Portuguese Verbs Explained: Complete Guide for English Speakers

Portuguese verbs can be tricky, especially with their many conjugations and tenses. If you’re not familiar with Romance languages, they might seem overwhelming.

Memorizing verb forms is one thing, but knowing when to use each tense is another challenge. This guide focuses on the second part—helping you understand Portuguese verb tenses and moods through clear explanations and comparisons to English tenses.

By anchoring Portuguese verbs to familiar English structures, you’ll gain a better grasp of when and how to use each tense in real-life situations. Read on.

Keep in mind: To keep things simple, I’ll use English terminology when referring to Portuguese verb tenses and structures. For example, if a section is titled Past Continuous, it relates to the Portuguese equivalent of that tense. Also, as mentioned earlier, this article focuses on when to use each tense, not on verb conjugation itself.

Present Tense in Portuguese

Present tenses are typically used to describe actions occurring in the present.

To illustrate the different aspects of the present tense, I will use the verb ensinar (to teach). This verb belongs to the first group of regular verbs, which have infinitives ending in -ar (patterned endings italicized):

	Ensinar | Present Presente
eu	ensino
tu	ensinas
ele, ela	ensina
nós	ensinamos
vocês	ensinam
eles, elas	ensinam
Past Participle	ensinado
Present Participle (Portuguese gerund)	ensinando

Learn more about regular conjugation in the present tense: Portuguese Regular Verbs and Conjugation Patterns in the Present Tense.

Present Simple

Like in English, this tense is often used to describe habitual actions or repeated events. Here’s an example:

ensinar (present) 
Eu ensino Português numa escola de línguas.
I teach Portuguese in a language school.

Expressing Future Time

The Present Simple can also indicate future events when used with an adverb or adverbial phrase that refers to a future time:

adverb of time > ensinar (present) 
No próximo mês, ensino só às tardes.
Next month, I will teach only in the afternoons.

No Auxiliary Verb Needed!

In Portuguese, unlike in English, you don’t need an auxiliary verb (do) to form negative sentences or questions (this applies to simple tenses only).

Negation
To negate an affirmative sentence, simply place não before the verb:

🔹 não + ensinar (present)
➡ Eu não ensino Português. Eu ensino Alemão.
➡ I do not teach Portuguese. I teach German.

Questions Without an Auxiliary Verb
Interrogative sentences are formed without an auxiliary verb:

🔹 Affirmative: Tu ensinas Português.
🔹 Question: Tu ensinas Português?
➡ You teach Portuguese. vs. Do you teach Portuguese?

The same applies to questions with a question word:

🔹 Que línguas é que tu ensinas?
➡ Which languages do you teach?

Present Continuous

The Present Continuous tense describes an ongoing action, something happening at the moment it is mentioned.

In Portuguese, this tense is formed using the auxiliary verb estar—the equivalent of the English verb to be:

	Estar | Present Presente
eu	estou
tu	estás
ele, ela	está
nós	estamos
vocês	estão
eles, elas	estão
Past Participle	estado

In Portuguese, there are two verbs for “to be”—ser and estar. To understand their differences in depth, check out this guide: Portuguese Verbs ‘Ser’ and ‘Estar’ – How and When to Use Each.

The Present Continuous is formed by conjugating estar in the Present Simple, followed by the preposition a, and then the main verb in its infinitive form:

estar (present) > a > ensinar (infinitive)
A Carolina está a ensinar Português em Praga.
Carolina is teaching Portuguese in Prague.

Note! In Brazilian Portuguese, the Present Continuous—like all progressive tenses—follows a slightly different structure. The preposition a is omitted after the auxiliary verb, and the main verb appears in the Present Participle* (the equivalent of the English -ing form). This structure is closer to English:

estar (present) > ensinar (present participle)
A Carolina está ensinando Português em Praga.
Carolina is teaching Portuguese in Prague.

* The Present Participle is called Gerúndio in Portuguese, and this verbal form is widely used beyond Progressive tenses. Learn more about Gerúndio here: Portuguese Gerund: Progressive Tenses and Beyond.

