25 Useful Brazilian Portuguese Verbs for Beginners
By Bruno Lopes · Brazilian Portuguese teacher
Host of I Speak Portuguese · Updated
Meet Bruno and the teaching teamStudy note: the 25 verbs in this guide are chosen for practical beginner review. The episode is a separate listening resource; its title mentions 20 verbs, and the examples on this page are not a transcript.
How to read the table
Brazilian Portuguese uses eu (I), você (you), ele/ela (he/she — same conjugation as você), nós (we), and vocês/eles/elas (you all / they). We'll list the four forms you'll actually hear.
25 useful verbs (present tense)
| # | Verb | Meaning | eu / você / nós / vocês |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ser | to be (permanent) | sou / é / somos / são |
| 2 | estar | to be (temporary) | estou / está / estamos / estão |
| 3 | ter | to have | tenho / tem / temos / têm |
| 4 | ir | to go | vou / vai / vamos / vão |
| 5 | fazer | to do / make | faço / faz / fazemos / fazem |
| 6 | querer | to want | quero / quer / queremos / querem |
| 7 | poder | can / to be able | posso / pode / podemos / podem |
| 8 | dizer | to say | digo / diz / dizemos / dizem |
| 9 | ver | to see | vejo / vê / vemos / veem |
| 10 | dar | to give | dou / dá / damos / dão |
| 11 | saber | to know (facts) | sei / sabe / sabemos / sabem |
| 12 | conhecer | to know (people/places) | conheço / conhece / conhecemos / conhecem |
| 13 | falar | to speak | falo / fala / falamos / falam |
| 14 | comer | to eat | como / come / comemos / comem |
| 15 | beber | to drink | bebo / bebe / bebemos / bebem |
| 16 | morar | to live (reside) | moro / mora / moramos / moram |
| 17 | trabalhar | to work | trabalho / trabalha / trabalhamos / trabalham |
| 18 | gostar | to like | gosto / gosta / gostamos / gostam |
| 19 | precisar | to need | preciso / precisa / precisamos / precisam |
| 20 | chegar | to arrive | chego / chega / chegamos / chegam |
| 21 | pegar | to grab / take | pego / pega / pegamos / pegam |
| 22 | ficar | to stay / become | fico / fica / ficamos / ficam |
| 23 | vir | to come | venho / vem / vimos / vêm |
| 24 | achar | to think / find | acho / acha / achamos / acham |
| 25 | entender | to understand | entendo / entende / entendemos / entendem |
10 sentences you can steal today
- Eu sou dos Estados Unidos. — I'm from the United States.
- Estou aprendendo português. — I'm learning Portuguese.
- Eu tenho uma pergunta. — I have a question.
- Vamos ao restaurante? — Shall we go to the restaurant?
- O que você faz? — What do you do?
- Eu quero um café, por favor. — I'd like a coffee, please.
- Você pode repetir? — Can you repeat?
- Eu não entendo. — I don't understand.
- Eu gosto muito do Brasil. — I really like Brazil.
- Preciso da sua ajuda. — I need your help.
Talk about future plans with ir + infinitive
A common way to talk about plans is ir + infinitive: Eu vou comer (I'm going to eat), Vamos falar (We're going to talk). This useful pattern combines a form of ir with the infinitive of another verb.
Practice this today
Pick five verbs from the list. Write one sentence for each about your real life today. Say each sentence out loud twice. Come back tomorrow and repeat with five different verbs.
For more practice, explore the Portuguese study routine, listen to another podcast lesson, or try the Real Life Portuguese app.
Frequently asked questions
Are these the same 20 verbs covered in the podcast episode?
No. The article’s 25-verb list is an independent beginner study selection. Listen to the episode for the content Bruno presents there; this page does not claim to reproduce its exact list.
Should I memorize every conjugation?
Start with forms you can use in short sentences. Practice one person and one situation at a time, then add other forms as you encounter them in listening and conversation.
What's the fastest way to memorize Portuguese verbs?
Learn them inside real sentences, not in a table. 'Eu quero um café' sticks; 'querer: quero, quer, queremos' fades. Practice by speaking the sentence out loud five times, then swap the noun.





