How to Conjugate “-er” Verbs in Portuguese

Introduction

Learning to conjugate verbs is one of the most essential skills for anyone studying Portuguese. Among the three main verb groups, -er verbs represent the second conjugation pattern and include many commonly used words in everyday conversation. From eating and drinking to understanding and learning, -er verbs form the backbone of Portuguese communication.

Understanding Portuguese Verb Conjugations

Portuguese verbs are divided into three main categories based on their infinitive endings: -ar, -er, and -ir. The -er group, while smaller than the -ar category, contains numerous high-frequency verbs that you’ll use constantly in Portuguese. Understanding how to conjugate these verbs properly will significantly improve your ability to express yourself accurately and naturally.

The infinitive form of a verb is its base form, the version you’ll find in dictionaries. For -er verbs, this means any verb ending in -er, such as comer (to eat), beber (to drink), vender (to sell), or aprender (to learn). When we conjugate these verbs, we modify them to match the subject and tense of our sentence.

The Basic Structure of -er Verb Conjugation

To conjugate regular -er verbs, you follow a straightforward process. First, remove the -er ending from the infinitive to find the verb stem. Then, add the appropriate ending based on the subject pronoun and tense you’re using. This systematic approach makes learning Portuguese verb conjugations manageable and predictable.

Let’s use comer as our primary example throughout this article. The stem of comer is com-. Once you understand the pattern with one verb, you can apply it to most regular -er verbs in the language.

Present Tense Conjugation

The present tense, or presente do indicativo, is the most frequently used tense in Portuguese. It describes actions happening now, habitual actions, or general truths. Here’s how to conjugate regular -er verbs in the present tense:

Eu como – I eat
Você come – You eat (singular, informal)
Ele/Ela come – He/She eats
Nós comemos – We eat
Vocês comem – You eat (plural)
Eles/Elas comem – They eat

Notice the pattern: the endings are -o, -e, -e, -emos, -em, -em. The nós form keeps the e from the infinitive, while all other forms change it. This pattern applies to most regular -er verbs.

Let’s look at another example with beber:

Eu bebo café toda manhã – I drink coffee every morning
Ela bebe água durante o dia – She drinks water during the day
Nós bebemos suco de laranja – We drink orange juice

Common Regular -er Verbs in the Present Tense

Here are some essential regular -er verbs you’ll use frequently:

Vender (to sell): Eu vendo, você vende, nós vendemos
Aprender (to learn): Eu aprendo, você aprende, nós aprendemos
Correr (to run): Eu corro, você corre, nós corremos
Viver (to live): Eu vivo, você vive, nós vivemos
Escrever (to write): Eu escrevo, você escreve, nós escrevemos

Practice using these verbs in context. For example: Eu corro no parque todos os dias (I run in the park every day), or Nós vivemos no Brasil (We live in Brazil). The more you use these conjugations in real sentences, the more natural they’ll become.

Preterite Tense Conjugation

The preterite tense, known as pretérito perfeito in Portuguese, describes completed actions in the past. This is one of the most important past tenses you’ll learn. For regular -er verbs, the conjugation pattern is:

Eu comi – I ate
Você comeu – You ate
Ele/Ela comeu – He/She ate
Nós comemos – We ate
Vocês comeram – You ate (plural)
Eles/Elas comeram – They ate

The endings for the preterite are -i, -eu, -eu, -emos, -eram, -eram. Notice that the nós form is identical to the present tense. Context will help you determine which tense is being used.

Example sentences:

Eu comi pizza ontem à noite – I ate pizza last night
Eles aprenderam português no ano passado – They learned Portuguese last year
Nós vendemos o carro na semana passada – We sold the car last week

Imperfect Tense Conjugation

The imperfect tense, or pretérito imperfeito, describes ongoing or habitual actions in the past, or provides background information. For -er verbs, the conjugation is remarkably regular:

Eu comia – I used to eat / I was eating
Você comia – You used to eat / You were eating
Ele/Ela comia – He/She used to eat / was eating
Nós comíamos – We used to eat / were eating
Vocês comiam – You used to eat / were eating
Eles/Elas comiam – They used to eat / were eating

The pattern here is -ia, -ia, -ia, -íamos, -iam, -iam. Notice the accent on the í in the nós form.

