KnowledgeHive

So you want to learn Portuguese, but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, that’s totally normal! The best way to not overload your brain is to focus on the most popular words first, like the most common Portuguese verbs. By starting with these words, you’ll be able to say a whole range of things, even if your vocabulary is small. And you can build up the rest later!

Ready? Let’s take a look at the 20 most common Portuguese verbs — along with their conjugations in the present tense and some practical examples.

The Top 20 Portuguese Verbs

1. ser — “to be”

Example: Nós somos a Ana e o Lucas. (“We are Ana and Lucas.”)

2. estar — “to be”

Example: Eu estou muito cansado da viagem! (“I’m very tired from the trip!”)

Watch out! Both ser and estar mean “to be.” Ser is used for introductions and to name characteristics, occupations, permanent states, nationalities and times. Estar is used for temporary conditions, locations and with the progressive forms.

3. ter — “to have”

Example: Você tem irmãos? (Do you have siblings?)

When ter is used by itself, it’s almost always in the impersonal form tem, which indicates the existence or availability of things. In this case, tem corresponds to “there is” in English.

Example: Neste restaurante tem muitas mesas livres. (“There are lots of free tables in this restaurant.”)

4. fazer — “to make, to do”

Example: Eu faço yoga três vezes por semana. (“I do yoga three times a week.”)

5. ir — “to go”

Example: Hoje à noite eu vou ao cinema com a Gabriela. (“Tonight I’m going to the cinema with Gabriela.”)

6. poder — “can”

Example: Você pode vir à nossa festa na sexta-feira? (“Can you come to our party on Friday?”)

7. saber — “to know”

Example: Você sabe onde é o Teatro Nacional? (“Do you know where the National Theater is?”)

8. colocar — “to put”

Example: Onde eu coloco esse pacote? (Where do I put this package?)

9. gostar — “to like”

Example: Eu não gosto de cerveja quente! (“I don’t like warm beer!”)

10. dizer — “to say”

Example: Eles sempre dizem o que pensam. (“They always say what they think.”)

11. querer — “to want”

Example: Nós queremos viajar a Salvador em dezembro. (“We want to travel to Salvador in December.”)

12. falar — “to speak”

Example: Nós só falamos um pouquinho de inglês. (“We only speak a little English.”)

13. dar — “to give”

Example: Eu sempre dou 10% de gorjeta. (“I always give a 10% tip.”)

14. ver — “to see, to watch”

Example: Vocês veem televisão à noite? (“Do you watch TV at night?”)

15. levar — “to take”

Example: Você leva as crianças para casa? (“Could you take the kids home?”)

16. trazer — “to bring”

Example: Eu trouxe um presente para você. (“I brought you a gift.”)

17. achar — “to find, to think”

Example: O que você acha dessa roupa? (“What do you think about this outfit?”)

18. precisar — “to need”

Example: Eu preciso da sua ajuda! (“I need your help!”)

19. ficar — “to stay, to be, to become”

Example: Você fica aqui? Eu já volto. (“Could you stay here? I’ll be right back.”)

Ficar is also used to indicate a fixed location, like buildings and addresses. In this case, it means “to be.” Meanwhile, when ficar is used with adjectives, it means “to become.”

Examples:

• Onde fica o correio? (“Where is the post office?”)
• Eu fico louca com esse barulho! (“This noise drives me mad!”)

20. vir — “to come”

Example: Quando você vem me visitar? (“When are you coming to visit me?”)

Now you know the 20 most common Portuguese verbs! All that’s left to do is commit them to memory and slowly start adding more words and phrases.