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
| |
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
| |
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. |
I 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) |
Dá
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) |
Há
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.
x
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.
x
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).
x
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.
x
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/falávamos/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/faláramos/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/falará/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/falaríamos/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/está/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/estávamos/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/tínhamos/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/terá/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/teríamos/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/falássemos/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/estivéssemos/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/tivéssemos/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 |
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 |
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.