How to conjugate regular “er” verbs in Portuguese for beginners

Introduction

This article explains how to conjugate regular er verbs in Brazilian Portuguese for complete beginners. You will learn the present, past, and future tenses with clear step-by-step rules, useful vocabulary, everyday example sentences, and common beginner mistakes. Practical tips and short practice exercises are included so you can start using er verbs right away.

What makes a verb a regular er verb?

Regular er verbs in Brazilian Portuguese are verbs whose infinitive form ends in er, for example comer, beber, aprender. Regularity means they follow predictable patterns when you remove the er ending and add standard endings for each tense and person.

Basic verbs to study

comer — to eat

beber — to drink

aprender — to learn

vender — to sell

correr — to run

How to form the present tense (Presente do Indicativo)

Step 1: Take the infinitive and remove er. This gives the verb stem.

Example: comer -> com-

Step 2: Add these endings to the stem for each subject.

eu: -o

você/ele/ela: -e

nós: -emos

vocês/eles/elas: -em

Present conjugation examples with comer

eu como — I eat / I am eating

você come — you eat (singular, formal/informal in Brazil)

nós comemos — we eat

eles comem — they eat

Practical context: ordering at a café

Eu como pão todos os dias. (I eat bread every day.)
Você quer comer agora? (Do you want to eat now?)

Pronunciation tips for present tense

The ending -o in eu como is pronounced like o in English go but shorter. The endings -e and -em are often pronounced similarly in Brazilian Portuguese, with -em sounding like /ẽj/ or /ẽ/ depending on region, but beginners can focus on listening to native speakers and imitating simple phrases.

Simple past: Pretérito Perfeito (completed actions)

For regular er verbs, the pretérito perfeito endings are also predictable. Remove er from the infinitive and add:

eu: -i

você/ele/ela: -eu

nós: -emos

vocês/eles/elas: -eram

Example with beber

beber -> beb-

eu bebi — I drank

você bebeu — you drank

nós bebemos — we drank

eles beberam — they drank

Practical examples you might use

Ontem eu bebi suco. (Yesterday I drank juice.)
Vocês beberam água na reunião? (Did you drink water at the meeting?)

Common beginner mistakes in the past tense

Beginners sometimes confuse the present nós comemos with the past nós comemos because the written forms are identical for many er verbs. Context and time words like ontem (yesterday), hoje (today), agora (now), ontem de manhã (yesterday morning) help clarify meaning.

Future simple: Futuro do Presente Simples

There are two common ways to express future actions. Beginners should first learn the simple synthetic future, which is regular for er verbs.

Form: remove er and add these endings

eu: -erei

você/ele/ela: -erá

nós: -eremos

vocês/eles/elas: -erão

Example with aprender

aprender -> aprend-

eu aprenderei — I will learn

você aprenderá — you will learn

nós aprenderemos — we will learn

eles aprenderão — they will learn

Practical examples

Eu aprenderei português. (I will learn Portuguese.)
Nós aprenderemos amanhã. (We will learn tomorrow.)

Alternative future: Ir + infinitive

In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, the perifrástico future using ir + infinitive is more common to express near future. Form: conjugate ir in present + infinitive.

Eu vou comer — I am going to eat

Ela vai vender o carro — She is going to sell the car

Tip: this form is safe and frequent for beginners when speaking about plans or intentions.

Present continuous: Gerúndio

To say I am doing something now, use the gerund: verb stem + -endo for er verbs. Combine with estar.

estar + stem + endo

eu estou comendo — I am eating

você está bebendo — you are drinking

nós estamos aprendendo — we are learning

Practical examples: messages and signs

Por favor, não incomodar. Estou trabalhando. (Please do not disturb. I am working.)
Ela está vendendo roupas hoje. (She is selling clothes today.)

How to form negatives and questions

Negatives: place não before the verb.

Eu não bebo café. (I do not drink coffee.)

Questions: use rising intonation or question words. No auxiliary needed.

Você come peixe? (Do you eat fish?)
Quando vocês aprendem isso? (When do you learn this?)

Reflexive and pronominal uses with er verbs

Some verbs use reflexive pronouns like se. For regular er verbs, place the reflexive pronoun before conjugated verbs or attach to infinitives and gerunds appropriately.

lavar-se is a -ar verb, but many -er verbs can be pronominal in constructions like sentir-se (to feel). For an er example: sentir-se -> sentir is irregular, so beginners should focus on reflexive patterns with simpler verbs.

Example with pronominal structure using infinitive

Preciso me vender? is not natural; instead choose appropriate verbs: Preciso me cuidar. (I need to take care of myself.)

Useful vocabulary and short phrases with er verbs

comer — Eu quero comer. (I want to eat.)

beber — Você vai beber água? (Are you going to drink water?)

aprender — Eles querem aprender mais. (They want to learn more.)

vender — A loja vende sapatos. (The store sells shoes.)

correr — Nós corremos no parque. (We run in the park.)

abrir — Eu abro a janela. (I open the window.)

esconder — Ela esconde o presente. (She hides the gift.)

Short dialogues for practice

At a bakery

Cliente: Você vende pão integral?
Vendedor: Sim, nós vendemos pão integral e pão francês.

Ordering a drink

Amigo: Você quer beber algo?
Eu: Sim, eu quero beber água, por favor.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

1. Mixing up present and past nós forms: comemos can mean we eat or we ate. Add time words for clarity: hoje (today), ontem (yesterday).

2. Forgetting to remove er before adding endings: write comemos, not comeremos for present nós. Learn stem extraction: comer -> com-.

3. Overusing synthetic future: Brazilians prefer ir + infinitive in spoken language. Use eu vou comer in conversation for natural speech.

4. Incorrect reflexive placement: Me + verb for conjugated forms (Eu me lembro), but attach to infinitive if using a second verb (Vou me lembrar or Lembrar-me is formal). Beginners should use Vou me lembrar.

Practice exercises

Conjugate comer in present: eu ___, você ___, nós ___, eles ___.

Write three sentences about yesterday using beber in the past.

Convert these future intentions to ir + infinitive: Eu aprenderei, Ela venderá, Nós comeremos.

Resources and study tips for beginners

1. Flashcards for stems and endings: write infinitive on one side, conjugated forms on the other.

2. Short daily sentences: create five simple sentences using different er verbs and tenses each day.

3. Listen and repeat: hear native Brazilian Portuguese speakers in short clips or apps and mimic common phrases like Eu quero comer and Nós vamos aprender.

4. Use labels and real items: label foods, drinks, and actions at home with verbs like comer, beber, abrir to connect meaning to context.

Conclusion

Regular er verbs are predictable once you learn the stem and the standard endings. Start with present, past, gerund, and the common ir + infinitive future. Practice with everyday vocabulary like comer, beber, aprender, and vender, use time words to avoid confusion, and prefer ir + infinitive in conversation. With daily short sentences and listening practice, you will feel comfortable using regular er verbs in Brazilian Portuguese.