50 Most Common Portuguese Verbs for Everyday Conversations (With Conjugations)

If you’ve just started learning Portuguese, you’ll need to arm yourself with a wide array of words and phrases in order to communicate, and verbs are an important component of that essential vocabulary.

But what verbs should you learn first?

In this post, I’ll share 50 of the most common Portuguese verbs that you should learn ASAP!

Contents

• 50 Most Common Portuguese Verbs
• • 1. Ser (To be)
  • 2. Estar (To be)
  • 3. Poder (To be able)
  • 4. Parecer (To seem/appear)
  • 5. Querer (To want)
  • 6. Gostar (To like)
  • 7. Esperar (To wait, to expect, to hope)
  • 8. Amar (To love)
  • 9. Sentir (To feel)
  • 10. Saber (To know)
  • 11. Conhecer (To know)
  • 12. Pensar (To think, to reflect)
  • 13. Achar (To think, to find out)
  • 14. Aprender (To learn)
  • 15. Entender (To understand)
  • 16. Decidir (To decide)
  • 17. Ver (To see, to watch)
  • 18. Olhar (To look)
  • 19. Ouvir (To hear)
  • 20. Escutar (To listen)
  • 21. Ir (To go)
  • 22. Vir (To come)
  • 23. Sair (To go out)
  • 24. Caminhar (To walk)
  • 25. Voltar (To return)
  • 26. Deixar (To leave, to quit, to let)
  • 27. Chegar (To arrive)
  • 28. Ter (To have)
  • 29. Fazer (To do, to make)
  • 30. Comer (To eat)
  • 31. Beber (To drink)
  • 32. Viver (To live)
  • 33. Dormir (To sleep)
  • 34. Descansar (To rest)
  • 35. Comprar (To buy)
  • 36. Estudar (To study)
  • 37. Trabalhar (To work)
  • 38. Ajudar (To help)
  • 39. Viajar (To travel)
  • 40. Usar (To use)
  • 41. Escrever (To write)
  • 42. Ler (To read)
  • 43. Dar (To give)
  • 44. Escolher (To choose)
  • 45. Jogar (To play)
  • 46. Passar (To pass)
  • 47. Precisar (To need)
  • 48. Falar (To speak, to talk)
  • 49. Chamar (To call)
  • 50. Perguntar  (To ask)
• Why the Right Portuguese Verbs Are Important
• How to Practice Portuguese Verbs
• • Conjugate!
  • Immerse yourself in Portuguese content.
  • Have real conversations.
  • Play games.

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50 Most Common Portuguese Verbs

In this list, I’ll share the verb, its meaning, its present tense conjugations and an example sentence.

Note that “you” varies by country. In Brazil, você  (singular) and vocês (plural) are more commonly used. In Portugal, tu (singular) and vós (plural) are more common.

1. Ser (To be)

Used to describe fixed characteristics, like appearance.

Example Sentence: Ele é brasileiro.  (He is Brazilian.)

2. Estar (To be)

Used to describe changeable characteristics, like location and feelings.

Example Sentence: Nós estamos bem.  (We are well.)

3. Poder (To be able)

Example Sentence: Eu posso fazer isso.  (I can do that.)

4. Parecer (To seem/appear)

Example Sentence: Você parece simpático.  (You seem nice.)

5. Querer (To want)

Example Sentence: Vocês querem bolo.  (You all want cake.)

6. Gostar (To like)

Example Sentence: Ela gosta de ciência.  (She likes science.)

7. Esperar (To wait, to expect, to hope)

Example Sentence: Eu espero poder ir.  (I hope I can go.)

8. Amar (To love)

Example Sentence: Eu te amo.  (I love you.)

9. Sentir (To feel)

Example Sentence: Ele se sente feliz.  (He feels happy.)

10. Saber (To know)

Used when discussing facts, knowledge and skills.

Example Sentence: Você sabe a resposta?  (Do you know the answer?)

11. Conhecer (To know)

Used when discussing people, places or things, but not with solid facts or knowledge.

Example Sentence: Eu o conheço.  (I know him.)

12. Pensar (To think, to reflect)

Example Sentence: Ele pensa sobre isso.  (He thinks about that.)

13. Achar (To think, to find out)

Example Sentence: Você acha que é uma boa ideia?  (Do you think it’s a good idea?)

14. Aprender (To learn)

Example Sentence: Nós aprendemos português.  (We learn Portuguese.)

15. Entender (To understand)

Example Sentence: Você entende inglês?  (Do you understand English?)

16. Decidir (To decide)

Example Sentence: Nós decidimos ir.  (We decided to go.)

17. Ver (To see, to watch)

Example Sentence: Eles veem a polícia.  (They see the police.)

18. Olhar (To look)

Example Sentence: Eu olho para o pôr do sol.  (I look at the sunset.)

19. Ouvir (To hear)

Example Sentence: Ela ouve o boato.  (She hears the rumor.)

20. Escutar (To listen)

Example Sentence: Ele nunca escuta.  (He never listens.)

21. Ir (To go)

Example Sentence: Eles vão almoçar.  (They go to lunch.)

22. Vir (To come)

Example Sentence: Ele vem à minha casa.  (He comes to my house.)

23. Sair (To go out)

Example Sentence: Vamos sair hoje à noite.  (Let’s go out tonight.)

24. Caminhar (To walk)

Example Sentence: Ele caminha para a casa de sua tia.  (He walks to his aunt’s house.)

25. Voltar (To return)

Example Sentence: João volta hoje à noite.  (João returns tonight.)

26. Deixar (To leave, to quit, to let)

Example Sentence: Vou deixar minhas coisas aqui. (I will leave my stuff here.)

