Introduction
Learning how Portuguese verb endings work is one of the fastest ways to start speaking Brazilian Portuguese. This guide explains endings in simple terms for complete beginners, with clear examples, useful vocabulary, common mistakes, and practical tips you can use in everyday situations.
- Why verb endings matter
- Present tense endings (Presente)
- Simple past (Pretérito perfeito) — talking about completed actions
- Future and near future
- Important irregular verbs to learn early
- Reflexive verbs and pronominal endings
- Common beginner mistakes and tips
- Short practice set you can use now
- Useful vocabulary and phrases about verbs
- Simple dialogues using verb endings
- How to keep learning verb endings
- Conclusion
Why verb endings matter
Verbs carry three essential pieces of information in Brazilian Portuguese: person (who does the action), number (singular or plural), and tense (when the action happens). Instead of using auxiliary words as much as English does, Portuguese often changes the verb ending to show these meanings. Understanding endings lets you form sentences like eu falo, nós falamos, and ele falou with confidence.
Basic verb groups: -ar, -er, -ir
Portuguese verbs fall into three regular groups determined by their infinitive endings: -ar, -er, and -ir. Most beginner verbs are regular, so once you learn the pattern for each group, you can conjugate many verbs.
Examples of common regular verbs
falar (to speak) — ends with -ar
comer (to eat) — ends with -er
abrir (to open) — ends with -ir
Present tense endings (Presente)
The present tense is the first tense beginners learn because it describes habits, facts, and current actions. Conjugation is done by removing the infinitive ending and adding new endings for each person.
Regular -ar verbs (example falar)
eu falo — I speak
tu falas — you speak (informal, rarely used in Brazil)
ele/ela/você fala — he/she/you speak
nós falamos — we speak
eles/elas/vocês falam — they/you plural speak
Regular -er verbs (example comer)
eu como — I eat
tu comes — you eat
ele/ela/você come — he/she/you eat
nós comemos — we eat
eles/elas/vocês comem — they/you plural eat
Regular -ir verbs (example abrir)
eu abro — I open
tu abres — you open
ele/ela/você abre — he/she/you open
nós abrimos — we open
eles/elas/vocês abrem — they/you plural open
Practical present tense examples
Eu falo português com um colega de trabalho. — I speak Portuguese with a coworker.
Ela come no restaurante todos os dias. — She eats at the restaurant every day.
A gente abre a loja às nove. — We open the store at nine. (a gente is commonly used in Brazil instead of nós)
Simple past (Pretérito perfeito) — talking about completed actions
The pretérito perfeito is used for actions that finished in the past. Like the present, endings depend on the verb group.
Regular -ar verbs (example falar)
eu falei — I spoke
tu falaste — you spoke
ele/ela/você falou — he/she/you spoke
nós falamos — we spoke
eles/elas/vocês falaram — they/you plural spoke
Regular -er verbs (example comer)
eu comi — I ate
tu comeste — you ate
ele/ela/você comeu — he/she/you ate
nós comemos — we ate
eles/elas/vocês comeram — they/you plural ate
Regular -ir verbs (example abrir)
eu abri — I opened
tu abriste — you opened
ele/ela/você abriu — he/she/you opened
nós abrimos — we opened
eles/elas/vocês abriram — they/you plural opened
Practical past tense examples
Ontem eu falei com a professora. — Yesterday I spoke with the teacher.
Ela comeu um sanduíche no almoço. — She ate a sandwich at lunch.
Nós abrimos os presentes na festa. — We opened the gifts at the party.
Future and near future
There are two easy ways to talk about the future in Brazilian Portuguese: the simple future endings and the periphrastic near future using ir + infinitive.
Near future with ir + infinitive
This is the most common way for beginners to express future plans. Use a conjugated form of ir + infinitive verb.
Eu vou estudar amanhã. — I am going to study tomorrow.
Ela vai viajar no fim de semana. — She is going to travel on the weekend.
Simple future endings (Futuro do presente)
These endings attach to the infinitive and are regular for most verbs.
eu falarei — I will speak
tu falarás — you will speak
ele/ela/você falará — he/she/you will speak
nós falaremos — we will speak
eles/elas/vocês falarão — they/you plural will speak
Beginners can usually rely on ir + infinitive most of the time.