This tense is perfect for describing past habits or setting scenes:

Quando eu era criança, comia muito doce – When I was a child, I used to eat a lot of candy
Nós vivíamos em São Paulo antes – We used to live in São Paulo before
Eles corriam no parque todas as manhãs – They used to run in the park every morning

Future Tense Conjugation

The simple future tense, futuro do presente, indicates actions that will happen. For -er verbs, you add endings directly to the infinitive:

Eu comerei – I will eat
Você comerá – You will eat
Ele/Ela comerá – He/She will eat
Nós comeremos – We will eat
Vocês comerão – You will eat (plural)
Eles/Elas comerão – They will eat

The endings are -ei, -á, -á, -emos, -ão, -ão. These endings are the same for all three verb groups, making the future tense relatively easy to master.

Examples:

Amanhã eu comerei no restaurante novo – Tomorrow I will eat at the new restaurant
Eles aprenderão espanhol no próximo ano – They will learn Spanish next year
Nós venderemos a casa em junho – We will sell the house in June

Informal Future with Ir + Infinitive

In everyday conversation, Portuguese speakers often use a simpler construction to express the future: the verb ir (to go) plus the infinitive. This is similar to the English going to structure:

Eu vou comer pizza hoje – I’m going to eat pizza today
Ela vai aprender a dirigir – She’s going to learn to drive
Nós vamos vender o apartamento – We’re going to sell the apartment

This construction is much more common in spoken Portuguese than the formal future tense.

Conditional Tense Conjugation

The conditional tense, futuro do pretérito, expresses hypothetical situations or polite requests. Like the future tense, you add endings to the full infinitive:

Eu comeria – I would eat
Você comeria – You would eat
Ele/Ela comeria – He/She would eat
Nós comeríamos – We would eat
Vocês comeriam – You would eat (plural)
Eles/Elas comeriam – They would eat

The pattern is -ia, -ia, -ia, -íamos, -iam, -iam. Note the similarity to the imperfect tense endings.

Usage examples:

Eu comeria mais, mas estou cheio – I would eat more, but I’m full
Você beberia um café? – Would you drink a coffee?
Nós viveríamos no campo se pudéssemos – We would live in the countryside if we could

Present Subjunctive Conjugation

The subjunctive mood expresses doubt, possibility, wishes, or emotions. The present subjunctive, presente do subjuntivo, has distinct endings for -er verbs:

Que eu coma – That I eat
Que você coma – That you eat
Que ele/ela coma – That he/she eat
Que nós comamos – That we eat
Que vocês comam – That you eat (plural)
Que eles/elas comam – That they eat

The endings are -a, -a, -a, -amos, -am, -am. Notice how -er verbs use a in the subjunctive, while they use e in the present indicative.

Common uses:

Espero que você coma bem – I hope that you eat well
É importante que nós aprendamos português – It’s important that we learn Portuguese
Talvez eles vendam a casa – Maybe they’ll sell the house

Imperative Mood

The imperative mood, used for commands and requests, has both affirmative and negative forms. For regular -er verbs in the affirmative:

Come! – Eat! (singular, informal)
Coma! – Eat! (singular, formal)
Comamos! – Let’s eat!
Comam! – Eat! (plural)

For negative commands, use the present subjunctive with não:

Não coma isso! – Don’t eat that!
Não bebam muito! – Don’t drink too much!
Não corram na piscina! – Don’t run at the pool!