27. Chegar (To arrive)

Example Sentence: Muitas vezes chegamos atrasados.  (We often arrive late.)

28. Ter (To have)

Example Sentence: A criança tem um brinquedo.  (The child has a toy.)

29. Fazer (To do, to make)

Example Sentence: Eles me fazem feliz.  (They make me happy.)

30. Comer (To eat)

Example Sentence: Francisca come goiaba.  (Francisca eats guava.)

31. Beber (To drink)

Example Sentence: Ele bebe café.  (He drinks coffee.)

32. Viver (To live)

Example Sentence: Nós vivemos no campo.  (We live in the country.)

33. Dormir (To sleep)

Example Sentence: O bebê precisa dormir.  (The baby needs to sleep.)

34. Descansar (To rest)

Example Sentence: Precisamos descansar depois do jogo de futebol.  (We need to rest after the soccer game.)

35. Comprar (To buy)

Example Sentence: Eles compram comida quando estão com fome.  (They buy food when they are hungry.)

36. Estudar (To study)

Example Sentence: Eu estudo a língua portuguesa.  (I study the Portuguese language.)

37. Trabalhar (To work)

Example Sentence: Trabalhamos o dia todo.  (We work all day.)

38. Ajudar (To help)

Example Sentence: Eu gosto de te ajudar.  (I like to help you.)

39. Viajar (To travel)

Example Sentence: Eu quero viajar para o Brasil.  (I want to travel to Brazil.)

40. Usar (To use)

Example Sentence: Para quê você usa isso?  (What do you use it for?)

41. Escrever (To write)

Example Sentence: Eu escrevo todos os dias.  (I write every day.)

42. Ler (To read)

Example Sentence: Ele lê muitos livros.  (He reads a lot of books.)

43. Dar (To give)

Example Sentence: Ele me dá presentes.  (He gives me presents.)

44. Escolher (To choose)

Example Sentence: Eu escolho lembranças.  (I choose souvenirs.)

45. Jogar (To play)

Example Sentence: Nós jogamos jogos juntos.  (We play games together.)

46. Passar (To pass)

Passar is often used in other phrases, which is why it’s so common.

Example Sentence: Ele passa as roupas.  (He irons his clothes; literally, “he passes his clothes.”)

47. Precisar (To need)

Example Sentence: O cachorro precisa de água.  (The dog needs water.)

48. Falar (To speak, to talk)

Example Sentence: Eu falo um pouco de português.  (I speak a little Portuguese.)

49. Chamar (To call)

Example Sentence: Como você se chama?  (What do you call yourself?; used like “what’s your name?”)

50. Perguntar  (To ask)

Example Sentence: O que você quer perguntar?  (What do you want to ask?)

Why the Right Portuguese Verbs Are Important

Using the best possible verb adds clarity to your communication. Whether you’re speaking Portuguese or writing, you probably want to be understood. While you might be able to fumble through with just a few verbs, having more verbs in your vocabulary allows you to communicate much more clearly.

Additionally, learning common Portuguese verbs will help you understand what others are saying. Even if your Portuguese listening skills are on point, you can’t always deduce verb meanings based on context. Familiarizing yourself with common verbs will make it much easier to recognize them when you hear them.

Finally, knowing an array of verbs will help you sound more like a native speaker. Even tourists who haven’t studied Portuguese will probably know a few basic verbs. However, if you want to sound more like a native speaker, you’ll need a lot more verbs than the standard tourist!

How to Practice Portuguese Verbs

Conjugate!

Conjugating verbs is terrific practice. Not only can it help reinforce the word, but it can also help you memorize tricky conjugations.

To practice conjugating, you might make conjugation tables. Not sure if your conjugations are correct? Check them with a tool like Reverso.

Immerse yourself in Portuguese content.

One of the best ways to practice Portuguese verbs is by immersing yourself in authentic Portuguese content. For example, you could watch Portuguese movies and TV shows, or you could also try using an immersive language learning program like FluentU.

FluentU offers an array of authentic Portuguese videos—like music videos and movie trailers—that you can use to hear the language in context. Each clip is accompanied by interactive subtitles that you can hover over to find a quick definition of a term or click on to find more examples of a term in use.

By listening to the language, you’ll be able to pick up new Portuguese verbs and see how they are used by native speakers.

Have real conversations.

Once you think you know your Portuguese verbs, using them in real conversations is a great way to test your skills. If there’s a Portuguese learning group or a large Portuguese-speaking population near you, you shouldn’t have much trouble finding people to practice with.

If your community is devoid of Portuguese speakers, you can still practice online! Sites like My Language Exchange and Conversation Exchange can help you connect with native Portuguese speakers for conversation practice.

Or, you can try italki, where you can choose from thousands of tutors based on your interests and learning goals. Create your own schedule with any tutor and get one-on-one lessons that target exactly what you want to learn most. Using italki is a great opportunity to get personalized training while meeting people from all over the world!

Play games.

Sure, games are fun, but they’re also a great learning tool! Thankfully, there are several websites with games that can help you learn Portuguese verbs.

Conjuguemos has verb conjugation activities. You can choose between flashcards, graded practice and games. Games include crosswords, word searches, memory games and more.

Sporcle has an epic quiz that asks you to name common Portuguese verbs in just 15 minutes. Since there are 100 verbs, it’s quite the challenge!

ListeningPractice.org has a versatile verb conjugator. There are eight levels of Brazilian Portuguese and eight levels of European Portuguese. You can select tenses, verb frequency and person/number to cater the experience to meet your needs. Then, the conjugator will present you with conjugations to complete.

Now that you’ve learned 50 essential Portuguese verbs, it’s time to start using them!

Boa sorte! (Good luck!)
 

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)