of regular verbs conjugated in all tenses available and used in Portuguese. 

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1. Indicative Simple Tenses

x

falar (to speak)

beber (to drink)

assistir (to watch)

presente (simple present)

fal-o

beb-o

assist-o

fal-a

beb-e

assist-e

fal-amos

beb-emos

assist-imos

fal-am

beb-em

assist-em

Stress: falo/fala/falamos/falam

pretérito perfeito simples (simple past/present perfect)

fal-ei

beb-i

assist-i

fal-ou

beb-eu

assist-iu

fal-amos

beb-emos

assist-imos

fal-aram

beb-eram

asssist-iram

Stress: falei/falou/falamos/falaram

pretérito imperfeito (past imperfect)

fal-ava

beb-ia

assist-ia

fal-ava

beb-ia

assist-ia

fal-ávamos

beb-íamos

assist-íamos

fal-avam

beb-iam 

assist-iam

Stress: falava/falava/favamos/falavam

pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples (past perfect)

fal-ara

beb-era

assist-ira

fal-ara

beb-era

assist-ira

fal-áramos

beb-êramos

assist-íramos

fal-aram

beb-eram

asssist-iram

Stress: falara/falara/faramos/falaram

 

 

 

 

 

futuro (simple future)

vou fal-ar

vou beb-er

vou assist-ir

vai fal-ar

vai beb-er

vai assist-ir

vamos fal-ar

vamos beb-er

vamos assist-ir

vão fal-ar

vão beb-er

vão assist-ir

Stress: vou/vai/vamos/vão + falar

futuro do presente simples (simple future)

fal-arei

beb-erei

assist-irei

fal-ará

beb-erá

assist-irá

fal-aremos

beb-eremos

assist-iremos

fal-arão

beb-erão

assist-irão

Stress: falarei/fala/falaremos/falarão

futuro do pretérito simples (conditional)

fal-aria

beb-eria

assist-iria

fal-aria

beb-eria

assist-iria

fal-aríamos

beb-eríamos

assist-iríamos

fal-ariam

beb-eriam

assist-iriam

Stress: falaria/falaria/falaamos/falariam

Remark:

Example:

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

Eu falo

I speak

Eu falei

I spoke/have spoken

Eu falava

I spoke/used to speak

Eu falara = tinha falado

I had spoken

Eu vou falar = falarei

I am going to/will speak

Eu falaria

I would speak

x

2. Indicative Continuous Tenses

x

presente contínuo (present continuous)

estou fal-ando

estou beb-endo

estou assist-indo

está fal-ando

está beb-endo

está assist-indo

estamos fal-ando

estamos beb-endo

estamos assist-indo

estão fal-ando

estão beb-endo

estão assist-indo

Stress: estou/es/estamos/estão + falando

passado contínuo (past continuous)

estava fal-ando

estava beb-endo

estava assist-indo

estava fal-ando

estava beb-endo

estava assist-indo

estávamos fal-ando

estávamos beb-endo

estávamos assist-indo

estavam fal-ando

estavam beb-endo

estavam assist-indo

Stress: estava/esvamos/estavam + falando

Remark: 

Example:

 

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

Eu estou/estava falando

I am/was speaking

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Indicative Compound (Perfect) Tenses

x

pretérito perfeito composto (present perfect continuous/present perfect)

tenho fal-ado

tenho beb-ido

tenho assist-ido

tem fal-ado

tem beb-ido

tem assist-ido

temos fal-ado

temos beb-ido

temos assist-ido

têm fal-ado

têm beb-ido

têm assist-ido

Stress: tenho/tem/temos/têm + falado

pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto (past perfect)

tinha fal-ado

tinha beb-ido

tinha assist-ido

tinha fal-ado

tinha beb-ido

tinha assist-ido

tínhamos fal-ado

tínhamos beb-ido

tínhamos assist-ido

tinham fal-ado

tinham beb-ido

tinham assist-ido

Stress: tinha/tinha/nhamos/tinham + falado

futuro do presente composto (future perfect)

terei fal-ado

terei beb-ido

terei assist-ido

terá fal-ado

terá beb-ido

terá assist-ido

teremos fal-ado

teremos beb-ido

teremos assist-ido

terão fal-ado

terão beb-ido

terão assist-ido

Stress: terei/te/teremos/terão + falado

futuro do pretérito composto (conditional perfect)

teria fal-ado

teria beb-ido

teria assist-ido

teria fal-ado

teria beb-ido

teria assist-ido

teríamos fal-ado

teríamos beb-ido

teríamos assist-ido

teriam fal-ado

teriam beb-ido

teriam assist-ido

Stress: teria/teria/teamos/teriam + falado

Remark: 

