The negative is formed with the addition of the adverb não(no) before the verb, as in:
Carlos não nada muito bem.
Carlos does not swim very well.
Where English sentence structure changes for yes/no questions, Brazilian Portuguese simply adds a question mark at the end of the phrase, as in:
Carlos nada muito bem?
Does Carlos swim very well?
In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, there’s a raise in the intonation at the end of the question.
Brazilian Portuguese Articles
How to use the simple present in Brazilian Portuguese?
By: Ana Amélia Rodrigues dos Santos Thu Dec 12 2024
Brazilian portugueseVerbs
The simple present tenseNo definition set for tenseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. in Brazilian Portuguese is generally used to describe actions happening at the moment of speaking, describe habitual actions, or relay scientific truth. It is formed by removing the infinitive endings (-ar, -er, -ir) and adding simple present tense endings that agreeNo definition set for agreeLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. with the subjectNo definition set for subjectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., though some verbs have irregularNo definition set for irregularLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. forms.
As crianças brincam agora.
The kids play now.
In this post, we’ll cover how to form regular and irregular verbs in the simple present, and we’ll cover the most common uses of this tense, additional uses of the present tense. Curious to know more? Keep reading!
Table of Contents
How to form the simple present in Brazilian Portuguese?
To form the simple present in Brazilian Portuguese, you will usually start with the infinitiveNo definition set for infinitiveLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. form of the verb, remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, -ir), and add a specific simple present tense ending that agrees with the subject.
subject pronouns | -AR | -ER | -IR |
falar(to speak) | comer(to eat) | partir(to leave) | |
eu(I) | falo | como | parto |
tu(you) | falas | comes | partes |
você(you)ele, ela(he, she) | fala | come | parte |
nós(we) | falamos | comemos | partimos |
vocês(you)eles, elas(they) | falam | comem | partem |
All regular verbs ending with -ar, -er, or -ir follow the same pattern as the verbs falar, comer, and partir in the table above.
subjectpresent simple
Carlos nada muito bem.
Carlos swims very well.
→ from nadar(to swim)
Nós nadamos muito bem.
We swim very well.
→ from nadar(to swim)
Eu adoro aprender novas línguas.
I love learning new languages.
→ from adorar(to love)
Carlos e Maria bebem muita água durante o dia.
Carlos and Maria drink a lot of water during the day.
→ from beber(to drink)
Você abre a loja cedo demais.
You open the shop too early.
→ from abrir(to open)
However, there are some verbs that either follow a slightly different pattern or that are simply irregular, taking unpredictable forms. We’ll talk about those below.
Important
How to form the simple present of verbs ending with ‘-ear’ and ‘-iar’?
Verbs ending with -ear and -iar take the regular simple present endings, but they require a couple of extra changes to the stem of the verb (i.e. what’s left after removing the infinitive ending).
-ear verbs → add i to the end of the stem
passear(to go for a walk)
passe-
passei- ⭐
eu passeio(I go for a walk) / vocês passeiam(you go for a walk)
-iar verbs → add e before the final i of the stem
remediar(to correct, to fix up)
remedi-
remedei- ⭐
eu remedeio(I correct) / você remedeia(you correct)
Exception!
The additional vowels are not added in the nós(we) and vós(you, pl. and formal) forms!
Subject pronouns | estrear(to star) | mediar(to mediate) |
nós(we) | estreamos | mediamos |
vós(you, formal) | estreais | mediais |
Check out these full conjugations of present tense -ear and -iar verbs for more examples.
Which verbs have a spelling change in the simple present?
Some regular verbs ending in -guer, -cer, or -gir have a spelling change when they’re conjugated to allow the stem to maintain its pronunciation. For example:
agir
[ajir]
to act
→ gi = [ji]
eu ajo
[ajo]
I act
→ jo = [jo]
você age
[age]
you act
→ gi = [ji]
Check out this list with more examples of regular verbs that undergo a spelling change! Or, review our post on the standard pronunciation rules in Brazilian Portuguese to learn more about why these spelling changes are necessary!
