Regular verbs in the present tense

In brief

In Brazilian Portuguese, regular verbs change their endings to match who is doing the action. The present tense describes what happens now or what you do regularly. For example, trabalho can mean both ‘I work’ and ‘I am working’; the context makes the meaning clear.

Form

Remove -ar, -er, or -ir from the infinitive and add the present-tense ending. For eu: -o (trabalho, bebo, abro); for você/ele/ela: -a, -e, -e (trabalha, bebe, abre); for nós: -amos, -emos, -imos (trabalhamos, bebemos, abrimos); for vocês/eles/elas: -am, -em, -em (trabalham, bebem, abrem).

Usage

• Use the present for everyday habits: Eu trabalho de manhã. (I work in the morning.)
• Use it for actions happening now: Nós abrimos a loja. (We are opening the store.)
• In Brazil, você takes the same verb form as ele or ela; vocês takes the same form as eles or elas.

Examples

• Eu trabalho em casa. — I work from home.
• Você bebe água? — Do you drink water?
• Nós abrimos a loja às nove. — We open the store at nine.

Common mistake

❌ Eu trabalhar em casa.

✅ Eu trabalho em casa.

With eu, use the conjugated present-tense form trabalho, not the infinitive trabalhar.

Remember

The ending tells you who is doing the action, even when the subject is left out.