Brazilian Portuguese Grammar

Introduction to verbs

Verbs are words that express actions and states at a certain point in time and in a certain mood (statements, commands, suggestions, etc). Portuguese verbs can be really tricky, so make sure you read this introduction thoroughly before going on to the next lessons.

Structure:

stem + infinitive endings

The verb base form is called infinitivo (infinitive), and that's how verbs are found in dictionaries. All infinitives end in -ar, -er or -ir. Once you remove the infinitive ending, you're left with the radical (stem), which is the part of the verb that holds the meaning. Why is it important to know all this? Because verbs change their endings according to the person, tense and mood they refer to, while other verbs (irregular verbs) even change their roots:

Infinitive	Stem	Ending	Meaning
amar	am	ar	to love
beber	beb	er	to drink
partir	part	ir	to depart

Verb inflection

According to infinitive endings, verbs fall under three groups called conjugações (conjugations):

Conjugations	Examples
1st conjugation => verbs ending in ar	amar (to love), dançar (to dance), falar (to speak), etc.
2nd conjugation => verbs ending in er	beber (to drink), comer (to eat), vencer (to win), etc.
3rd conjugation => verbs ending in ir	partir (to leave), mentir (to lie), sentir (to feel), etc.
Verb pôr (to put) and all its compounds (propor, repor, depor, compor, dispor, etc) belong to the second conjugation for etymological reasons. **Verb pôr* comes from the Latin verb ponere (2nd conjugation).**