 

Example:

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

Eu tenho falado

I have spoken/been speaking

Eu tinha falado = falara

I had spoken

Eu terei falado

I will have spoken

Eu teria falado

I would have spoken

x

4. Subjunctive Simple Tenses

x

presente do subjuntivo (present subjunctive)

fal-e

beb-a

assist-a

fal-e

beb-a

assist-a

fal-emos

beb-amos

assist-amos

fal-em

beb-am

assist-am

Stress: fale/fale/falemos/falem

imperfeito do subjuntivo (imperfect subjunctive)

fal-asse

beb-esse

assist-isse

fal-asse

beb-esse

assist-isse

fal-ássemos

beb-êssemos

assist-íssemos

fal-assem

beb-essem

assist-issem

Stress: falasse/falasse/fassemos/falassem

futuro simples do subjuntivo (future subjunctive)

fal-ar

beb-er

assist-ir

fal-ar

beb-er

assist-ir

fal-armos

beb-ermos

assist-irmos

fal-arem

beb-erem

assist-irem

Stress: falar/falar/falarmos/falarem

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Example:

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

Talvez eu fale

Maybe I will speak

Se eu falasse

If I spoke

Quando eu falar

Whenever I speak

x

5. Subjunctive Continuous Tenses

x

presente contínuo do subjuntivo (present continuous subjunctive)

esteja fal-ando

esteja beb-endo

esteja assist-indo

esteja fal-ando

esteja beb-endo

esteja assist-indo

estejamos fal-ando

estejamos beb-endo

estejamos assist-indo

estejam fal-ando

estejam beb-endo

estejam assist-indo

Stress: esteja/esteja/estejamos/estejam + falando

passado contínuo do subjuntivo (past continuous subjunctive)

estivesse fal-ando

estivesse beb-endo

estivesse assist-indo

estivesse fal-ando

estivesse beb-endo

estivesse assist-indo

estivéssemos fal-ando

estivéssemos beb-endo

estivéssemos assist-indo

estivessem fal-ando

estivessem beb-endo

estivessem assist-indo

Stress: estivesse/estivesse/estissemos/estivessem + falando

futuro contínuo do subjuntivo (future continuous subjunctive)

estiver fal-ando

estiver beb-endo

estiver assist-indo

estiver fal-ando

estiver beb-endo

estiver assist-indo

estivermos fal-ando

estivermos beb-endo

estivermos assist-indo

estiverem fal-ando

estiverem beb-endo

estiverem assist-indo

Stress: estiver/estiver/estivermos/estiverem + falando

Example:

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

Talvez eu esteja falando

Maybe I am speaking

Se eu estivesse falando

If I were speaking

Quando eu estiver falando

When I am speaking

x

6. Subjunctive Compound Tenses

x

pretérito perfeito do subjuntivo (present perfect subjunctive)

tenha fal-ado

tenha beb-ido

tenha assist-ido

tenha fal-ado

tenha beb-ido

tenha assist-ido

tenhamos fal-ado

tenhamos beb-ido

tenhamos assist-ido

tenham fal-ado

tenham beb-ido

tenham assist-ido

Stress: tenha/tenha/tenhamos/tenham + falado

pretérito mais-que-perfeito do subjuntivo (past perfect subjunctive)

tivesse fal-ado

tivesse beb-ido

tivesse assist-ido

tivesse fal-ado

tivesse beb-ido

tivesse assist-ido

tivéssemos fal-ado

tivéssemos beb-ido

tivéssemos assist-ido

tivessem fal-ado

tivessem beb-ido

tivessem assist-ido

Stress: tivesse/tivesse/tissemos/tivessem + falado

futuro composto do subjuntivo (future perfect subjunctive)

tiver fal-ado

tiver beb-ido

tiver assist-ido

tiver fal-ado

tiver beb-ido

tiver assist-ido

tivermos fal-ado

tivermos beb-ido

tivermos assist-ido

tiverem fal-ado

tiverem beb-ido

tiverem assist-ido

Stress: tiver/tiver/tivermos/tiverem + falado

Example:

