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EveryLingua

Irregular Portuguese verbs

All 141, with their three forms, the English meaning and an example sentence each — sorted by what actually happens, not by the alphabet.

Why not alphabetical

The usual list has three columns in alphabetical order. You find something in it if you already know what you are looking for — for learning it is poor, because it hides the only order there is here. These verbs are not 141 separate cases. Most of them fall into groups in which the same change happens, and once you have the group, you have several verbs at once.

141 verbs.

Their own stem in the preterite

43 verbs

The biggest group and the one that pays off most. The preterite is built on a stem of its own — fiz, disse, trouxe — much as English has « did », « said » and « brought ». In Portuguese that stem goes further: with the third person plural, fizeram, it gives the past subjunctive (fizesse) and the future subjunctive (fizer), a form English has nothing like and Portuguese uses every day — quando puder, se fizer sol. Each head verb brings its family: everything in -ter goes like ter, in -por like pôr, in -vir like vir. A few verbs are filed here for a milder quirk in the same place: ficar, chegar and começar change a letter to keep a sound (fiquei, cheguei, comecei), and the verbs in -duzir have a regular preterite and only drop the final e in the present: conduz.

Base formPastParticipleEnglishLevel
fazerfizfeitoto do, to makeA1

Fiz tudo o que podia.I did everything I could.

dizerdisseditoto say, to tellA1

Disse-lhe a verdade ontem.I told him the truth yesterday.

trazertrouxetrazidoto bringA2

Trouxe pão da padaria.I brought bread back from the baker’s.

poderpudepodidocan, to be able toA1

Não pude vir ontem.I couldn’t come yesterday.

quererquisqueridoto wantA1

Quis dizer outra coisa.I meant something else.

sabersoubesabidoto know (facts), to know how toA1

Soube ontem da notícia.I heard the news yesterday.

vervivistoto seeA1

Vi-o na estação.I saw him at the station.

virvimvindoto comeA1

Vim a pé.I came on foot.

dardeidadoto giveA1

Dei-lhe a chave.I gave him the key.

ficarfiqueificadoto stay, to become, to be (located)A1

Fiquei em casa todo o dia.I stayed at home all day.

chegarchegueichegadoto arriveA1

Cheguei às oito em ponto.I arrived at eight o’clock sharp.

começarcomeceicomeçadoto begin, to startA1

Comecei a trabalhar em março.I started work in March.

lerlilidoto readA1

Li o livro em dois dias.I read the book in two days.

crercricridoto believeB2

Nunca cri nessa história.I never believed that story.

cabercoubecabidoto fitB1

Não coube tudo na mala.Not everything fitted in the suitcase.

conduzirconduziconduzidoto drive, to leadA2

Conduzi durante seis horas.I drove for six hours.

produzirproduziproduzidoto produceB1

A fábrica produziu mil peças.The factory produced a thousand parts.

traduzirtraduzitraduzidoto translateB1

Traduzi o texto para alemão.I translated the text into German.

reduzirreduzireduzidoto reduceB2

Reduziram o preço em dez por cento.They cut the price by ten per cent.

desfazerdesfizdesfeitoto undo, to unpackB1

Desfiz a mala assim que cheguei.I unpacked my case as soon as I arrived.

satisfazersatisfizsatisfeitoto satisfyB2

A resposta não me satisfez.The answer didn’t satisfy me.

refazerrefizrefeitoto redoB2

Refiz o trabalho todo.I did the whole piece of work again.

reverrevirevistoto see again, to go overB1

Revi o texto antes de enviar.I went over the text before sending it.

preverpreviprevistoto foreseeB2

Ninguém previu este resultado.Nobody foresaw this result.

convirconvimconvindoto suit, to be advisableC1

Não me convém a essa hora.That time doesn’t suit me.

intervirintervimintervindoto interveneC1

A polícia interveio rapidamente.The police stepped in quickly.

provirprovimprovindoto come from, to stem fromC1

A palavra provém do latim.The word comes from Latin.

mantermantivemantidoto keep, to maintainB1

Mantive a calma até ao fim.I kept calm until the end.

obterobtiveobtidoto obtain, to getB1

Obtive a resposta na segunda.I got the answer on Monday.

contercontivecontidoto containB1

A caixa continha três livros.The box contained three books.

deterdetivedetidoto detain, to stopC1

A polícia deteve dois homens.The police arrested two men.

reterretiveretidoto hold back, to retainC1

O banco reteve o pagamento.The bank withheld the payment.

