Language/Portuguese/Grammar/How-to-Use-be

Portuguese Grammar - How to Use "be"

Hi Portuguese learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use the verb "be" in Portuguese. We will look at the conjugation of the verb, its usage in different tenses, and some examples of how it is used in everyday conversations.

Conjugation

The verb "be" in Portuguese is conjugated as follows:

Person	Singular	Plural
Eu	sou	somos
Tu	és	sois
Ele/Ela/Você	é	são
Nós	somos	somos
Vós	sois	sois
Eles/Elas/Vocês	são	são

Usage

The verb "be" is used in Portuguese to express existence, identity, and location. It is also used to form the passive voice.

Present Tense

The present tense is used to express facts that are true in the present moment.

• Eu sou professor. (I am a teacher.)
• Você é brasileiro? (Are you Brazilian?)
• Ela é minha amiga. (She is my friend.)

Past Tense

The past tense is used to express facts that happened in the past.

• Eu fui professor. (I was a teacher.)
• Você foi brasileiro? (Were you Brazilian?)
• Ela foi minha amiga. (She was my friend.)

Future Tense

The future tense is used to express facts that will happen in the future.

• Eu serei professor. (I will be a teacher.)
• Você será brasileiro? (Will you be Brazilian?)
• Ela será minha amiga. (She will be my friend.)

Examples

Here are some examples of how the verb "be" is used in everyday conversations.

• Person 1: Quem é você? (Who are you?)
• Person 2: Eu sou o João. (I am João.)

• Person 1: Onde você está? (Where are you?)
• Person 2: Eu estou no Brasil. (I am in Brazil.)

• Person 1: Quem era ela? (Who was she?)
• Person 2: Ela era minha amiga. (She was my friend.)

• Person 1: Onde você vai? (Where are you going?)
• Person 2: Eu vou para o Brasil. (I am going to Brazil.)

Cultural Information

In Portuguese, the verb "be" is often used to express identity. For example, when introducing yourself, you would say "Eu sou..." (I am...) followed by your name.

Quiz

Test your knowledge of the verb "be" with this quiz:

1. How do you say "I am a teacher" in Portuguese? A. Eu sou professor. B. Eu fui professor. C. Eu serei professor.

2. How do you say "She was my friend" in Portuguese? A. Ela é minha amiga. B. Ela foi minha amiga. C. Ela será minha amiga.

3. How do you say "I am going to Brazil" in Portuguese? A. Eu estou no Brasil. B. Eu vou para o Brasil. C. Eu serei no Brasil.

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Related Lessons

• Conditional Mood
• Adjectives
• Plurals
• Gender
• Future Tense
• Nouns
• Porquê VS Porque
• How to Use Have
• Prepositions