Portuguese irregular verbs: 25 verbs with present and past forms

🇵🇹 PortugueseA225 words

Irregular verbs are the most frequent ones, so they are worth learning early. Each entry shows the infinitive followed by the "eu" form in the present and the "eu" form in the preterite, then an example in everyday Portugal Portuguese.

Where you will use it: Talking about the present and the past.

Portuguese irregular verbs — The word list

Meanings and translations are in English.

Portuguese	Meaning and example
pôr (ponho, pus)	To put.“Pus as chaves na mesa.”I put the keys on the table.
trazer (trago, trouxe)	To bring.“Trouxe pão para o jantar.”I brought bread for dinner.
ler (leio, li)	To read.“Leio o jornal no café.”I read the newspaper at the café.
ouvir (ouço, ouvi)	To hear; to listen to.“Ouço música enquanto cozinho.”I listen to music while I cook.
pedir (peço, pedi)	To ask for; to order.“Peço sempre sopa neste restaurante.”I always order soup at this restaurant.
sair (saio, saí)	To go out; to leave.“Saio do trabalho às seis.”I leave work at six.
perder (perco, perdi)	To lose; to miss.“Perco muito tempo no trânsito.”I waste a lot of time in traffic.
haver (hei, houve)	To exist; to occur; auxiliary in fixed expressions.“Hei de visitar os Açores.”I'll visit the Azores one day.
caber (caibo, coube)	To fit.“Não caibo neste banco tão pequeno.”I don't fit on this tiny bench.
valer (valho, vali)	To be worth.“Valho mais do que este ordenado.”I'm worth more than this salary.
sentir (sinto, senti)	To feel.“Sinto frio nesta sala.”I feel cold in this room.
conseguir (consigo, consegui)	To manage; to be able to.“Consigo chegar antes das oito.”I can get there before eight.
preferir (prefiro, preferi)	To prefer.“Prefiro ficar em casa esta noite.”I prefer to stay at home tonight.
seguir (sigo, segui)	To follow; to carry on.“Sigo as indicações do mapa.”I follow the directions on the map.
rir (rio, ri)	To laugh.“Rio sempre com as tuas histórias.”I always laugh at your stories.
crer (creio, cri)	To believe.“Creio que a loja está aberta.”I believe the shop is open.
medir (meço, medi)	To measure.“Meço a mesa antes de comprar a toalha.”I measure the table before buying the tablecloth.
vestir (visto, vesti)	To wear; to dress.“Visto uma camisa para ir trabalhar.”I wear a shirt to go to work.
servir (sirvo, servi)	To serve.“Sirvo o jantar às oito.”I serve dinner at eight.
mentir (minto, menti)	To lie; to tell an untruth.“Não minto sobre a minha idade.”I don't lie about my age.
fugir (fujo, fugi)	To flee; to run away.“Fujo da confusão sempre que posso.”I escape the crowds whenever I can.
propor (proponho, propus)	To propose; to suggest.“Ontem propus uma solução ao meu chefe.”Yesterday I suggested a solution to my boss.
cair (caio, caí)	To fall.“Caí à saída do autocarro.”I fell while getting off the bus.
manter (mantenho, mantive)	To keep; to maintain.“Mantenho a cozinha limpa.”I keep the kitchen clean.
obter (obtenho, obtive)	To obtain; to get.“Obtive uma resposta por escrito.”I obtained a written reply.

Tips for learning Portuguese words

Learn the article with the nounWrite o comboio or a paragem, not just the noun: the article tells you the gender, and adjectives agree with it.
Listen before you speakEuropean Portuguese swallows many unstressed vowels, so words sound shorter than they look. Play the audio and repeat each example aloud.
Type the accentsIn WordNest a missing accent counts as a mistake. Typing água, não and amanhã correctly from the start saves relearning them later.

European, not Brazilian Portuguese

Portugal and Brazil share one language but differ in everyday words, pronunciation and grammar: a train is a comboio in Portugal and a trem in Brazil, and "I am eating" is estou a comer rather than estou comendo. WordNest teaches the Portugal variety — example sentences, pronunciation and AI corrections all follow Portugal's norms.

Add five or six of these words a day rather than the whole list at once, keep the example sentence on the card, and review them when they come due. WordNest schedules each word across seven growing intervals — same day, then 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days — so the list is still with you months later. Read how spaced repetition works if you want the reasoning behind those numbers.

European vs Brazilian Portuguese: 50 everyday words that differ →How to learn European Portuguese with WordNest →

Questions about this list

Is this European or Brazilian Portuguese?

European Portuguese, as spoken in Portugal. Where Brazil uses a different word, the list gives the Portugal one — for example comboio instead of trem.

How do I practise Portuguese irregular verbs?

Start with five words, listen and say each example aloud. Then recall the Portuguese word from its English meaning and review it over several days.

How many words are in this list?

This list contains 25 words and phrases with English meanings and example sentences. It is a starting set, not a complete course.

Study these words with spaced repetition

Create a free account, choose Portuguese as a study language and add these words to your own deck.