Verbs that end in — er when written in the infinitive are called the “second conjugation.” By the same token, verbs that end in — ir are named “third conjugation.” Beyond that, there are some verbs in Portuguese that end in — or in the infinitive. Now that you know how the verbs of the first conjugation are written, here are the verbs from the second and third conjugations.

TRACK 55

Comer (to eat) in the Present Tense

As with the verb falar (to speak) of the first conjugation, the tu (you [singular]) form is conjugated as tu comes (you eat). Again, it is not necessary to learn this form because if you use você you will be undertood. But you might hear the form in some parts of Brazil. What about the third conjugation? The good news is that except for the nós form, it is exactly the same as the second conjugation. See the following table.

TRACK 56

Abrir (to open) in the Present Tense

The basic conjugation rule states that in order to say verbs correctly, you have to drop the — er of the infinitive and add the endings above, according to the subject. Below is a list of common verbs that end in — er and — ir and follow this same rule.

TRACK 57

Common Verbs Ending in — ER

TRACK 58

Common Verbs Ending in — IR

Just as you did with the previous chapter, try to put these verbs into separate categories, such as active versus passive verbs or even positive versus negative sounding verbs. Categorizing new vocabulary according to your own world view helps you to truly learn a language.

Exercise: Fill in the Verb

Try your hand at these exercises to practice your verbs even more. Complete the blanks with the correct form of the verb, depending on the subject. Check your answers in Appendix C.

• A criança______________________o sanduíche. (The child eats the sandwich.)

• Os jovens______________________o filme. (The youngsters watch the movie.)

• Nós______________________oito horas por dia. (We sleep eight hours a day.)

• Você______________________nos Estados Unidos? (Do you live in the United States?)

• Vocês______________________às perguntas? (Do you (pl.) answer the questions?)

Exercise: The Right Match

Match the sentence with its missing verb by writing the letter in the blank space.

• Minha amiga______________________o telefone imediatamente.

• Essa livraria______________________livros e revistas?

• Nós sempre______________________neste restaurante.

• Eu______________________amanhã para o Rio!

• Os amigos______________________muito com a comédia.