Compound Tenses with Ter

Portuguese uses compound tenses formed with the auxiliary verb ter (to have) plus the past participle. For regular -er verbs, the past participle ends in -ido:

Comer becomes comido
Beber becomes bebido
Vender becomes vendido

Present Perfect

The present perfect, pretérito perfeito composto, emphasizes that an action has been repeated or ongoing:

Eu tenho comido bem – I have been eating well
Eles têm aprendido muito – They have been learning a lot
Nós temos vendido muitos produtos – We have been selling many products

Past Perfect

The past perfect, pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto, describes actions completed before another past action:

Eu tinha comido quando ela chegou – I had eaten when she arrived
Eles tinham bebido todo o suco – They had drunk all the juice
Nós tínhamos vendido a casa antes da crise – We had sold the house before the crisis

Gerund and Progressive Tenses

The gerund of -er verbs ends in -endo. For comer, it’s comendo (eating). Combined with the verb estar, it forms progressive tenses:

Eu estou comendo – I am eating
Ela estava bebendo café – She was drinking coffee
Nós estaremos correndo amanhã – We will be running tomorrow

This construction emphasizes the ongoing nature of an action at a specific moment.

Irregular -er Verbs

While most -er verbs follow the regular patterns, some common verbs are irregular. The most important irregular -er verbs include:

Dizer (to say/tell)

Present: digo, diz, diz, dizemos, dizem
Preterite: disse, disse, disse, dissemos, disseram
Future: direi, dirá, dirá, diremos, dirão

Fazer (to do/make)

Present: faço, faz, faz, fazemos, fazem
Preterite: fiz, fez, fez, fizemos, fizeram
Future: farei, fará, fará, faremos, farão

Trazer (to bring)

Present: trago, traz, traz, trazemos, trazem
Preterite: trouxe, trouxe, trouxe, trouxemos, trouxeram

Querer (to want)

Present: quero, quer, quer, queremos, querem
Preterite: quis, quis, quis, quisemos, quiseram

Poder (to be able to/can)

Present: posso, pode, pode, podemos, podem
Preterite: pude, pôde, pôde, pudemos, puderam

These irregular verbs are among the most frequently used in Portuguese, so memorizing their conjugations is essential for fluency.

Stem-Changing -er Verbs

Some -er verbs undergo vowel changes in certain conjugations. The verb perder (to lose) changes e to i in the first person singular present:

Eu perco (not perdo)
Você perde
Nós perdemos

Similarly, ler (to read) has spelling changes:

Eu leio
Você lê
Nós lemos

These changes help maintain pronunciation consistency across conjugations.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

When learning to conjugate -er verbs, students often make predictable mistakes. Here are the most common errors and how to avoid them:

Confusing Present and Preterite

Remember that the nós form looks identical in both tenses: comemos can mean we eat or we ate. Pay attention to time markers in sentences: hoje (today) suggests present, while ontem (yesterday) indicates preterite.

Forgetting Accent Marks

Accent marks are not decorative; they change pronunciation and meaning. The nós form of the imperfect requires an accent: comíamos, not comiamos. Similarly, the future and conditional have accents: comerá, comeríamos.

Mixing Up Verb Groups

Don’t apply -ar verb endings to -er verbs. You say eu como, not eu coma (which is subjunctive). Each verb group has its own set of endings.

Irregular Verb Patterns

Don’t assume all -er verbs are regular. Verbs like fazer, dizer, and trazer have unique conjugations that must be memorized separately.

Practice Strategies

Mastering -er verb conjugations requires consistent practice. Here are effective strategies to accelerate your learning:

Daily Verb Drills

Spend ten minutes each day conjugating one or two new -er verbs through all the tenses. Write them out by hand, as this reinforces memory better than typing.

Contextual Learning

Rather than memorizing conjugation charts in isolation, learn verbs in context. Create sentences about your daily life using -er verbs: Eu como café da manhã às sete (I eat breakfast at seven).

Conversation Practice

Use -er verbs actively in conversation with native speakers or language partners. Real-time usage helps solidify conjugation patterns in your mind.

Reading and Listening

Read Portuguese texts and listen to podcasts or videos, paying special attention to how -er verbs are used in different tenses. Notice patterns and note unfamiliar conjugations.

Flashcards and Apps

Create flashcards with the infinitive on one side and various conjugations on the other. Digital apps can provide spaced repetition practice to optimize retention.