pertencerpertencipertencidoto belongB1

Esta casa pertenceu à minha avó.This house belonged to my grandmother.

suporsupussupostoto suppose, to assumeB2

Supus que já sabias.I assumed you already knew.

comporcompuscompostoto compose, to put togetherB2

Compôs a música em duas semanas.He composed the music in two weeks.

proporpropuspropostoto propose, to put forwardB1

Propus outra data.I suggested another date.

dispordispusdispostoto have at one’s disposalC1

Não disponho de tempo esta semana.I don’t have any time this week.

imporimpusimpostoto imposeC1

Impuseram novas regras.They imposed new rules.

opor-seopus-meopostoto oppose, to object toC1

Opus-me à decisão desde o início.I opposed the decision from the start.

caber-secoube-mecabidoto fall to (someone)C1

Coube-me a mim decidir.It fell to me to decide.

desdizerdesdissedesditoto take back (words), to retractC1

Desdisse tudo no dia seguinte.He took it all back the next day.

contradizercontradissecontraditoto contradictB2

Contradisse-se três vezes.He contradicted himself three times.

reaverreouvereavidoto get back, to recoverC1

Nunca reouve o dinheiro.He never got the money back.

The participle is irregular

28 verbs

Everything is regular except the participle: abrir → aberto, escrever → escrito. In a story these verbs pass unnoticed, because the preterite gives nothing away; they show in every compound tense and in the passive. English keeps a list of the same kind — « written », « broken », « seen ». Many of these verbs have two participles: the short one goes with ser and estar (a luz está acesa, foi eleito), the regular one with ter (tinha acendido, tinham elegido). A few short forms — ganho, gasto, pago — are used with ter as well.

Base formPastParticipleEnglishLevel
abrirabriabertoto openA1

Já abri a janela.I’ve already opened the window.

cobrircobricobertoto coverB1

A neve cobriu tudo.The snow covered everything.

descobrirdescobridescobertoto discover, to find outA2

Descobrimos um café pequeno.We discovered a little café.

escreverescreviescritoto writeA1

Escrevi-lhe três cartas.I wrote him three letters.

descreverdescrevidescritoto describeB1

Descreveu a cena em detalhe.She described the scene in detail.

inscrever-seinscrevi-meinscritoto sign up, to enrolB1

Inscrevi-me no curso de português.I signed up for the Portuguese course.

ganharganheiganhoto win, to earnA2

Ganhámos o jogo por dois a um.We won the match two–one.

gastargasteigastoto spendA2

Gastei demasiado este mês.I’ve spent too much this month.

pagarpagueipagoto payA1

Já paguei a conta.I’ve already paid the bill.

aceitaraceiteiaceiteto acceptB1

Aceitei o convite com prazer.I was glad to accept the invitation.

acenderacendiacesoto light, to switch onA2

Acendi a luz da cozinha.I switched on the kitchen light.

prenderprendipresoto fasten, to tie; to arrestB1

Prendeu o cabelo com uma fita.She tied her hair back with a ribbon.

suspendersuspendisuspensoto suspend, to call offC1

Suspenderam o voo por causa do vento.They suspended the flight because of the wind.

elegerelegieleitoto electB2

Elegeram-no no primeiro turno.He was elected in the first round.

entregarentregueientregueto hand in, to deliverB1

Entreguei o trabalho na sexta.I handed the work in on Friday.

expulsarexpulseiexpulsoto expel, to send offC1

Foi expulso do campo aos vinte minutos.He was sent off after twenty minutes.

morrermorrimortoto dieA2

O meu avô morreu em janeiro.My grandfather died in January.

salvarsalveisalvoto save, to rescueB1

Salvaram três pessoas do incêndio.They rescued three people from the fire.

romperrompirototo tear, to snapC1

A corda rompeu-se de repente.The rope suddenly snapped.

cobrir-secobri-mecobertoto become covered, to cover oneselfB1

O céu cobriu-se de nuvens.The sky clouded over.

encobrirencobriencobertoto cover up, to concealB2

Tentaram encobrir o erro.They tried to cover up the mistake.

imprimirimprimiimpressoto printB1

Imprimi o contrato de manhã.I printed out the contract in the morning.

exprimirexprimiexpressoto expressB2

Exprimiu-se com clareza.He expressed himself clearly.

extinguirextinguiextintoto extinguish, to put outC1

O fogo foi extinto ao amanhecer.The fire was put out at dawn.

confundirconfundiconfusoto mix up, to confuseB1

Confundo sempre os dois irmãos.I always mix up the two brothers.

soltarsolteisoltoto let go of, to releaseB1

Soltou a corda de repente.He suddenly let go of the rope.

limparlimpeilimpoto cleanA2

Limpei a cozinha toda.I cleaned the whole kitchen.

secarsequeisecoto dryB1

A roupa secou ao sol.The washing dried in the sun.

