Brazilian Portuguese Present Tense: A Beginner’s Conjugation Guide — Practice

Start with the subject and the verb stem

To form the present tense of a regular Portuguese verb, identify its -ar, -er, or -ir ending and add the ending for the subject. Begin with useful subjects such as eu, você, a gente, nós, and vocês, while learning frequent irregular verbs separately.

Brazilian Portuguese often leaves out the subject pronoun when the context is clear. You may hear “Moro no Rio” (I live in Rio) without eu. The verb ending and conversation help the listener understand who is speaking.

Notice the regular -ar, -er, and -ir patterns

For a first pass, compare the eu, você, and nós forms. Many -ar verbs use -o, -a, and -amos: eu falo, você fala, nós falamos. Many -er verbs use -o, -e, and -emos: eu como, você come, nós comemos. Many -ir verbs use -o, -e, and -imos: eu abro, você abre, nós abrimos.

Brazilian speakers commonly use você with the same verb form as ele and ela. A gente also takes that third-person singular form: “a gente fala,” not the standard written form “a gente falamos.” Nós uses its own plural form.

Learn the common irregular verbs early

Ser (to be), estar (to be), ter (to have), and ir (to go) do not follow the regular patterns above. Because they appear constantly, learn their useful forms as complete chunks rather than trying to force them into a regular ending rule.

In conversation, ter can also appear in everyday expressions such as “tem uma farmácia aqui?” (is there a pharmacy here?). Treat that use as a common Brazilian pattern and pay attention to the context; the literal English word “have” does not explain every sentence.

Build a short routine and check the subject

Use one verb to describe something you do regularly, then change the subject and check the ending. For example: “Eu trabalho de casa. Minha amiga trabalha no escritório. Nós trabalhamos juntos às sextas.” This makes the endings meaningful instead of a list to recite.

A present-tense form can describe a habit or something happening now, depending on the sentence. “Eu estudo português” can mean “I study Portuguese” or “I’m studying Portuguese.” If you want to make an action in progress explicit, Brazilians often say “estou estudando.”

Remember: Choose three verbs you use every day, write one sentence with eu and one with você or a gente, and say them aloud with the Real Life Portuguese app’s native audio.

Use three regular verbs as reference points

For falar, compare eu falo, você fala, nós falamos, and vocês falam. For comer, the sequence is como, come, comemos, comem. For abrir, it is abro, abre, abrimos, abrem. The subject matters: você refers to the listener but takes the same grammatical verb form as ele or ela.

A gente also uses the third-person singular form in standard agreement: a gente fala, come, abre. Tu has its own standard endings, but actual Brazilian usage varies by region. Choose a consistent model when speaking and learn to recognize the forms used by people around you.

Separate a habit from an action happening now

The simple present often describes a habit or general situation: “Estudo de manhã.” To emphasize an action in progress, Brazilian Portuguese commonly uses estar + gerund: “Estou estudando agora.” Context can give the simple present other uses, so this is a practical contrast rather than an exhaustive rule.

Very frequent verbs such as ser, estar, ter, and ir are irregular; do not force them into the regular patterns. Learn a usable sentence for each: sou estudante, estou em casa, tenho tempo, vou ao trabalho. Then vary the subject and confirm the actual form. A smaller set used correctly is more useful than a large table you cannot retrieve.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Choose the language for the situation

Now use the explanation to decide what fits the situation. Check the reason for the answer, not just the option you chose.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. I work from home.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Eu trabalho de casa.

2. You are learning Portuguese.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você aprende português.

3. We live near here.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A gente mora perto daqui.

4. I speak English and study Portuguese.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Eu falo inglês e estudo português.

5. Do you eat here every day?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você come aqui todos os dias?

6. We open the store at nine.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Nós abrimos a loja às nove.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Choose three verbs you use every day, write one sentence with eu and one with você or a gente, and say them aloud with the Real Life Portuguese app’s native audio.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Brazilian Portuguese Present Tense: A Beginner’s Conjugation Guide lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.