Word Order in Questions and Negations

In Portuguese, unlike English, you can form interrogative sentences without changing the word order of a declarative sentence:

➡ estar (present) + a + main verb (infinitive)
A Carolina está a ensinar Português em Praga?
Is Carolina teaching Portuguese in Prague?

Similarly, to negate a sentence, simply place the negative adverb não before the auxiliary verb estar:

➡ não + estar (present) + a + main verb (infinitive)
A Carolina não está a ensinar Português em Praga.
Carolina is not teaching Portuguese in Prague.

Present Perfect

All perfect tenses in Portuguese use ter as the auxiliary verb, the equivalent of “have” in English. Specifically, in the Present Perfect tense, the auxiliary verb ter is conjugated in the Present Simple:

	Ter | Present Presente
eu	tenho
tu	tens
ele, ela	tem
nós	temos
vocês	têm
eles, elas	têm

In English, the Present Perfect can refer to both unfinished (ongoing) and completed actions. However, its Portuguese equivalent (in terms of structure only) applies exclusively to unfinished actions. Let’s take a closer look.

Unfinished Actions

In English, the Present Perfect Continuous is often used for actions that began in the past and are still ongoing. In Portuguese, that will look like this:

ter (present) > ensinar (past participle*)
A Carolina tem ensinado Português desde que chegou à Itália.
Carolina has been teaching Portuguese since she came to Italy.

* Learn more about the Portuguese Past Participle in this article: Past Participle in Portuguese.

Notice that the structure above is closer to the English Past Perfect Simple than the Continuous. However, we can also use a version that more closely resembles the latter, with no change in meaning—both are correct:

ter (present) > estar (past participle) > a > ensinar (infinitive)
A Carolina tem estado a ensinar Português desde que chegou à Itália.
Carolina has been teaching Portuguese since she came to Italy.

As mentioned earlier, all continuous/progressive tenses have a slightly different structure in Brazilian Portuguese. The preposition a is omitted, and the main verb appears in the Present Participle form instead of the Infinitive:

ter (present) > estar (past participle) >  ensinar (present participle)
A Carolina tem estado ensinando Português desde que chegou à Itália.

Last but not least, you can express the same time-flow quality of the Present Perfect (unfinished actions) by using the simpler Present Continuous, which is very common:

estar (present) > a >  ensinar (infinitive)
A Carolina está a ensinar Português desde que chegou à Itália.

Or in the Brazilian standard:

estar (present) >  ensinar (present participle)
A Carolina está ensinando Português desde que chegou à Itália.

Finished Actions

In English, Present Perfect tenses often refer to completed past actions. However, in Portuguese, we’re more likely to use a simple tense, the Preterite (which we will discuss shortly):

Present Perfect Simple

ensinar (preterite)
A Carolina ensinou Português a mais de 300 estudantes.
Carolina has taught Portuguese to over 300 students.

Present Perfect Continuous

estar (preterite) > a >  ensinar (infinitive)
A Carolina esteve a ensinar Português durante todo o dia, agora está cansada.
Carolina has been teaching Portuguese all day, so she is tired now.

Here’s the sentence above according to the Brazilian standard:

estar (preterite) >  ensinar (present participle)
A Carolina esteve ensinando Português durante todo o dia, agora está cansada.
Carolina has been teaching Portuguese all day, so she is tired now.

Learn more about the differences between the European and Brazilian standards: European vs. Brazilian Portuguese – How Different Are They Really?

In the examples above, we’ve used a Past tense, specifically the Preterite, to match the English Present Perfect (in the context of a completed action). Let’s now take a closer look at Portuguese Past tenses.

Past tense in Portuguese

Past tenses refer to actions that have already happened. For the examples below, I will use the regular verb comer (to eat).

	Comer | Preterite Pretérito Perfeito	Comer | Imperfect Pretérito Imperfeito
eu	comi	comia
tu	comeste	comias
ele, ela	comeu	comia
nós	comemos	comíamos
vocês	comeram	comiam
eles, elas	comeram	comiam
Past Participle	comido
Present Participle	comendo

Learn more about Past tense conjugation patterns: Portuguese Regular Verbs for the Past Tense.

