The Present Indicative Tense in Brazilian Portuguese

The present indicative tense in Brazilian Portuguese is a fundamental tool for everyday communication. It follows specific conjugation patterns for regular verbs ending in -ar, -er, and -ir, and has a couple of very important uses.

Conjugation of Regular Verbs

To conjugate regular verbs, you remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir) from the verb to find the stem, and then add the appropriate ending based on the subject.

1. First-person singular (eu - I)

Across all three verb groups, the eu form always ends in -o:

• -ar (falar): eu falo (I speak)
• -er (comer): eu como (I eat)
• -ir (decidir): eu decido (I decide)

2. Third-person singular (você, ele, ela - you, he, she)

For these pronouns, -ar verbs end in -a, while -er and -ir verbs both end in -e:

• -ar: você/ele/ela fala (you/he/she speaks)
• -er: você/ele/ela come (you/he/she eats)
• -ir: você/ele/ela decide (you/he/she decides)

3. First-person plural (nós - we)

The nós form takes an ending that reflects the original vowel of its verb group:

• -ar: nós falamos (we speak)
• -er: nós comemos (we eat)
• -ir: nós decidimos (we decide)

4. Third-person plural (vocês, eles, elas - you all, they)

For the plural third person, -ar verbs end in -am, while both -er and -ir verbs end in -em:

• -ar: vocês/eles/elas falam (you all/they speak)
• -er: vocês/eles/elas comem (you all/they eat)
• -ir: vocês/eles/elas decidem (you all/they decide)

How to Use the Present Tense

1. General Actions and Routines

The usage of the Portuguese present indicative largely mirrors the English present simple. It is used to describe habits, permanent states, and general truths.

• Onde é que você mora? (Where do you live?)
• Ela trabalha como professora. (She works as a teacher.)

2. Actions Starting in the Past and Continuing into the Present

Unlike English, which typically employs the present perfect tense (e.g., "I have been living") for this context, the Portuguese present simple is uniquely used to describe ongoing actions that began in the past. It is usually paired with time expressions like há or faz.

• Moramos aqui há três anos. (We've lived here for three years.)
• Faz quanto tempo que você estuda português? (How long have you been studying Portuguese?)