50 Most Common Verbs in Portuguese

Want to start speaking Portuguese as soon as possible? The key is to learn the words you’ll use most often! Here’s a list of 50 commonly used Portuguese verbs with examples to show you how to use them in everyday situations.

1	ser be	Eu sou teu amigo. I am your friend.
2	estar be	Vou a Lisboa. I am going to Lisbon Often, students mistake andar for ir (and vice versa): Portuguese Verbs “Ir” vs. “Andar” – Know When to Use Either.
3	ter have	Tens dinheiro? Do you have any money?
4	haver there is/are	Há muita gente aqui. There’s a lot of people here. Learn more about haver: The Portuguese Verb “Haver” and All the Things You Say with It.
5	ir go	Vou a Lisboa. I am going to Lisbon Often, students mistake andar for ir (and vice versa): Portuguese Verbs “Ir” vs. “Andar” – Know When to Use Either.
6	dar give	Ela deu-lhe um presente. She gave her a present. There are countless Portuguese idioms with this verb: Portuguese Verb “Dar”: An Idiomatic Gem.
7	fazer make	Ontem fiz um bolo. Yesterday, I made a cake. More on fazer: The Portuguese Verb “Fazer” and All the Things You Say with It.
8	ficar stay	Ficaste em casa? Did you stay at home? Dive deeper into ficar‘s usage: Portuguese Verb “Ficar”: A Versatile Verb with Several Meanings.
9	pôr put	Põe o livro na tua mochila. Put the book in your backpack.
10	poder can	Podes-me ajudar? Can you help me? Poder is a modal verb. Learn more about this and other Portuguese Modals: Portuguese Modal Verbs Equivalent to Must, May, Could, Should, and the Like.
11	conseguir Manage (to do something)	Conseguiste falar com a Joana? Did you manage to speak with Joana? The difference between poder and conseguir is subtle. Learn more about it: Portuguese Verbs “Poder” vs. “Conseguir” – How to Tell One from the Other.
12	dever should	Ela deve chagar pelas 17h. She should arrive around 5 p.m.
13	saber know	Já sabes da novidade? Do you know the news already?
14	conhecer know (people, places)	Conheces a Paula? Do you know Paula?
15	querer want	Ele quer um gelado. He wants an ice cream.
16	andar walk	Eu gosto muito de andar. I love to walk.
17	chegar arrive	O António já chegou ao Porto. António has already arrived in Porto.
18	vir come	O Mariano vem do Brasil. Mariano comes from Brazil.
19	partir leave (depart)	A que horas parte o comboio? What time does the train leave?
20	passar pass	Podes passar-me o sumo? Can you pass me the juice?
21	parar stop	Para de comer! Stop eating!
22	costumar used to	Eu costumava correr todos os dias. I used to run everyday.
23	entrar come in	Podes entrar! Come in!
24	sair go out; leave	A Joana saiu do trabalho às 16h. Joana left work at 4.p.m.
25	começar start	O filme começa às 21h. The movie starts at 9 p.m.
26	acabar finish	Acabei de ler o livro. I’ve finished the book.
27	mudar change	Nuncas mudas! You never change!
28	deixar leave	Deixa-me em paz! Leave me alone!
29	pensar think	Pensa duas vezes antes de tomar alguma decisão. Think twice before you make any decision.
30	achar think	Acho que estás certo. I think you are right. Achar and pensar are often interchangeable. Watch this video to find out what their differences are.
31	contar tell; count	Conta-me uma história. Tell me a story. Watch this video to learn more about contar’s usage.
32	falar speak	Ele fala demais. He speaks too much.
33	ver see; watch	Queres ver um filme? Do you want to watch a movie?
34	olhar look	Olha para mim! Look at me!
35	ouvir hear; listen	O Jorge ouve mal. Jorge doesn’t hear very well.
36	sentir-se feel	Sentes-te bem? Do you feel well? The verb feel in Portuguese is reflexive. Learn more about Portuguese reflexive verbs: Portuguese Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns.
37	cheirar smell	Esta rosa cheira tão bem! This rose smells so good!
38	gostar like	Eu gosto de neve. I like snow.
39	comer eat	Ela come muito pouco. She eats too little.
40	beber drink	Preciso de beber mais líquidos. I need to drink more liquids.
41	tomar take	Queres tomar um duche? Do you want to take a shower?
42	lembrar-se remember	Lembras-te de mim? Do you remember me?
43	viver live;	Ela está a viver a vida que sonhou. She’s living the life she dreamed about.
44	morar live in (places)	Ele mora no Porto. He lives in Porto.
45	usar use	Eu uso muito o meu carro. I use my car a lot.
46	levar take	Vou-te levar a Paris. I’ll take you to Paris.
47	trazer bring	Podes trazer-me um livro? Can you bring me a book?
48	procurar search; look	Estou à procura de emprego. I am looking for a job.
49	abrir open	A que horas abre o café? What time does the coffee shop open?
50	fechar close	A loja já fechou. The store has already closed.

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