Past Simple

In Portuguese, two Past tenses correspond to the English Past Simple: the Preterite (Pretérito Perfeito) and the Imperfect (Pretérito Imperfeito).

(More precisely, these are two verb aspects of the Past tense, as technically there’s only one Past tense.)

Preterite – Completed Actions

We use the Preterite when referring to past actions that are completed: 

comer (preterite)
O Joel comeu o pequeno almoço às 7 da manhã.
Joel ate breakfast at 7 am.

We also use the Preterite when English uses the Present Perfect to indicate a completed action:

O Joel comeu pizza esta semana.
Joel has eaten pizza this week.

Imperfect – Habitual Actions and Ongoing States

The Imperfect is used to describe past actions that were habitual or continuous:

comer (imperfect)
Antigamente, o Joel comia peixe três vezes por semana.
Before, Joel ate fish three times a week. 

This sentence does not indicate a completed action but rather a habit or ongoing state—Joel used to eat fish regularly.

💡 Quick Tip: If you can replace the English Past Simple with “used to”, then the Imperfect is the right choice:

➡ Antigamente, o Joel comia carne muito raramente.
➡ Before, Joel used to eat meat very seldom.

Preterite and Imperfect Together

More often than not, Preterite and Imperfect are interwoven in the same sentence. Here’s an example:

comer (imperfect) … tocar (preterite)
O Joel comia o seu almoço quando o telefone tocou.
Joel ate lunch when the telephone rang.

The example above has two distinct parts, each with a different temporal quality.

In the first part of the sentence – O Joel comia o seu almoço – there is that sense of continuity, thus the Imperfect tense. 

Yet, in the second part – … quando o telefone tocou – a sudden, complete action unfolded: the telephone rang (while Joel was eating his lunch), thus the Preterite tense.

Learn more about the difference between Preterite and Imperfect: Portuguese Perfect vs. Imperfect Tense.

Past Continuous

The Past Continuous is used to describe ongoing actions in the past.

Like the Present Continuous, it emphasizes continuity and is formed with the auxiliary verb estar, this time conjugated in the Imperfect tense:

➡ estar (imperfect) + a + main verb (infinitive)

	Estar | Imperfect Pretérito Imperfeito
eu	estava
tu	estavas
ele, ela	estava
nós	estavamos
vocês	estavam
eles, elas	estavam

Here’s an example:

estar (imperfect) + a + comer (infinitive) 
O Joel estava a comer o almoço quando alguém bateu à porta.
Joel was eating lunch when someone knocked at the door.

Here’s what the Past Continuous looks like in the Brazilian standard:

estar (imperfect) + comer (present participle) 
O Joel estava comendo o almoço quando alguém bateu à porta.
Joel was eating lunch when someone knocked at the door.

Past Perfect

The Past Perfect Simple refers to actions completed before a specific point in the past. Like the Present Perfect, the Past Perfect uses ter as the auxiliary verb—this time conjugated in the Imperfect tense:

➡ ter (imperfect) + past participle of the main verb

	Ter | Imperfect Pretérito Imperfeito
eu	tinha
tu	tinhas
ele, ela	tinha
nós	tínhamos
vocês	tinham
eles, elas	tinham

Notice how the Portuguese and English verb structures closely resemble each other, with the auxiliary verb conjugated in the Imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb:

ter (imperfect) + comer (past participle) 
O Joel tinha comido doces pouco antes do jantar.
Joel had eaten sweets just before dinner.

Pluperfect tense

Like the Past Perfect, the Pluperfect tense (Pretérito mais-que-Perfeito) refers to actions completed before a specific point in the past. Here’s our main verb in the pluperfect tense:

	Comer | Pluperfect Pretérito mais-que-Perfeito
eu	comera
tu	comeras
ele, ela	comera
nós	comeramos
vocês	comeram
eles, elas	comeram

Accordingly, the Past Perfect in the sentence above can be replaced with the Pluperfect without any essential change in its time flow:

comer (pluperfect) 
O Joel comera doces pouco antes do jantar.
Joel had eaten sweets just before dinner.