How to form the simple present of irregular verbs?
Forming the simple present of irregular verbs often requires memorizing a unique set of conjugations that deviates from the regular present tense endings for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs. The most common irregular verbs in Brazilian Portuguese are: ser/estar(to be), ir(to go), and ter(to have).
subject pronouns | estar(to be) | ser(to be) | ter(to have) | ir(to go) |
eu(I) | estou | sou | tenho | vou |
tu(you) | estás | és | tens | vais |
você(you)ele, ela(he, she) | está | é | tem | vai |
nós(we) | estamos | somos | temos | vamos |
vós(you, formal) | estais | sois | tendes | ides |
vocês(you)eles, elas(they) | estão | são | têm | vão |
Important
There are only two irregular verbs ending with -ar: estar(to be) and dar(to give).
There are a few special groups of irregular verbs in the simple present:
Partially Irregular Verbs:
Some verbs, such as poder(can, to be able to) and medir(to measure), only have irregular forms in the first personNo definition set for first personLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. singularNo definition set for singularLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. in the simple present tense:
poder(to be able to) → eu posso(I am able to) / tu podes / você pode...
medir(to measure) → eu meço(I measure) / tu medes / você mede...
Take a look at this list to see other partially irregular verbs that function in the same way.
Stem-changing Verbs:
Stem-changing verbs, like agredir(to attack), dormir(to sleep), mentir(to lie), and subir(to ride up, to climb), often take regular endings, but they have a vowel that changes in some of the forms:
agredir → eu agrido / nós agredimos / eles agridem...
Here you can see other irregular verbs whose stems also change when conjugated in the simple present.
Stem and End-changing Verbs:
Finally, to form the simple present of other verbs like vir(to come) and trazer(to bring), you must make a change to both the stem and the end of the verb, as in:
eu venho, você vem, nós vimos, eles vêm
I come, you come, they come
eu trago, ele traz
I bring, he brings
Have a look at this list of stem and end-changing verbs, to see more examples.
How to form the simple present of the impersonal verb ‘haver’?
The verb haver is impersonalNo definition set for impersonalLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. in Brazilian Portuguese, meaning that haver only has one form, the third personNo definition set for third personLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. singular, in simple present: há.
In this case, haver is used without a specific subject, much like you might use the phrase “there is/are” in English.
The verb haver, when used to indicate existence, is translated into English as “there is/there are,” as in:
Há uma garota te esperando lá fora.
There is a girl waiting for you outside.
Há mil pessoas na fila.
There are a thousand people in the line.
The verb haver, when used to indicate elapsed time, can be translated into English as “for,” as in:
Estudo português há 3 meses.
I have studied Portuguese for 3 months.
Tip
In this case, the verb fazer can also act impersonally and is sometimes used instead of haver:
Estudo português faz 3 meses.
I have studied Portuguese for 3 months.
What are the main uses of the simple present tense?
The simple present tense is used for habitual actions, permanent states and characteristics, scientific truths, commands, actions happening in the present, and even some actions in the past and future! Below, you will read about each of these. Let’s start!
For habitual actions
The simple present can be used to indicate a habitual action.
Vou sempre de metrô ao trabalho.
I always go by metro to work.
Durmo regularmente cedo.
I regularly sleep early.
To show the habitual nature of the action, you will often use an adverb, such as sempre(always) or regularmente(regularly). Adverbs are words used to modify a verb. Adverbs of frequency can be placed before or after the verb.
verbadverb✅ Vou sempre de metrô ao trabalho.
✅ Sempre vou de metrô ao trabalho.I always take the subway to work.
You can also use an expression of frequency, such as todo dia(every day) or às vezes(sometimes), instead of a single word like sempre. In this case, these expressions are mainly placed at the beginning of a phrase, but they can also be placed after the verb or at the end of the phrase.
verbexpression of frequency✅ Todos os dias leio um pouco do livro de Machado.
✅ Leio todos os dias um pouco do livro de Machado.
