In this lesson you'll learn:
- The words for I, you, he, she, we and they
- ser and estar, two ways to say "to be"
- ter (to have) and ir (to go)
- How to talk about the future with vou + a verb
These four verbs are irregular, but they're so common that you'll know them by heart within a week. Learn the eu (I) and você (you) forms first; they'll take you a long way. Each one also has a full verb guide with every tense and more practice: ser, estar, ter and ir.
Who's who
| Portuguese | Sounds like | English |
|---|---|---|
| eu | EH-oo | I |
| você | voh-SAY | you |
| ele / ela | AY-lee / EH-lah | he / she |
| nós | naws | we |
| a gente | ah ZHEN-tchee | we (informal, and very common) |
| vocês | voh-SAYS | you (more than one person) |
| eles / elas | AY-lees / EH-lahs | they (men or mixed / women) |
Você is the everyday word for "you" all over Brazil, and it uses the same verb form as ele and ela. To be extra polite with older people, say o senhor (to a man) or a senhora (to a woman). In speech, a gente ("the people") is the most common way to say "we", and it also takes the ele/ela form: A gente vai à praia. (We're going to the beach.)
Ser: to be (who or what something is)
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| eu sou | I am |
| você / ele / ela é | you are / he is / she is |
| nós somos | we are |
| vocês / eles / elas são | you (plural) are / they are |
Use ser for things that define someone or something: identity, nationality, job, personality, and what something is like.
- Eu sou americano. I'm American.
- Ela é professora. She's a teacher.
- Nós somos amigos. We're friends.
- O Brasil é enorme. Brazil is huge.
Estar: to be (how or where something is right now)
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| eu estou | I am |
| você / ele / ela está | you are / he is / she is |
| nós estamos | we are |
| vocês / eles / elas estão | you (plural) are / they are |
Use estar for things that can change: feelings, moods, temporary states, and where someone is.
- Eu estou cansado. I'm tired.
- Você está bem? Are you OK?
- Ela está em casa. She's at home.
- Estou aprendendo português! I'm learning Portuguese!
Ser or estar? Ask yourself: is it what it is, or how or where it is right now? Ele é feliz means he's a happy person; Ele está feliz means he's happy right now. In speech, estou and está are often shortened to tô and tá. You'll hear Tá bom! ("OK!") all day long.
Ter: to have
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| eu tenho | I have |
| você / ele / ela tem | you have / he has / she has |
| nós temos | we have |
| vocês / eles / elas têm | you (plural) have / they have |
- Eu tenho dois irmãos. I have two brothers.
- Ela tem vinte anos. She's twenty (years old).
- Tem café? Is there any coffee? (In Brazil, tem also means "there is" or "there are".)
- Eu tenho que trabalhar. I have to work.
Ir: to go
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| eu vou | I go / I'm going |
| você / ele / ela vai | you go / he goes / she goes |
| nós vamos | we go |
| vocês / eles / elas vão | you (plural) go / they go |
- Eu vou ao mercado. I'm going to the market.
- Vamos! Let's go!
- Eles vão para o Rio amanhã. They're going to Rio tomorrow.
The easy future: put a form of ir before any verb, just like "going to" in English.
- Eu vou estudar amanhã. I'm going to study tomorrow.
- Nós vamos viajar em julho. We're going to travel in July.
Practice
Fill in the blank with the right form of the verb in brackets.
- Eu ___ brasileiro. (ser)
- Nós ___ cansados. (estar)
- Ela ___ dois gatos. (ter)
- Eles ___ ao cinema. (ir)
- Você ___ em casa? (estar)
- Eu ___ trinta anos. (ter)
Show answers
- Eu sou brasileiro.
- Nós estamos cansados.
- Ela tem dois gatos.
- Eles vão ao cinema.
- Você está em casa?
- Eu tenho trinta anos.