The Portuguese Verb Haver
If you’ve been learning Portuguese for a while, you’ve probably noticed that little word há popping up everywhere. Indeed, há is a verb form of Haver, which…
Falar vs. Dizer vs. Contar in Portuguese
Portuguese language learners often wonder about the difference between the verbs Falar, Dizer, and Contar. While they can sometimes be used interchangeably, certain contexts will call for…
Portuguese Gerund: Progressive Tenses and Beyond
The Portuguese Gerund (Gerúndio) is used to build Progressive tenses (such as the Present Continuous) and is the equivalent of the English Present Participle: the -ing verb…
Portuguese Verbs Ser vs. Estar: How and When to Use Either
In Portuguese, there are two To Be verbs: Ser and Estar. Not fully understanding their differences, language learners will often hesitate between using one or the other.…
Portuguese Perfect vs. Imperfect Tense: Know When to Use Either
The Portuguese Perfect and Imperfect past tenses (aka Pretérito Perfeito and Pretérito Imperfeito in Portuguese) are often a headache for language learners whose native tongue doesn’t make…
Portuguese Verb “Dar”: An Idiomatic Gem
If you asked me to list the most frequently used, idiomatically rich verbs in Portuguese, I’d certainly put Dar on top of that list. Dar means ‘give’,…
The Imperative in Portuguese
Like other Romance languages, Portuguese has an abundance of verb forms. Adding to the pile is the Imperative mood. We use the Imperative to give instructions and commands,…
Portuguese Past Subjunctive (Imperfeito do Conjuntivo)
The Subjunctive mood is often a source of much whining and moaning among Portuguese language learners – so many conjugations one must keep track of! We have…
Conditional in Portuguese
In Portuguese, we use the Conditional tense to express desire, talk about unreal scenarios, or convey politeness. As you’ll soon see, however, the Imperfect tense (Pretérito Imperfeito)…
Portuguese Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns
Reflexive verbs are abundant in Portuguese and many of them are frequently used in everyday life. It is easy for language learners – especially those unfamiliar with…
Present Continuous in Portuguese
In Portuguese, as in English, we use the present continuous to talk about ongoing actions. Note, however, that the present continuous in the European and Brazilian standards look…
Portuguese Modal Verbs
Modal verbs help us convey things like necessity, possibility, certainty, doubt, and ability. We use them all the time. You’d agree that the English sentences You must…
Portuguese Tricky Verbs: Saber vs Conseguir vs Poder vs Conhecer
Many learners of Portuguese who rely on English as a reference point struggle with these verbs: Saber, Conseguir, Poder, and Conhecer. Why? Because a single English verb,…
Passive Voice in Portuguese
Passive voice – as opposed to Active voice – highlights the recipient that is acted upon by the agent of the verb. Accordingly, the recipient of the…
Portuguese Present Subjunctive (Presente Conjuntivo)
The use of the Subjunctive in Portuguese (Conjuntivo) is way more frequent than in English. That alone can be a stumbling block for many language learners as…
Personal Infinitive in Portuguese (Infinitivo Pessoal)
The Personal Infinitive (Infinitivo Pessoal) is unique to Portuguese and commonplace. There’s no parallel in other languages and learners of Portuguese often struggle to wrap their heads…
Portuguese Regular Verbs in the Past Tense
Let’s look at Portuguese regular verbs and conjugation patterns in the Past tense – both Preterite and Imperfect conjugations (aka Pretérito Perfeito and Pretérito Imperfeito). As you’ll…
Portuguese Defective Verbs
Defective verbs are verbs with incomplete conjugation. For instance, Portuguese defective verbs are only conjugated in the 3-person (singular or plural). Some defective verbs are commonplace so…