✅ Leio um pouco do livro de Machado todos os dias.Everyday I read a bit of the book from Machado.
Tip
A comma in writing and a pause in speech can be used to reinforce the meanings of these expressions.
Às vezes, ele trabalha de casa.
Sometimes, he works from home.
For current and permanent states and characteristics
The simple present tense can also be used to indicate a current or permanent state or characteristic of the subject.
Maria usa óculos.
Maria wears glasses.
Carlos é o mais alto da turma.
Carlos is the tallest in the group.
Os alunos estão felizes com a nova professora.
The students are happy with the new teacher.
Often, a non-action verb like ser(to be) or estar(to be) is used to introduce the characteristic or state of the subject, as can be seen in the second and third examples above. Take a look at this list of non-action verbs in Brazilian Portuguese.
The simple present is used to refer to universal truths or facts:
A lua gira em torno da Terra.
The moon revolves around Earth.
To express a command (imperative)
The simple present can also be used to give a command. This way of giving commands is more delicate, familiar, and informal than the imperative in Brazilian Portuguese.
- imperative
Se sair cedo amanhã, me avise.
If you leave early tomorrow, tell me.
- simple present
Se sair cedo amanhã, me avisa.
If you leave early tomorrow, let me know.
With actions happening at the same time as speech
More generally, the simple present tense is used for actions that occur at the exact moment in which they are narrated. Look at the following example:
Nesse exato momento, eu escuto música.
Right now, I am listening to music.
In this example, the present tense of the verb escutar(to listen) shows what is happening right now and can be translated into English with the present progressive (“I am listening to music”).
This present meaning of the verb is reinforced by the expression nesse exato momento(right now). Take a look at this list with other expressions that can be used with the simple present.
Tip
In Brazilian Portuguese you can also use the present progressive when talking about actions that occur in the exact moment of speaking.
Nesse exato momento, eu estou escutando música.
Right now, I am listening to music.
For past actions that continue into the present
In Brazilian Portuguese, you can also use the simple present tense for past actions that continue into the present moment. This is similar to how the present perfect tense (“has/have verbed”) is used in English.
Moro aqui desde 2020.
I have lived here since 2020.
You can use the prepositionNo definition set for prepositionLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. desde(since) is used to indicate an exact date (day, hour, month, year, etc.), as in the example above: desde 2020. If you want to emphasize the duration that something has happened, you can use an impersonalNo definition set for impersonalLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. verb, such as fazer/haver instead.
Moro aqui faz 12 anos.
Moro aqui há 12 anos.I have lived here for 12 years.
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Tip
The verb acabar de + infinitive is used in the simple present to indicate an action that has just happened, and it is also translated using the English present perfect “have/has just…”
Eu acabo de terminar o jantar.
I have just finished preparing dinner.
As aulas acabam de começar.
The classes have just started.
To narrate events in the past
The simple present, sometimes referred to in this case as the “historical present,” is also often used in narration to emphasize events that occurred in the past. This use is very common in history books and serves to give more intensity and truth to the actions from the past.
Em 1969, o homem pisa na Lua.
In 1969, a man steps on the moon.
For future actions
Finally, the simple present can be used for an action that will occur in the near future.
Viajo para os EUA no próximo fim de semana.
I will travel to the USA next weekend.
In this case, you need a word or expression like amanhã(tomorrow), mais tarde(later), or próximo fim de semana(next weekend) to clarify that you are talking about the future.
Summary
In this post, we reviewed both how to form the simple present tense in Brazilian Portuguese, as well as when to use it. To recap:
There are three types of verbs in Brazilian Portuguese: those ending in -ar, those ending in -er, and those ending in -ir.
Some verbs are regular, meaning their stems do not change during conjugation, whereas other irregular verbs experience stem-changes or have unique conjugation endings.
The simple present is used for habitual actions, permanent states and characteristics, scientific truths, a softer form of the imperative, present day actions, and for some past and future actions.
Now, why don’t you practice using and forming the simple present tense in Brazilian Portuguese with these activities!