Note, nonetheless, that there is a relevant stylistic difference between the two: the Pluperfect is significantly more formal and rarely used in everyday spoken language

Past Perfect Continuous

The difference between the Past Perfect Simple and the Past Perfect Continuous is subtle but important: the latter emphasizes an ongoing action leading up to a point in the past.

Like all continuous tenses, it uses the auxiliary verb estar. Here’s an example:

ter (imperfect) + estar (past participle) + a + comer (infinitive)
O Joel tinha estado a comer doces até à hora do jantar.
Joel had been eating sweets up until it was time for dinner.

Here’s what this continuous tense looks like in Brazilian Portuguese:

ter (imperfect) + estar (past participle) + comendo (present participle)
O Joel tinha estado comendo doces até à hora do jantar.
Joel had been eating sweets up until it was time for dinner.
—
Complementary read. The Portuguese Past Tense: Usage Anchored to English.

Future tense in Portuguese

Future tenses are used to describe actions that have not yet taken place.

To illustrate the Future Simple and Future-in-the-Past tenses, we’ll use the verb partir (to leave).

Partir belongs to the third group of regular verbs, characterized by infinitives ending in -ir. The Future tense follows a consistent pattern, using the same endings regardless of the verb:

	Partir | Future Futuro
eu	partirei
tu	partirás
ele, ela	partirá
nós	partiremos
vocês	partirão
eles, elas	partirão
Past Participle	partido
Present Participle	partindo

Future Simple

Here’s an example with the Future tense: 

partir (future)
O comboio partirá às 9 da manhã.
The train will leave at 9 am.

Now, this tense is rarely used in daily life. Let’s look at something more colloquial and akin to the English structure be going to.

Ir + Infinitive

The verb structure ir+infinitive  is more commonly used in the spoken language than the future tense above. Like the English be going to, we’ll need an auxiliary verb, namely ir (go):

	Ir | Present Presente
eu	vou
tu	vais
ele, ela	vai
nós	vamos
vocês	vão
eles, elas	vão
Past Participle	ido
Present Participle	indo

Accordingly, the sentence we saw before is more commonly expressed as follows:

ir (present) > partir (infinitive)
O comboio vai partir às 9 da manhã.
The train is going to leave at 9 pm.

This time, we have the auxiliary verb ir in the Present tense followed by the infinitive form of the main verb partir.

Note! The difference between the Future tense (Futuro) and the structure ir+infinitive mainly concerns the tone –  the latter is way more colloquial.

Future in the Past

When referring to the future from a past perspective, we use the Future-in-the-Past tense. In English, this is typically expressed with would or was going to.

In Portuguese, there are three ways to express this concept. Instead of the Future tense, we use either the Conditional or the Imperfect tense. When using the ir + infinitive construction, the verb ir is conjugated in the Imperfect tense, following a regular pattern (italicized endings):

	Ir | Imperfect Pretérito Imperfeito	Partir | Imperfect Pretérito Imperfeito	Partir | Conditional Condicional
eu	ia	partia	partiria
tu	ias	partias	partirias
ele, ela	ia	partia	partiria
nós	íamos	partíamos	partiríamos
vocês	iam	partiam	partiriam
eles, elas	iam	partiam	partiriam

Here are three versions of the same sentence, one for each variant:

ir (imperfect) > partir (infinitive)
Eu sabia que o comboio ia partir às 9 da manhã em ponto.
I knew that the train was going to leave at 9 am sharp.

partir (imperfect)
Eu sabia que o comboio partia às 9 da manhã em ponto.
I knew that the train was going to leave at 9 am sharp.

partir (conditional) 
Eu sabia que o comboio partiria às 9 da manhã em ponto.
I knew that the train was going to leave at 9 am sharp.

Note! The last alternative—the Conditional tense—is, like the Future tense, less colloquial than the other options and, therefore, less commonly used in everyday speech.