Cultural Notes on Verb Usage

Understanding conjugation goes beyond memorizing forms; it involves knowing how native speakers actually use these verbs in daily life.

Formal vs. Informal Speech

In Brazil, the pronoun você is standard in most contexts, using third-person conjugations. The traditional second-person tu (with second-person conjugations) is primarily used in certain regions like Rio Grande do Sul.

Regional Variations

While conjugation patterns remain consistent, vocabulary choices vary by region. Some -er verbs are more common in certain areas than others. For example, brincar (an -ar verb) is more common than equivalent -er options in informal speech.

Politeness Levels

The conditional tense is often used for polite requests: Você poderia me ajudar? (Could you help me?) sounds more courteous than Você pode me ajudar? (Can you help me?)

Advanced Conjugation Tips

Once you’ve mastered basic conjugations, these advanced tips will refine your skills:

Subjunctive Triggers

Learn common phrases that require the subjunctive: espero que (I hope that), é importante que (it’s important that), talvez (maybe), embora (although). When you see these, automatically think subjunctive.

Sequence of Tenses

In complex sentences, tense agreement matters. If the main clause is past, the dependent clause typically uses past subjunctive: Eu queria que você comesse (I wanted you to eat).

Idiomatic Expressions

Many Portuguese idioms use -er verbs. For example, fazer questão (to insist), bater papo (to chat), correr atrás (to pursue/chase after). Learn these as complete phrases.

Building Your Vocabulary

Here’s an expanded list of useful -er verbs to incorporate into your studies:

Atender (to answer/attend to)
Bater (to hit/knock)
Conhecer (to know/meet)
Descer (to go down/descend)
Entender (to understand)
Parecer (to seem/appear)
Proteger (to protect)
Receber (to receive)
Responder (to answer/respond)
Sofrer (to suffer)
Surpreender (to surprise)
Tecer (to weave)
Varrer (to sweep)

Learning these verbs will significantly expand your ability to express yourself in Portuguese. Start with the most common ones and gradually add more specialized vocabulary as your proficiency grows.

Testing Your Knowledge

To gauge your progress, try these self-assessment exercises. Conjugate the following verbs in the indicated tenses:

Exercise 1: Present Tense

Conjugate vender for all persons. Check that your endings match the pattern: -o, -e, -e, -emos, -em, -em.

Exercise 2: Preterite Tense

Use aprender to form sentences about what you learned yesterday, what your friend learned, and what a group learned.

Exercise 3: Subjunctive

Create three sentences using comer in the subjunctive after phrases like espero que, é possível que, and duvido que.

Exercise 4: Mixed Tenses

Tell a short story using -er verbs in multiple tenses: what you used to do (imperfect), what you did (preterite), what you do now (present), and what you will do (future).

Regular practice with exercises like these will build your confidence and automaticity with -er verb conjugations.

Resources for Continued Learning

To continue improving your mastery of -er verbs and Portuguese grammar overall, consider these approaches:

Find a comprehensive Portuguese grammar book that includes detailed conjugation tables. Keep it as a reference when questions arise.

Use online conjugation tools to verify your work. Many websites offer instant conjugation for any Portuguese verb in all tenses.

Watch Brazilian television shows and movies with Portuguese subtitles. Pay attention to how characters use -er verbs in natural dialogue.

Join online Portuguese learning communities where you can ask questions, share experiences, and practice with other learners.

Consider working with a tutor who can provide personalized feedback on your conjugation accuracy and usage.

Read Portuguese literature, starting with simpler texts and gradually progressing to more complex material. Notice how different authors employ various tenses.

Conclusion

Mastering the conjugation of -er verbs in Portuguese opens up countless possibilities for communication. While the patterns may seem challenging at first, consistent practice makes them second nature. Remember that regular -er verbs follow predictable patterns across tenses, and even irregular verbs have common forms you’ll encounter repeatedly. Focus on the most frequent verbs, use them in context, and gradually expand your repertoire. With dedication and regular practice, you’ll soon conjugate -er verbs confidently and naturally in any conversation.