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

Talvez eu tenha falado

Maybe I have spoken

Se eu tivesse falado

If I had spoken

Quando eu tiver falado

Whenever I have spoken

x

7. Imperative (command)

imperativo (command)

fal-a = fal-e

beb-e = beb-a

assist-e = assist-a

fal-em

beb-am

assistam

Stress: fala/fale/falem

 

Remark:

Example:

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

(Não) fala/fale/falem

(Do not) speak

x

8. Personal Infinitive

x

infinitivo pessoal presente simples (personal infinitive - simple form)

fal-ar

beb-er

assist-ir

fal-ar

beb-er

assist-ir

fal-armos

beb-ermos

assist-irmos

fal-arem

beb-erem

assist-irem

Stress: falar/falar/falarmos/falarem

infinitivo pessoal pretérito composto (personal infinitive - compound form)

ter fal-ado

ter beb-ido

ter assist-ido

ter fal-ado

ter beb-ido

ter assist-ido

termos fal-ado

termos beb-ido

termos assist-ido

terem fal-ado

terem beb-ido

terem assist-ido

Stress: ter/ter/termos/terem + falado

Remark:  

Example:

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

Depois de eu falar

After I spoke

Depois de eu ter falado

After I have spoken

x

 

 

9. Participles

x

gerúndio presente (present participle - simple form)

fal-ando

beb-endo

assist-indo

Stress: falando

gerúndio pretérito (present participle - compound form)

tendo fal-ado

tendo beb-ido

tendo assist-ido

Stress: tendo falado

particípio (past participle - regular form)

fal-ado

beb-ido

assist-ido

Stress: falado

x

Remark: 

·         The present participle, called gerund in Portuguese, is usually used to form the continuous tenses and with a few verbs. It is not used after prepositions and it does not have a noun or an adjective function as in English.

·         The past participle can be regular or irregular as in English. In fact, there are only a few frequently used verbs which have irregular past participles. 

·         In Portuguese, there are a few verbs which have two past participles, a regular and an irregular one. The regular form (invariable) is used to form compound (perfect) tenses (ter + past participle) while the irregular form (variable in gender and in number) is mainly used to form the passive voice. 

Irregular Verbs

x

Irregular verbs which have a variable radical (fazer > faço, to do > I do), minor spelling changes (dormir > durmo, to sleep > I sleep) and sometimes even a completely different form (ir > vou, to go > I go), are more difficult and need more time to be memorized. 

Irregular verbs can be very hard, especially for beginners, but do not worry about this. With time and some practice they come naturally.

Below you will find an example of an irregular verb conjugated in all tenses available and used in Portuguese.

x
Remark:

·         In Portuguese, a verb can be regular in one tense, but irregular in another. Verb ter (to have), for example, is irregular in the present and past tenses, but regular in the future, continuous, conditional and compound perfect) tenses. See the table below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Indicative

x

ter (to have)

gerúndio/present participle: tendo

particípio/past participle: tido

presente
simple present

perfeito simples

simple past

imperfeito

past imperfect

futuro 

simple future

tenho

tive

tinha

vou ter

tem

teve

tinha

vai ter

temos

tivemos

tínhamos

vamos ter

têm

tiveram

tinham

vão ter

presente contínuo

present continuous

passado contínuo

past continuous

futuro do presente

simple future

futuro do pretérito present conditional

estou tendo

estava tendo

terei

teria

está tendo

estava tendo

terá

teria

estamos tendo

estávamos tendo

teremos

teríamos

estão tendo

estavam tendo

terão

teriam

pretérito perfeito composto
pres.perf.cont./pres.perf.