To exemplify the remaining Future tenses, I am now shifting the main verb to aprender (learn), which belongs to the second group of regular verbs:

	Aprender | Present Presente
eu	aprendo
tu	aprendes
ele, ela	aprende
nós	aprendemos
vocês	aprendem
eles, elas	aprendem
Past Participle	aprendido
Present Participle	aprendendo

Future Continuous

The Future Continuous tense indicates an action that will take place in the future and continue for a certain period. Below are two possible structures, with the second being more colloquial:

estar (future) > a > aprender (infinitive)
No próximo ano estarei a aprender Árabe no Egito.
Next year I will be learning Arabic in Egypt.

ir (present) > estar (infinitive) > a > aprender (infinitive)
No próximo ano vou estar a aprender Árabe no Egito.
Next year I will be learning Arabic in Egypt.

Because it is a continuous tense, the verb estar is now used as an auxiliary verb: in the first sentence conjugated in the Future tense, and in the second in the infinitive form (as part of the auxiliary compound ir+estar).

Here’s what these continuous tenses look like in the Brazilian standard (the preposition ‘a’ is left out and the main verb comes in the Present Participle):

estar (future) >  aprender (present participle)
No próximo ano estarei aprendendo Árabe no Egito.
Next year I will be learning Arabic in Egypt.

ir (present) > estar (infinitive) > aprender (present participle)
No próximo ano vou estar aprendendo Árabe no Egito.
Next year I will be learning Arabic in Egypt.

Future Perfect

The Future Perfect tense refers to a completed action in the future.

As in any other perfect tense, we will be using the auxiliary verb ter, but this time around conjugated in the Future tense:

	Ter | Future Futuro
eu	terei
tu	terás
ele, ela	terá
nós	teremos
vocês	terão
eles, elas	terão

Here’s an example:

ter (future) > aprender (past participle)
Eu terei aprendido algum Árabe no final do próximo ano.
I will have learned some Arabic by the end of next year.

As you see above, our auxiliary verb (ter) is conjugated in the Future and followed by the main verb (aprender) in the Past Participle.

Interestingly, this tense can also be used to refer to a time in the past, namely when you are supposing that someone has done something or something has happened: 

ter (future) > aprender (past participle)
Ele terá aprendido algum Árabe quando esteve no Egito. 
He may have learned some Arabic when he was in Egypt.

Future Perfect Continuous

The Future Perfect Continuous describes actions that will continue up to a specific point in the future. Like other continuous tenses, it includes the verb estar in its structure:

ter (future) > estar (past participle) > a > aprender (infinitive)
Em 2023, eu terei estado a aprender Árabe há 3 anos.
In 2013, I will have been learning Arabic for 3 years.

In the sentence above you have the auxiliary compound with ter and estar, followed by the preposition a and the main verb aprender.

Here is the Brazilian Portuguese variant without the preposition and with the main verb in the Present Participle form:

ter (future) > estar (past participle) > aprender (present participle)
Em 2023, eu terei estado aprendendo Árabe há 3 anos.
In 2013, I will have been learning Arabic for 3 years.
—
Complementary read. Portuguese Future Tenses – Usage Rundown Anchored to English

Passive Voice in Portuguese

The passive voice emphasizes the recipient of an action rather than the agent performing it. In Portuguese, it is formed using the auxiliary verb ser followed by the Past Participle of the main verb.

Let’s look what the passive voice looks like for the Present, Past, and Future tenses.

Present

	Ser | Present Presente
eu	sou
tu	és
ele, ela	é
nós	somos
vocês	são
eles, elas	são
Past Participle	sido
Present Participle	sendo

Besides the auxiliary verb ser, I will use the same main verb I used to illustrate the Present tenses: ensinar (to teach).

Present Simple Passive

Here’s our example:

ser (present) > ensinar (past participle)
O Português é ensinado em França.
Portuguese is taught in France.

As you see, the auxiliary verb (ser) comes in the Present tense and is followed by the Past Participle of the main verb (ensinar).

Note! You can express the same idea without an auxiliary verb by conjugating the main verb in the third person of the Present tense and adding the impersonal -se:

ensinar (present, reflexive)
O Português ensina-se em França.
Portuguese is taught in France.
—
Learn more about the Portuguese impersonal -se here.

Present Continuous Passive

Our example again:

estar (present) > a > ser (infinitive) > ensinar (past participle)
O Português está a ser ensinado em França.
Portuguese is being taught in France.