The present is irregular

54 verbs

Here the preterite and the participle are regular and the present is not — usually only in the first person singular: peço, durmo, sirvo. That one form matters more than it looks, because the whole present subjunctive is built on it: peça, durma, sirva. A small group works the other way round and changes the second and third persons instead: subo, sobes, sobe. The verbs in -cer write ç before o so that the c keeps its s sound: conheço, ofereço. And the verbs in -ear turn a stressed e into ei: passeio, receio.

Base formPastParticipleEnglishLevel
pedirpedipedidoto ask for, to orderA1

Pedi um café e um copo de água.I ordered an espresso and a glass of water.

medirmedimedidoto measureB1

Medi a parede antes de comprar.I measured the wall before buying.

ouvirouviouvidoto hearA1

Ouvi um barulho na rua.I heard a noise in the street.

dormirdormidormidoto sleepA1

Dormi mal esta noite.I slept badly last night.

servirserviservidoto serveA2

Serviram o jantar às oito.They served dinner at eight.

seguirseguiseguidoto followA2

Segui a rua até ao fim.I followed the street to the end.

conseguirconseguiconseguidoto manage, to succeed inA2

Não consegui abrir a porta.I couldn’t get the door open.

preferirpreferipreferidoto preferA2

Preferi ficar em casa.I preferred to stay at home.

sentirsentisentidoto feelA2

Senti frio a noite toda.I felt cold all night.

mentirmentimentidoto lie (tell a lie)B1

Mentiu-me duas vezes.He lied to me twice.

vestirvestivestidoto put on (clothes), to dressA2

Vesti o casaco e saí.I put on my jacket and went out.

repetirrepetirepetidoto repeatA2

Repeti a pergunta duas vezes.I repeated the question twice.

subirsubisubidoto go up, to climbA2

Subi as escadas a correr.I ran up the stairs.

fugirfugifugidoto run away, to fleeB1

O gato fugiu pela janela.The cat escaped through the window.

construirconstruíconstruídoto buildB1

Construíram a casa em oito meses.They built the house in eight months.

sairsaísaídoto go out, to leaveA1

Saí de casa às sete.I left home at seven.

caircaícaídoto fallA2

Caí na rua e magoei o joelho.I fell in the street and hurt my knee.

trairtraítraídoto betrayC1

Nunca traiu um amigo.He never betrayed a friend.

rirriridoto laughA2

Rimos a noite toda.We laughed all night.

sorrirsorrisorridoto smileA2

Sorriu quando me viu.She smiled when she saw me.

perderperdiperdidoto lose, to missA1

Perdi o comboio das oito.I missed the eight o’clock train.

valervalivalidoto be worthB1

Não valeu a pena esperar.It wasn’t worth waiting.

doerdoeudoídoto hurt, to acheA1

Doeu-me a cabeça o dia todo.I had a headache all day.

agradeceragradeciagradecidoto thankA2

Agradeci-lhe pela ajuda.I thanked him for his help.

conhecerconheciconhecidoto know (people, places), to meetA1

Conheci-a numa festa.I met her at a party.

esquecer-seesqueci-meesquecidoto forgetA2

Esqueci-me das chaves outra vez.I forgot my keys again.

parecerpareciparecidoto seemA2

Pareceu-me estranho.It seemed strange to me.

aparecerapareciaparecidoto appear, to turn upB1

Apareceu sem avisar.He turned up without warning.

aconteceraconteceuacontecidoto happenA2

Aconteceu tudo muito depressa.It all happened very quickly.

crescercrescicrescidoto grow, to grow upB1

Cresci numa aldeia pequena.I grew up in a small village.

descerdescidescidoto go down, to get offA2

Desci na paragem seguinte.I got off at the next stop.

aqueceraqueciaquecidoto heat up, to warmB1

Aqueci a sopa no micro-ondas.I heated up the soup in the microwave.

adormeceradormeciadormecidoto fall asleepB1

Adormeci no sofá a ver televisão.I fell asleep on the sofa watching TV.

ofereceroferecioferecidoto give (as a present), to offerA2

Ofereceram-me um livro.They gave me a book.