Important irregular verbs to learn early
Some common verbs are irregular and change more than the ending. Learn a few high-frequency irregulars first because they appear everywhere.
ser (to be) — eu sou, você é, nós somos, eles são
estar (to be temporary) — eu estou, você está, nós estamos, eles estão
ter (to have) — eu tenho, você tem, nós temos, eles têm
ir (to go) — eu vou, você vai, nós vamos, eles vão
fazer (to do/make) — eu faço, você faz, nós fazemos, eles fazem
Example sentences with irregular verbs
Eu sou estudante. — I am a student.
Ela está no trabalho agora. — She is at work now.
Nós temos uma reserva. — We have a reservation.
Eles vão ao mercado. — They go to the market.
Você faz o café? — Do you make the coffee?
Reflexive verbs and pronominal endings
Some verbs include reflexive pronouns that match the subject. They show actions you do to yourself: levantar-se (to get up), vestir-se (to dress).
Eu me levanto às sete. — I get up at seven.
Ela se veste rápido. — She dresses quickly.
In speech, the reflexive pronoun usually comes before the verb in Brazilian Portuguese, but you may also see it attached in informal writing.
Common beginner mistakes and tips
Mistake: using the wrong person ending. Practice with short, repetitive sentences focusing on one verb, for example, falar in present: eu falo, você fala, nós falamos.
Mistake: confusing nós vs a gente. Tip: a gente + third-person singular is very common in spoken Brazilian Portuguese: a gente fala instead of nós falamos.
Mistake: overusing tu. Tip: in many parts of Brazil, você is used for you (singular) and tu is rare or has a different conjugation; learn regional use if you travel.
Mistake: forgetting irregular stems. Tip: memorize a short list of high-frequency irregular verbs and their present forms: ser, estar, ter, ir, fazer.
Practice tip: make simple flashcards with one verb per card. On one side write the infinitive and English meaning; on the other side write present and past first-person forms and one example sentence.
Short practice set you can use now
Fill in the blanks with the correct present tense form of the verb in parentheses:
(eu) _____ (falar) com a minha mãe. — eu falo com a minha mãe.
(nós) _____ (comer) pizza hoje. — nós comemos pizza hoje.
(ela) _____ (abrir) a janela. — ela abre a janela.
(você) _____ (ir) ao banco? — você vai ao banco?
(eles) _____ (ser) amigos. — eles são amigos.
Useful vocabulary and phrases about verbs
infinitivo — the base form of the verb (ex: falar, comer, abrir)
conjugação — conjugation, the process of changing the verb ending
presente — present tense
pretérito perfeito — simple past (completed actions)
futuro — future
eu — I
você — you (singular, informal/formal in many contexts)
nós — we
eles/elas — they
Simple dialogues using verb endings
Short conversation at a bakery
Cliente: Você tem pão fresco? — Do you have fresh bread?
Vendedor: Sim, nós temos pão novo agora. — Yes, we have new bread now.
Cliente: Eu quero um pão, por favor. — I want a bread, please.
Asking for directions
Turista: Onde fica o metrô? — Where is the subway?
Local: O metrô fica duas quadras à esquerda. — The subway is two blocks to the left.
How to keep learning verb endings
Focus on frequency: learn the endings for -ar, -er, -ir verbs in the present and pretérito perfeito first because these appear most often in beginner conversations. Add ir + infinitive for future plans and memorize a few irregular verbs for common needs.
Use real-world material: read simple menus, signs, and short messages. For example, a menu might say aberto até às 22h (open until 10pm), or a sign might read fechado hoje (closed today). Spot the verbs and their endings to build recognition.
Conclusion
Understanding Brazilian Portuguese verb endings is not about memorizing everything at once but about learning patterns and a few irregular verbs used every day. Start with -ar/-er/-ir present forms, add simple past and ir + infinitive for the future, and practice real phrases such as eu falo, ela come, and nós abrimos to build confidence quickly.
