Portuguese verbs display a high degree of inflection. A typical regular verb has over fifty different forms, expressing up to six different grammatical tenses and three moods. Two forms are peculiar to Portuguese within the Romance languages, shared with Galician: The personal infinitive, a non-finite form which does not show tense, but is inflected for person and number. The future subjunctive, is sometimes archaic in some dialects (including peninsular) of related languages such as Spanish, but still active in Portuguese.
It has also several verbal periphrases.
Overview Portuguese verbs have the following properties.
Two numbers—singular, plural Three persons—first, second, third Three aspects—perfective, imperfective, progressive* Two voices—active, passive* Six morphological forms for tenses, aspects, and/or moods—present, preterite, imperfect, pluperfect, future, and conditional. Three (or four) moods—indicative, subjunctive, imperative (and conditional, according to some authors)
Classes with an asterisk are entirely periphrastic. The passive voice can be constructed in two different ways. The pluperfect and the future of the indicative mood, as well as the conditional form, are often replaced with other verbal constructions or verbal periphrases in the spoken language.
Basic tenses and moods Conjugation is demonstrated here with the important irregular verb fazer, "to do":
number person Indicative mood ConditionalPresentPreteriteImperfectPluperfectFuture singular1stfaçofizfaziafizerafareifaria2ndfazesfizestefaziasfizerasfarásfarias3rdfazfezfaziafizerafaráfaria plural1stfazemosfizemosfazíamosfizéramosfaremosfaríamos2ndfazeisfizestesfazíeisfizéreisfareisfaríeis3rdfazemfizeramfaziamfizeramfarãofariam number person Subjunctive mood Personal infinitivePresentPreteriteImperfectPluperfectFuture singular1stfaçatenha feitofizessetivesse feitofizerfazer2ndfaçastenhas feitofizessestivesses feitofizeresfazeres3rdfaçatenha feitofizessetivesse feitofizerfazer plural1stfaçamostenhamos feitofizéssemostivéssemos feitofizermosfazermos2ndfaçaistenhais feitofizésseistivésseis feitofizerdesfazerdes 3rdfaçamtenham feitofizessemtivessem feitofizeremfazerem number personImperative moodInfinitivefazer Affirmative imperative Negative imperative singular1st — —Past participlefeito2ndfaz/fazefaças3rdfaçafaçaPresent participlefaciente plural1stfaçamosfaçamos2ndfazeifaçaisGerundfazendo3rdfaçamfaçam
Periphrastic forms are as follows:
+ Tense Basic Progressive Perfect Perfect progressiveInfinitiveGerundInfinitiveGerund Present faço estou a fazerestou fazendo tenho feito tenho estado a fazertenho estado fazendo Past fiz estava a fazerestava fazendo tinha feito tinha estado a fazertinha estado fazendo Future farei estarei a fazerestarei fazendo terei feito terei estado a fazerterei estado fazendo
Notes
Description
The tenses correspond to: Present (presente): "I do" or "I am doing". Preterite (pretérito, or pretérito perfeito): "I did" or "I have done". Imperfect (imperfeito, or pretérito imperfeito): "I did", "I used to do", "I was doing". Pluperfect (mais-que-perfeito, or pretérito mais-que-perfeito): "I had done". Future (futuro, or futuro do presente in Brazilian Portuguese): "I will do", "I am going to do". Conditional (condicional, or futuro do pretérito in Brazilian Portuguese): "I would do". Used in some types of conditional sentences, as a form of courtesy, or as a future-in-the-past.
The five non-finite forms generally correspond to: (Impersonal) infinitive (infinitivo, or infinitivo impessoal): equivalent to English "to do". Past participle (particípio, or particípio passado): equivalent to English "done". Present participle (particípio presente): Uncommon in modern speech. Somewhat equivalent to English "doer", or used as an adjective relating to an ongoing action, or that action in general. For example, "falante" can mean "talking (+ noun)", "talkative" or "speaker". See notes above. Gerund (gerúndio): equivalent to English "(is) doing". Used to actually show/describe ongoing action. Personal infinitive (infinitivo pessoal): "(for me) to do", an infinitive which inflects according to its subject; a rare feature that Portuguese shares with Galician.