As in any other continuous tense, estar is followed by the preposition a, the auxiliary ser (infinitive), and the main verb (past participle).

Here’s what the Present Continuous tense looks like in the Brazilian standard: 

estar (present) > ser (present participle) > ensinar (past participle)
O Português está sendo ensinado em França.
Portuguese is being taught in France.

Past

	Ser | Preterite Pretérito Perfeito
eu	fui
tu	foste
ele, ela	foi
nós	fomos
vocês	foram
eles, elas	foram

Besides the auxiliary ser, I will be using the main verb comer (to eat), which I’ve used to exemplify the Past tenses above.

Past Simple Passive

Let’s take a look at the following example:

ser (preterite) > comer (past participle)
O almoço foi comido às 13h.
Lunch was eaten at 1 pm.

As you can see above, the verb ser comes now in the Preterite tense. The main verb, however, remains in the Past Participle (as in the Present Simple Passive).

Note! As in the Present Simple Passive above, we can express the same idea without the auxiliary verb. In this case, we conjugate the main verb in the third person of the Past tense and add the impersonal -se:

comer (past, reflexive)
O almoço comeu-se às 13h.
Lunch was eaten at 1 pm.

Past Continuous Passive

Our example again:

estar (imperfect) > a > ser (infinitive) > comer (past participle)
O almoço estava a ser comido todos os dias às 13.
Lunch was being eaten every day at 1 pm.

Note that everything looks the same as in the Present Continuous Passive, except for the auxiliary estar, which is now in the Imperfect tense.

Here’s what the Brazilian standard version looks like for this tense:

estar (imperfect) > ser (present participle) > comer (past participle)
O almoço estava sendo comido todos os dias às 13.
Lunch was being eaten every day at 1 pm.

Future

	Ser | Future Futuro
eu	serei
tu	serás
ele, ela	será
nós	seremos
vocês	serão
eles, elas	serão

Finally, the Future Simple Passive! Besides the auxiliary ser, I will use the main verb aprender (to learn). Here’s an example:

ser (future) > aprender (past participle)
A lição será aprendida.
The lesson will be learned.

Notice that the auxiliary verb (ser) is now in the Future tense and is followed by the Past Participle of the main verb (aprender). Here’s a colloquial alternative with the auxiliary verb ir:

ir (present) > ser (infinitive) > aprender (past participle)
A lição vai ser aprendida.
The lesson will be learned.

Now we have the auxiliary ir in the Present tense followed by ser in its infinitive form. The main verb, however, comes unaltered in the Past Participle as before.

Complementary read. Passive Voice in Portuguese.

Conditionals in Portuguese

A conditional sentence consists of a main clause and an if-clause as in the sentence:
I would travel around the world if I were rich.

Let’s explore different types of English conditional sentences and their Portuguese equivalents.

Subjunctive mood and conditional sentences

You’ll often encounter the Subjunctive mood in conditional sentences. This mood is used in hypothetical or uncertain contexts, as well as when expressing a desire.

In English, the Subjunctive mood has largely merged with the Indicative, making it almost imperceptible today. However, in Portuguese and other Romance languages, distinct verb forms are still necessary, requiring careful attention to their correct usage.

Dive deeper into the Portuguese Subjunctive mood:
→ Portuguese Present Subjunctive
→ Portuguese Past Subjunctive
→ Portuguese Future Subjunctive

First Conditional – Realistic

In conditional sentences where the outcome is likely, the Future Subjunctive is used in the if-clause, while the Future Indicative (often in its colloquial form with the auxiliary verb ir) appears in the main clause.

These conditional sentences are commonly used, for example, when giving advice.

We’ll use the verb comer (to eat) for our examples. Let’s first take a look at how the Future Subjunctive is formed:

	Comer | Future Subjunctive Futuro do conjuntivo
eu	comer
tu	comeres
ele, ela	comer
nós	comermos
vocês	comerem
eles, elas	comerem

Here’s an example of a conditional sentence with a likely outcome:

comer (future subjunctive) . . . perder (future indicative)
Se comeres menos vais perder peso.
If you eat less, you will lose weight.

