A1Lesson 3: Present Indicative & Modal Verbs
Ter (to have), ir (to go), and fazer (to do/make) are essential irregular verbs that appear in almost every Portuguese conversation and must be memorized since they don't follow regular conjugation patterns.
Ter: tenho, tem, temos, têm (to have, also age and obligations)
Ir: vou, vai, vamos, vão (to go, also future tense)
Fazer: faço, faz, fazemos, fazem (to do/make, also weather)
All three are completely irregular - no patterns to follow
Ter replaces haver in spoken Portuguese for "there is/are"
Ir + infinitive = immediate future tense
Fazer used for weather, time elapsed, and activities
You literally cannot have a basic conversation without these three verbs – they cover having things, going places, and doing activities! From telling your age ("Tenho 25 anos") to making plans ("Vou ao cinema") to discussing weather ("Faz calor"), these verbs are everywhere. Master these and you can express possession, movement, future plans, obligations, weather, and countless daily activities.
ter/ir/fazer (conjugated) + noun/infinitive/object
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Eu tenho (I have)
Você/Ele/Ela tem (you have/he has/she has)
Nós temos (we have)
Vocês/Eles/Elas têm (you all have/they have)
Possession: Tenho um carro (I have a car)
Age: Ela tem 30 anos (She is 30 years old)
Obligations (ter que): Tenho que trabalhar (I have to work)
"Tenho aula às 8h" (I have class at 8am)
"Você tem tempo?" (Do you have time?)
"Temos uma reunião" (We have a meeting)
"Ela tem dois filhos" (She has two children)
"Tem café?" (Is there coffee?)
"Vou ao supermercado" (I'm going to the supermarket)
"Aonde você vai?" (Where are you going?)
"Vamos jantar fora" (Let's go out for dinner)
"Eles vão viajar amanhã" (They're going to travel tomorrow)
While "haver" technically means "there is/are," Brazilians use "ter":
Formal: "Há pessoas aqui"
Normal: "Tem pessoas aqui"
Never: "Have pessoas aqui" ❌
"Ir" uses different prepositions depending on context:
Ir a: quick visit (Vou ao banco)
Ir para: longer stay/home (Vou para casa)
Ir em: colloquial Brazilian (Vou no shopping)
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