The moods are used roughly as follows: Indicative (indicativo): for factual statements or positive beliefs. Example of an English equivalent: "I have done". Subjunctive (subjuntivo, or conjuntivo): mostly used when speaking of unreal, uncertain, or unassumed conditions: "Were I to do". Imperative (imperativo): for direct commands or requests; equivalent to the English "Do!"
For the Portuguese personal pronouns (which are omitted whenever they can be inferred from the ending of the conjugated verb or the context), see Portuguese personal pronouns and possessives.
Conjugations Regular verbs belong to one of three conjugation classes, distinguished by the ending of their infinitive forms (which is also their citation form): Those whose infinitive ends in -ar belong to the first conjugation (e.g. lavar, matar, ladrar); Those whose infinitive ends in -er belong to the second conjugation (e.g. correr, comer, colher); Those whose infinitive ends in -ir belong to the third conjugation (e.g. partir, destruir, urdir); The verb pôr is conventionally placed in the second conjugation by many authors, since it is derived from Old Portuguese poer (Latin ponere). In any event, this is an irregular verb whose conjugation must be learned on its own. Other verbs with infinitives ending in -or, such as depor, compor, and propor are derivatives of pôr, and are conjugated in the same way.
First conjugation (cantar) numberpersonIndicative moodConditionalPresentPreteriteImperfectPluperfectFuturesingular1stcantocanteicantavacantaracantareicantaria2ndcantascantastecantavascantarascantaráscantarias3rdcantacantoucantavacantaracantarácantariaplural1stcantamoscantámosEP cantamosBPcantávamoscantáramoscantaremoscantaríamos2ndcantaiscantastescantáveiscantáreiscantareiscantaríeis3rdcantamcantaramcantavamcantaramcantarãocantariamnumberpersonSubjunctive moodPersonal infinitivePresentPreteriteImperfectPluperfectFuturesingular1stcantetenha cantadocantassetivesse cantadocantarcantar2ndcantestenhas cantadocantassestivesses cantadocantarescantares3rdcantetenha cantadocantassetivesse cantadocantarcantarplural1stcantemostenhamos cantadocantássemostivéssemos cantadocantarmoscantarmos2ndcanteistenhais cantadocantásseistivésseis cantadocantardescantardes3rdcantemtenham cantadocantassemtivessem cantadocantaremcantarem number personImperative moodInfinitivecantar Affirmative imperative Negative imperative singular1st — —Past participlecantado2ndcantacantes3rdcantecantePresent participlecantante plural1stcantemoscantemos2ndcantaicanteisGerundcantando3rdcantemcantem
Second conjugation (comer) numberpersonIndicative moodConditionalPresentPreteriteImperfectPluperfectFuturesingular1stcomocomicomiacomeracomereicomeria2ndcomescomestecomiascomerascomeráscomerias3rdcomecomeucomiacomeracomerácomeriaplural1stcomemoscomemoscomíamoscomêramoscomeremoscomeríamos2ndcomeiscomestescomíeiscomêreiscomereiscomeríeis3rdcomemcomeramcomiamcomeramcomerãocomeriamnumberpersonSubjunctive moodPersonal infinitivePresentPreteriteImperfectPluperfectFuturesingular1stcomatenha comidocomessetivesse comidocomercomer2ndcomastenhas comidocomessestivesses comidocomerescomeres3rdcomatenha comidocomessetivesse comidocomercomerplural1stcomamostenhamos comidocomêssemostivéssemos comidocomermoscomermos2ndcomaistenhais comidocomêsseistivésseis comidocomerdescomerdes3rdcomamtenham comidocomessemtivessem comidocomeremcomerem number personImperative moodInfinitivecomer Affirmative imperative Negative imperative singular1st — —Past participlecomido2ndcomecomas3rdcomacomaPresent participlecomente plural1stcomamoscomamos2ndcomeicomaisGerundcomendo3rdcomamcomam