Second Conditional – Unrealistic

In conditional sentences expressing wishful thinking, thought experiments, and suppositions, we use the Imperfect Subjunctive in the if-clause. In the main clause, we use the Conditional tense.

Here’s what our verb comer looks like in the Imperfect Subjunctive:

	Comer | Imperfect subjunctive Pretérito Imperfeito do Conjuntivo
eu	comesse
tu	comesses
ele, ela	comesse
nós	comessemos
vocês	comessem
eles, elas	comessem

Here’s an example:

comer (imperfect subjunctive) . . . perder (imperfect indicative) 
Se comesses menos de mil calorias por dia perdias peso mais rápido.
If you ate under a thousand calories a day, you would lose weight faster.

As you see, the English verb structure would + infinitive corresponds to the Imperfect tense of the Indicative mood.

Alternatively, you could use the Conditional tense (introduced before in the “Future in the past” section). Here’s our verb in the Conditional tense:

	Perder | Conditional Condicional
eu	perderia
tu	perderias
ele, ela	perderia
nós	perderíamos
vocês	perderiam
eles, elas	perderiam

Note, however, that there is a change in the tone when we use the Conditional instead of the Imperfect tense –  the latter is more colloquial and commonplace:

comer (imperfect, subjunctive) . . . perder (condicional)
Se comesses menos de mil calorias diárias perderias peso mais rápido.
If you ate under a thousand calories a day, you would lose weight faster.

Third Conditional – A lost cause

Finally, we have conditional structures describing situations where something has already happened and it is too late to change the outcome.

In this case, the if-clause takes the auxiliary verb ter in the Imperfect Subjunctive, followed by the Past Participle of the main verb (aka Imperfeito do Conjuntivo Composto). The main clause uses the verb is in the Imperfect Indicative. 

Let’s first look at the conjugation of ter in the Imperfect Subjunctive (patterned endings italicized):

	Ter | Imperfect Subjunctive Pretérito Imperfeito do Conjuntivo
eu	tivesse
tu	tivesses
ele, ela	tivesse
nós	tivéssemos
vocês	tivessem
eles, elas	tivessem

Let’s take an example:

ter (imperfect, subjunctive) + comer (past participle) . . . estar (imperfect)
Se não tivesses comido tanto agora não estavas mal-disposto.
If you had not eaten so much, you wouldn’t feel sick now.

As in the Second Conditional, you could use the Conditional tense in the main clause instead of the Imperfect:

ter (imperfect, subjunctive) + comer (past participle) . . . estar (conditional)
Se não tivesses comido tanto agora não estarias mal-disposto.
If you had not eaten so much, you wouldn’t feel sick now.

Complimentary read. The Conditional in Portuguese.

Imperative in Portuguese

The Imperative mood is used to give commands in Portuguese. The verb form varies depending on whether the tone is casual or formal. Additionally, the casual imperative differs between affirmative and negative sentences.

Regardless of the situation, the imperative forms derive from the Present tense of the verb, either in the Indicative or Subjunctive mood.

To illustrate these nuances, I will use the verb beber (to drink), though the same principles apply to all verbs.

		Beber (Present tense)
	Indicative mood	Subjunctive mood
eu	bebo	beba Formal
tu	bebes	bebas Casual negative
ele/ela	bebe Casual	beba
nós	bebemos	bebamos
vocês	bebem	bebam
eles/elas	bebem	bebam Plural

Casual Imperative

If the context is informal, we use the third-person singular of the Indicative mood:

Bebe água.
Drink water.

However, if it is a negative sentence, we use the second-person singular of the Subjunctive mood:

Não bebas água.
Don’t drink water.

Formal Imperative

In formal settings, we use the first-person singular or third-person singular form of the Subjunctive mood (as they are identical):

Beba água.
Drink water.

Não beba água.
Don’t drink water.

Plural Imperative

Finally, when addressing a group of people, we use the same verb form regardless of tone or whether the sentence is affirmative or negative: the third-person plural form of the Subjunctive mood:

Bebam água.
Drink water.

Não bebam água.
Don’t drink water.

Complementary read. Imperative in Portuguese: How to Give Commands & Make Requests.