sofrersofrisofridoto sufferB1

Sofreu muito no último ano.He suffered a great deal last year.

destruirdestruídestruídoto destroyB1

O fogo destruiu duas casas.The fire destroyed two houses.

incluirincluíincluídoto includeB1

O preço inclui o pequeno-almoço.The price includes breakfast.

influirinfluíinfluídoto have an influence onC1

O tempo influiu no resultado.The weather affected the result.

possuirpossuípossuídoto own, to possessC1

A família possuía três casas.The family owned three houses.

odiarodieiodiadoto hateB1

Odiei esperar tanto tempo.I hated waiting so long.

passearpasseeipasseadoto go for a walkA2

Passeámos pela praia ao fim da tarde.We went for a walk along the beach in the early evening.

recearreceeireceadoto fear, to be afraidC1

Receio que seja tarde demais.I’m afraid it may be too late.

vestir-sevesti-mevestidoto get dressedA2

Visto-me e saio.I get dressed and go out.

despirdespidespidoto take off (clothes), to undressB1

Despiu o casaco à entrada.He took off his coat at the door.

divertir-sediverti-medivertidoto have fun, to enjoy oneselfA2

Divertimo-nos muito ontem.We had a great time yesterday.

referirreferireferidoto mentionB1

Referiu o assunto de passagem.He mentioned the matter in passing.

conferirconfericonferidoto checkB1

Conferi as contas duas vezes.I checked the accounts twice.

sugerirsugerisugeridoto suggestB1

Sugiro que falemos amanhã.I suggest we talk tomorrow.

advertiradvertiadvertidoto warnB2

Advertiram-nos do perigo.We were warned of the danger.

engolirengoliengolidoto swallowB1

Engoliu o comprimido sem água.He swallowed the pill without water.

tossirtossitossidoto coughB1

Tossiu a noite toda.He coughed all night.

desaparecerdesaparecidesaparecidoto disappearB1

A chave desapareceu.The key has disappeared.

permanecerpermanecipermanecidoto remainB2

Permaneceu calado a noite toda.He stayed silent all evening.

merecermerecimerecidoto deserveB1

Mereceu o lugar.He deserved his place.

Irregular throughout

16 verbs

The verbs no rule reaches: ser, ir, ter, pôr. They are the commonest in the language, and that is no accident — only what is said all the time can stay irregular without being forgotten. Two of them even share a preterite: fui is both « I was » and « I went », and only the sentence tells you which. Filed here as well are a few verbs whose only oddity is spelling — before an e the letter changes so that the sound can stay the same: almocei, brinquei, julguei.

Base formPastParticipleEnglishLevel
serfuisidoto be (lasting)A1

Fui professor durante dez anos.I was a teacher for ten years.

estarestiveestadoto be (for now, in a place)A1

Estive em Lisboa na semana passada.I was in Lisbon last week.

tertivetidoto haveA1

Tive uma ideia melhor.I had a better idea.

irfuiidoto goA1

Fui ao mercado de manhã.I went to the market in the morning.

pôrpuspostoto putA1

Pus a chave em cima da mesa.I put the key on the table.

haverhouvehavidothere to beA1

Houve um problema com o comboio.There was a problem with the train.

acordaracordeiacordadoto wake up, to wake (someone)A2

Acordei antes do despertador.I woke up before the alarm went off.

almoçaralmoceialmoçadoto have lunchA2

Almocei às duas.I had lunch at two.

abraçarabraceiabraçadoto hugB1

Abracei-a à despedida.I hugged her goodbye.

esforçar-seesforcei-meesforçadoto make an effort, to try hardB1

Esforcei-me muito este ano.I’ve worked really hard this year.

brincarbrinqueibrincadoto play (as children do), to jokeA2

Brinquei com os miúdos toda a tarde.I played with the kids all afternoon.

explicarexpliqueiexplicadoto explainA2

Expliquei tudo outra vez.I explained everything again.

ficar-sefiquei-meficadoto stop at, to settle forB2

Fiquei-me por duas páginas.I stopped at two pages.

julgarjulgueijulgadoto judge, to thinkB1

Julguei que já tinhas saído.I thought you’d already left.

apagarapagueiapagadoto switch off, to rub outA2

Apaguei a luz da cozinha.I switched off the kitchen light.

carregarcarregueicarregadoto carry, to loadB1

Carreguei as malas até ao carro.I carried the cases to the car.

Practise the three forms

One base form, two missing forms. Only what you write counts — quotation marks, capitals and spaces are forgiven, not penalised.