Third conjugation (partir) number person Indicative mood ConditionalPresentPreteriteImperfectPluperfectFuture singular1stpartopartipartiapartirapartireipartiria2ndpartespartistepartiaspartiraspartiráspartirias3rdpartepartiupartiapartirapartirápartiriaplural1stpartimospartimospartíamospartíramospartiremospartiríamos2ndpartispartistespartíeispartíreispartireispartiríeis3rdpartempartirampartiampartirampartirãopartiriamnumberpersonSubjunctive moodPersonal infinitivePresentPreteriteImperfectPluperfectFuture singular1stpartatenha partidopartissetivesse partidopartirpartir 2ndpartastenhas partidopartissestivesses partidopartirespartires3rdpartatenha partidopartissetivesse partidopartirpartirplural1stpartamostenhamos partidopartíssemostivéssemos partidopartirmospartirmos2ndpartaistenhais partidopartísseistivésseis partidopartirdespartirdes3rdpartamtenham partidopartissemtivessem partidopartirempartirem number personImperative moodInfinitivepartir Affirmative imperative Negative imperative singular1st — —Past participlepartido2ndpartepartas3rdpartapartaPresent participlepartinte plural1stpartamospartamos2ndpartipartaisGerundpartindo3rdpartampartam
Quick reference Non-finite forms Imperative Infinitive Past participle Present participle Gerund -ar-er-ir -ado-ido-ido -ante-ente-inte -ando-endo-indo (tu) -a-e-e (vós) -ai-ei-i
Person Indicative Subjunctive Future subj. or personal infin. Present Preterite Imperfect Pluperfect Future Conditional Present Imperfect eu -o-o-o -ei-i-i -ava-ia-ia -ara-era-ira -arei-erei-irei -aria-eria-iria -e-a-a -asse-esse-isse -ar-er-ir tu -as-es-es -aste-este-iste -avas-ias-ias -aras-eras-iras -arás-erás-irás -arias-erias-irias -es-as-as -asses-esses-isses -ares-eres-ires ele/ela -a-e-e -ou-eu-iu -ava-ia-ia -ara-era-ira -ará-erá-irá -aria-eria-iria -e-a-a -asse-esse-isse -ar-er-ir nós -amos-emos-imos -ámosEP/-amosBP-emos-imos -ávamos-íamos-íamos -áramos-êramos-íramos -aremos-eremos-iremos -aríamos-eríamos-iríamos -emos-amos-amos -ássemos-êssemos-íssemos -armos-ermos-irmos vós -ais-eis-is -astes-estes-istes -áveis-íeis-íeis -áreis-êreis-íreis -areis-ereis-ireis -aríeis-eríeis-iríeis -eis-ais-ais -ásseis-êsseis-ísseis -ardes-erdes-irdes eles/elas -am-em-em -aram-eram-iram -avam-iam-iam -aram-eram-iram -arão-erão-irão -ariam-eriam-iriam -em-am-am -assem-essem-issem -arem-erem-irem
Important irregular verbs The following irregular verbs are used as auxiliary verbs in various periphrastic constructions.
ter – to have number person Indicative mood Conditional Present Preterite Imperfect Pluperfect Future singular 1st tenho tive tinha tivera terei teria 2nd tens tiveste tinhas tiveras terás terias 3rd tem teve tinha tivera terá teria plural 1st temos tivemos tínhamos tivéramos teremos teríamos 2nd tendes tivestes tínheis tivéreis tereis teríeis 3rd têm tiveram tinham tiveram terão teriam number person Subjunctive mood Personal infinitive Present Preterite Imperfect Pluperfect Future singular 1st tenha tenha tido tivesse tivesse tido tiver ter 2nd tenhas tenhas tido tivesses tivesses tido tiveres teres 3rd tenha tenha tido tivesse tivesse tido tiver ter plural 1st tenhamos tenhamos tido tivéssemos tivéssemos tido tivermos termos 2nd tenhais tenhais tido tivésseis tivésseis tido tiverdes terdes 3rd tenham tenham tido tivessem tivessem tido tiverem terem Imperative mood Infinitive ter 2nd pers. sing. tem Past participle tido 2nd pers. plur. tende Gerund tendo
estar – to be