pret. mais-que-perf. composto

past perfect

futuro do presente composto

future perfect

futuro do pretérito composto

perfect conditional

tenho tido

tinha tido

terei tido

teria tido

tem tido

tinha tido

terá tido

teria tido

temos tido

tínhamos tido

teremos tido

teríamos tido

têm tido

tinham tido

terão tido

teriam tido

x

Example:

x

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

Eu tenho

I have

Eu tive

I had

Eu tinha

I had/used to have

Eu estou tendo

I am having

Eu estava tendo

I was having

Eu vou ter = terei

I am going to/will have

Eu teria

I would have

Eu tenho tido

I have had

Eu tinha tido = tivera

I had had

Eu terei  tido

I will have had

Eu teria tido

I would have had

x

2. Subjunctive

x

presente do subjuntivo

present subjunctive

imperfeito do subjuntivo

imperfect subjunctive

futuro do subjuntivo

future subjunctive

tenha

tivesse

tiver

tenha

tivesse

tiver

tenhamos

tivéssemos

tivermos

tenham

tivessem

tiverem

pres. cont. do subjuntivo

present cont. subjunctive

passado cont. do subjuntivo

past continuous subjunctive

futuro cont. do subjuntivo

future continuous subjunctive

esteja tendo

estivesse tendo

estiver tendo

esteja tendo 

estivesse tendo

estiver tendo

estejamos tendo

estivéssemos tendo

estivermos tendo

estejam tendo

estivessem tendo

estiverem tendo

pret. perfeito do subjuntivo

present perfect subjunctive

pret. mais-que-perf. do subj.

past perfect subjunctive

fut. composto do subjuntivo

future perfect subjunctive

tenha tido

tivesse tido

tiver tido

tenha tido

tivesse tido

tiver tido

tenhamos tido

tivéssemos tido

tivermos tido

tenham tido

tivessem tido

tiverem tido

x

Example:

x

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

Talvez eu tenha

Maybe I have

Se eu tivesse

If I had

Quando eu tiver

Whenever I have

Talvez eu esteja tendo

Maybe I am having

Se eu estivesse tendo

If I were having

Quando eu estiver tendo

When I am having

Talvez eu tenha tido

Maybe I have had

Se eu tivesse tido

If I had had

Quando eu tiver tido

When I have had

xRemark: Remember that the subjunctive does not have a corresponding form in English.

x

3. Imperative and Personal Infinitive

x

imperativo

command

infinitivo pessoal simples

personal infinitive

infinitivo pessoal composto

personal infinitive perfect

-

ter

ter tido

tem/tenha

ter

ter tido

(tenhamos)

termos

termos tido

tenham

terem

terem tido

Remark: Remember that the personal infinitive is a feature available only in the Portuguese language and it does not have a corresponding form in English.

x

Example:

x

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

(Não) tenha

(Do not) have

Depois de eu ter

After I had

Depois de eu ter tido

After I have had

x

Active and Passive Voice

 

A verb can be used in the active or in the passive voice. In the active voice the subject does the action while in the passive voice the subject has the action done to it.

The passive voice can be used in all tenses. The verb ser (to be) is used to form the passive voice along with the past participle of the main verb.

x

VOICE

PORTUGUESE

ENGLISH

active

O médico me examinou.

The doctor examined me.

passive

Fui examinado (pelo médico).

I was examined (by the doctor).

x

Be aware that in Portuguese in the passive voice not only the verb to be must be in agreement with the object, but also the past participle of the main verb must also be in agreement with the object.

x

 

 

 

 

PASSIVE VOICE

 

 

 

 

ENGLISH

Fui examinado

I was examined (male/singular)

Fui examinada

I was examined (female/singular)

Fomos examinados

We were examined (male/plural)

Fomos examinadas

We were examined (female/plural)

x

Remark:

· The passive voice is followed by the preposition por (by), which can vary pelo(s)/pela(s) as it must agree with the subject it refers to. However, this preposition is usually omitted if it is not important to know by whom the action was done. There are a few verbs like entregar (to deliver) for example, which have two past participles (entregado/entregue - delivered), a regular one and an irregular one. The irregular one (entregue) is used with the passive voice and the regular one (entregado) with the active voice.