Common Portuguese Verbs
Portuguese verbs are listed in the infinitive, the dictionary form. Every one ends in -ar, -er or -ir, and that ending decides how it changes.
The two verbs for to be
-
ser
sehr
-
to be
For what something is: sou, é, somos
-
estar
es-TAR
-
to be
For where and how it is: estou, está, estamos
Everyday actions
-
ter
tehr
-
to have
tenho, tem, temos
-
ir
eer
-
to go
vou, vai, vamos
-
fazer
fah-ZEHR
-
to do, to make
-
dizer
jee-ZEHR
-
to say
-
ver
vehr
-
to see
-
vir
veer
-
to come
-
falar
fah-LAR
-
to speak
-
comer
koh-MEHR
-
to eat
-
beber
beh-BEHR
-
to drink
-
morar
moh-RAR
-
to live somewhere
-
trabalhar
trah-bah-LYAR
-
to work
-
chamar-se
shah-MAR see
-
to be called
me chamo, se chama
Verbs that pair with another verb
-
poder
poh-DEHR
-
can, to be able to
posso, pode, podemos
-
querer
keh-REHR
-
to want
quero, quer, queremos
-
saber
sah-BEHR
-
to know a fact
-
conhecer
koh-nyeh-SEHR
-
to know a person or place
-
precisar
preh-see-ZAR
-
to need
Ser or estar, and how to talk about the future
Ser is for identity, origin and lasting qualities: Sou inglês, I am English.
Estar is for location and for how something is right now: Estou em casa, I am at home. Estou cansado, I am tired.
For a regular -ar verb like falar, drop the ending and add -o, -a, -amos, -am: falo, fala, falamos, falam.
The easiest future is ir plus the infinitive, exactly like the English going to: Vou comer, I'm going to eat. Beginners can go a long way on this before learning a real future tense.
- Sou de Lisboa.I am from Lisbon.
- Estou em Lisboa.I am in Lisbon.
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