Language/Portuguese/Grammar/Irregular-Verbs
Olá! In this lesson, we will continue talking about verbs in the present tense, but this time we will focus on the irregular verbs. Irregular verbs do not follow the standard pattern of conjugation in the present tense, so it is important to learn them by heart.
Regular Vs. Irregular Verbs
As we have learned in the previous lesson, regular verbs follow a pattern in order to be conjugated in the present tense. The verb stem remains the same, but the ending changes depending on the subject pronoun (Eu, Você, Ele/Ela, Nós, Vocês, Eles/Elas).
Irregular verbs, on the other hand, do not follow this pattern and must be memorized since their stem also changes when conjugated. In this lesson, we will learn some of the most common irregular verbs and their conjugation in the present tense.
Common Irregular Verbs
Here are some of the most common irregular verbs in Portuguese:
Portuguese | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
Ser | [sɛʁ] | to be (permanent) |
Estar | [ɨʃ'taɾ] | to be (temporary) |
Ter | [ter] | to have |
Fazer | [fa'zeɾ] | to do/to make |
Ir | [iɾ] | to go |
Vir | [viɾ] | to come |
Now, let's learn how to conjugate each of these verbs in the present tense.
Ser
Ser is a very important verb in Portuguese. It is used to express permanent characteristics of a person, thing, or situation. For example:
- Eu sou casado(a) - I am married.
- Ele é alto - He is tall.
- Nós somos brasileiros - We are Brazilian.
To conjugate Ser, we change the stem to "sej" and add the following endings:
Subject Pronoun | Verb Conjugation |
---|---|
Eu | sou |
Você | é |
Ele/Ela | é |
Nós | somos |
Vocês | são |
Eles/Elas | são |
Some examples:
- Eu sou inteligente - I am intelligent.
- Você é muito bonita - You are very pretty.
- Ele é meu irmão - He is my brother.
- Nós somos amigos - We are friends.
- Eles são engenheiros - They are engineers.
Estar
Estar is used to express temporary characteristics of a person, thing, or situation. For example:
- Eu estou cansado - I am tired.
- Ela está feliz - She is happy.
- Nós estamos em casa - We are at home.
To conjugate Estar, we change the stem to "est" and add the following endings:
Subject Pronoun | Verb Conjugation |
---|---|
Eu | estou |
Você | está |
Ele/Ela | está |
Nós | estamos |
Vocês | estão |
Eles/Elas | estão |
Some examples:
- Eu estou de férias - I am on vacation.
- Ela está ocupada agora - She is busy now.
- Nós estamos com pressa - We are in a hurry.
- Eles estão animados para a festa - They are excited for the party.