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

Introduction

Learning how to conjugate regular ir verbs in Brazilian Portuguese opens the door to thousands of common verbs like abrir, partir, and decidir. This article explains the patterns, shows practical examples, and gives beginner-friendly tips so you can start using ir verbs in everyday conversations, signs, schedules, and simple messages.

What are regular ir verbs?

Regular ir verbs are verbs whose infinitive ends in ir and that follow a predictable pattern when conjugated. Unlike irregular verbs, regular ir verbs change their endings in a consistent way across moods and tenses. Examples of common regular ir verbs in Brazilian Portuguese include abrir (to open), assistir (to watch/attend), decidir (to decide), and partir (to leave). These verbs are essential for everyday interactions.

Why start with ir verbs?

Ir verbs are frequent and useful in many real-life contexts: opening a door, choosing food, leaving a place, or watching a show. Learning the regular pattern gives you confidence because once you know the endings, you can conjugate dozens of verbs with minimal memorization.

Basic present tense pattern (Presente do Indicativo)

The present tense is the first one beginners usually need for simple statements and questions. For regular ir verbs, remove the infinitive ending ir and add the present endings: o, es, e, imos, is, em.

Pattern: radical + o / es / e / imos / is / em

Example with abrir (to open):

eu abro

tu abres

ele/ela/você abre

nós abrimos

vós abris — note: vós is rare in Brazil; learners can focus on vocês

eles/elas/vocês abrem

Example in context:

Eu abro a janela pela manhã. — I open the window in the morning.

Você abre a loja às oito? — Do you open the store at eight?

Notes for Brazilian learners

In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, use você and vocês instead of tu and vós in most regions. So focus on eu, você, ele/ela, nós, vocês, eles/elas. The endings for você and ele/ela are the same, and for vocês and eles/elas they are the same.

Simple past: Pretérito Perfeito

The pretérito perfeito describes completed actions in the past. For regular ir verbs, remove ir and add i / iste / iu / imos / istes / iram. In Brazilian Portuguese, use eu, você, nós, vocês commonly.

Pattern: radical + i / iste / iu / imos / istes / iram

Example with partir (to leave):

eu parti

tu partiste

ele/ela/você partiu

nós partimos

vós partistes — rare

eles/elas/vocês partiram

Example in context:

Nós partimos cedo ontem. — We left early yesterday.

Você partiu antes do almoço? — Did you leave before lunch?

Common beginner tip

Note that the eu and nós forms are identical to the present tense for some verbs (e.g., abrir: eu abri vs. nós abrimos). Pay attention to context or time words like ontem or ontem à noite to distinguish past from present.

Imperfect past: Pretérito Imperfeito

The imperfect describes habitual or ongoing past actions. Remove ir and add ia / ias / ia / íamos / íeis / iam for regular ir verbs.

Pattern: radical + ia / ias / ia / íamos / íeis / iam

Example with assistir (to watch/attend):

eu assistia

tu assistias

ele/ela/você assistia

nós assistíamos

vós assistíeis — rare

eles/elas/vocês assistiam

Example in context:

Quando eu era criança, eu assistia desenhos todos os sábados. — When I was a child, I watched cartoons every Saturday.

Future: Futuro do Presente Simples

There are two common ways to express future actions. One is the synthetic future (futuro do presente), formed by removing ir and adding ei / ás / á / emos / eis / ão. The other is the periphrastic future using ir + infinitive (vou abrir, vai partir), which is more common in speech.

Synthetic pattern: radical + ei / ás / á / emos / eis / ão

Example with decidir (to decide):

eu decidirei

tu decidirás

ele/ela/você decidirá

nós decidiremos

vós decidireis — rare

eles/elas/vocês decidirão

Periphrastic future pattern (very common): conjugate ir + infinitive

Example with abrir:

eu vou abrir

você vai abrir

nós vamos abrir

vocês vão abrir

Example in context:

Eu vou abrir a loja amanhã. — I am going to open the store tomorrow.

Why use the periphrastic future?

Brazilian Portuguese speakers prefer ir + infinitive for most spoken future situations because it sounds natural and is easy to form. Learn the synthetic future for formal writing or exams, but practice ir + infinitive for conversation.

Present progressive: Gerúndio

To say an action is happening now, use estar + gerund. For ir verbs, form the gerund by replacing ir with indo. The gerund is the radical + indo.

Examples:

eu estou abrindo

você está partindo

nós estamos decidindo

eles estão assistindo

Example in context:

Estamos abrindo as portas agora. — We are opening the doors now.

Practical vocabulary and short phrases

abrir — to open

fechar — to close (not an ir verb but useful to learn with abrir)

partir — to leave, to depart

assistir — to watch or to attend (Brazilian usage: assistir a um filme, assistir a uma palestra)

decidir — to decide

abrindo — opening

partindo — leaving

decidindo — deciding

assistindo — watching/attending

Short dialogues and real-life examples

At a café:

Você vai abrir a caixa? — Are you going to open the box?

Sim, eu estou abrindo agora. — Yes, I’m opening it now.

On a bus or train timetable (simple sign):

Partida: 14:30 — Departure: 2:30 PM

O trem parte às 14:30. — The train leaves at 2:30 PM.

Text message:

Decidi ir ao cinema hoje. — I decided to go to the cinema today.

Eu vou assistir ao novo filme. — I am going to watch the new movie.

Common mistakes beginners make

1. Confusing irregular ir verbs with regular patterns. Some ir verbs are irregular (e.g., ir itself is irregular: eu vou). Focus on regular ir verbs like abrir and partir, but watch out for irregular exceptions.

2. Using European pronouns or outdated forms. In Brazil, prioritize você and vocês instead of vós, and learn tu only if you will spend time in regions where it is used.

3. Mixing present and past forms with identical endings. Context and time expressions help: hoje (today), ontem (yesterday), agora (now).

Practice exercises for beginners

Conjugate abrir in the present and pretérito perfeito and write a short sentence for each:

Present: eu abro — Eu abro a porta.

Pretérito perfeito: eu abri — Eu abri a porta ontem.

Make questions using ir + infinitive (periphrastic future):

Você vai assistir ao jogo hoje? — Will you watch the game today?

Practice the gerund with estar + gerund in present situations:

Ela está decidindo agora. — She is deciding now.

Mini quiz

Fill in the blank with the correct present form of assistir for você:

Você ____ ao filme hoje? — Answer: assiste or vai assistir (both acceptable depending on meaning).

Choose the correct past form of partir for nós:

Nós ____ cedo ontem. — Answer: partimos.

Useful tips for memorization

1. Group practice: Learn 5 common ir verbs and conjugate them together across tenses. This builds pattern recognition.

2. Time markers: Add words like hoje, ontem, amanhã, agora to your sentences so you always mark tense clearly.

3. Use flashcards with the infinitive on one side and conjugated forms or example sentences on the other.

4. Speak out loud: Pronouncing eu abro, eu abri, eu vou abrir helps lock patterns into memory.

Resources and next steps

After you feel comfortable with regular ir verbs in present, past, and gerund, move to irregular verbs and pronominal verbs, and practice combining verbs in short conversations. Seek Brazilian Portuguese listening practice with dialogues that include abrir, partir, assistir, and decidir in real contexts like schedules and messages.

Conclusion

Mastering regular ir verbs gives beginners a practical toolkit for everyday Brazilian Portuguese. Focus on the present endings o, es, e, imos, is, em; the past pattern i, iste, iu, imos, istes, iram; and frequent periphrastic future using ir + infinitive. Practice with common verbs like abrir, assistir, partir, and decidir, use time words to clarify tense, and speak simple sentences daily to build confidence.