Brazilian Portuguese Present Tense: A Beginner’s Conjugation Guide
A practical first guide to Portuguese present-tense verb endings, with examples you can reuse in everyday conversation.
Real Life Portuguese · 7 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
A Portuguese verb changes to show who is doing an action. To recognize a regular pattern, remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir) to find the stem, then add the ending for the subject. You do not need to memorize every verb at once: begin with a few high-frequency examples and say them in short sentences.
Start with the subject and the verb stem
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.
Eu trabalho de casa.
I work from home.
Você aprende português.
You are learning Portuguese.
A gente mora perto daqui.
We live near here.
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.
Eu falo inglês e estudo português.
I speak English and study Portuguese.
Você come aqui todos os dias?
Do you eat here every day?
Nós abrimos a loja às nove.
We open the store at nine.
A gente aprende praticando.
We learn by practicing.
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.
Eu sou estudante, mas hoje estou de folga.
I’m a student, but today I’m off.
Ela tem dois irmãos.
She has two siblings.
A gente vai de ônibus.
We’re going by bus.
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.”
Eu estudo de manhã.
I study in the morning.
Agora estou estudando para a prova.
I’m studying for the exam right now.
Todo sábado, nós visitamos nossos amigos.
Every Saturday, we visit our friends.
Put it into practice
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.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “I’m a student, but today I’m off”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
Build on this guide with everyday expressions and native Brazilian audio. Choose iPhone, Android, or the web app.