A verbo defectivo (defective verb) is one whose paradigm is incomplete — certain persons, tenses, or moods simply do not exist in standard usage. This is different from irregularity: an irregular verb has a form that doesn't follow the rule, but a defective verb has no form at all. Speakers work around the gap with a periphrasis, a synonym, or a complete rewording of the sentence.
Defectiveness in Portuguese arises from three causes: (1) phonetic taboo — the expected form sounds identical to a vulgar word or is acoustically awkward; (2) semantic incompatibility — the verb's meaning rules out a first-person subject or a volitional mood; (3) historical attrition — certain tenses of reaver and precaver-se never filled in after these verbs diverged from haver and precaver.
This reference catalogues every defective verb a C1-level learner will meet in modern European Portuguese, with a full breakdown of available forms, missing forms, and the periphrasis native speakers reach for.
How to read these tables
For each verb, the Available column lists the persons, tenses, or moods that exist in standard PT-PT. The Missing column lists what does not exist. The Periphrastic substitute gives the expression a native speaker would use instead of the missing form. Forms are given in the order eu · tu · ele · nós · vós · eles.
Falir — to go bankrupt
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Available present indicative | — · — · — · falimos · falis · — |
| Missing present indicative | 1sg (*falo), 2sg (*fales), 3sg (*fale), 3pl (*falem) |
| Present subjunctive | Entire paradigm missing |
| Imperative | Only 2pl affirmative (fali) — rarely used; 1pl missing with the subjunctive |
| Fully regular tenses | Preterite, imperfect, pluperfect, future, conditional, imperfect subjunctive, future subjunctive, infinitive, gerund, past participle (falido) |
| Periphrastic substitute | ir à falência, declarar falência, ir à bancarrota |
A empresa vai à falência no próximo mês, não há nada a fazer.
The company is going bankrupt next month — there's nothing to be done.
Dois restaurantes da minha rua faliram durante a pandemia.
Two restaurants on my street went bankrupt during the pandemic.
Notice that the preterite faliram is fine — only the present-tense stem is defective. The reason is phonetic: *falo collides with falo from falar (I speak), and *fale collides with the subjunctive of falar.
Abolir — to abolish
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Available present indicative | — · aboles · abole · abolimos · abolis · abolem |
| Missing present indicative | 1sg only (*abolo or *abulo) |
| Present subjunctive | Entire paradigm missing (no *abola, *abolas…) |
| Imperative | Affirmative: abole (tu), aboli (vós). Negative forms absent (derived from missing subjunctive) |
| Fully regular tenses | Preterite (aboli, aboliste, aboliu…), imperfect, future, conditional, imperfect subjunctive, future subjunctive |
| Periphrastic substitute | acabar com, pôr fim a, eliminar, extinguir |
Como ministro, quero acabar com esta lei — não posso dizer que a 'abolo', mas o efeito é o mesmo.
As minister, I want to do away with this law — I can't say that I 'abolish' it, but the effect is the same.
The asymmetry is striking: aboliu and aboliram are perfectly normal, but *abolo does not exist. A speaker in the first person shifts to a synonym.
Colorir — to color
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Available present indicative | — · colores · colore · colorimos · coloris · colorem |
| Missing present indicative | 1sg (*coloro) |
| Present subjunctive | Entire paradigm missing |
| Imperative | Affirmative 2sg/2pl only: colore, colori |
| Fully regular tenses | Preterite (colori, coloriste…), imperfect, future, all other tenses |
| Periphrastic substitute | pintar, dar cor a, tingir |
Eu pinto os desenhos dela ao fim do dia — nunca diria que os 'coloro'.
I color her drawings at the end of the day — I would never say that I 'color' them (using the defective form).
As crianças coloriram o cartaz com lápis de cor.
The children colored the poster with colored pencils.
In everyday PT-PT, pintar covers nearly all the territory of colorir, making the defectiveness of colorir unproblematic in practice. Colorir survives mainly in print (coloring books — livros para colorir) and in the preterite/infinitive.
Precaver-se — to take precaution / guard against
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Available present indicative | — · — · — · precavemo-nos · precaveis-vos · — |
| Missing present indicative | 1sg, 2sg, 3sg, 3pl |
| Present subjunctive | Entire paradigm missing |
| Imperative | Does not exist — no affirmative, no negative |
| Fully regular tenses | Preterite (precavi-me, precaveste-te…), imperfect, future, conditional, imperfect subjunctive, future subjunctive, infinitive (precaver-se), gerund (precavendo-se), past participle (precavido) |
| Periphrastic substitute | prevenir-se, acautelar-se, ter cuidado, tomar precauções |
Precavemo-nos contra qualquer imprevisto, mas o plano B não chegou para tudo.
We took precautions against any unexpected event, but plan B wasn't enough for everything.
É preciso que te previnas contra a gripe — como 'precaver-se' não tem conjuntivo, usamos 'prevenir'.
You need to guard against the flu — since 'precaver-se' has no subjunctive, we use 'prevenir'.
Precaveram-se contra a tempestade tapando as janelas com tábuas.
They guarded against the storm by boarding up the windows.
Precaver-se is the most heavily defective verb in active use. Only the 1pl and 2pl of the present indicative exist, plus all tenses that derive from other stems (preterite, imperfect, future, etc.). Traditional grammarians explain this by noting that precaver is historically a compound of prever + caver, and only the stressed-ending forms escaped the analogical pressure that would have regularized the paradigm.
Reaver — to recover, get back
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Available present indicative | — · — · — · reavemos · reaveis · — |
| Missing present indicative | 1sg, 2sg, 3sg, 3pl (the forms where haver loses its -v-) |
| Present subjunctive | Entire paradigm missing |
| Imperative | Only 2pl: reavei — in practice unused |
| Preterite | reouve, reouveste, reouve, reouvemos, reouvestes, reouveram (mirrors houve from haver) |
| Pluperfect simple | reouvera, reouveras… (literary) |
| Imperfect subjunctive | reouvesse, reouvesses… (used) |
| Future subjunctive | reouver, reouveres… (used) |
| Other tenses | Imperfect (reavia…), future (reaverei…), conditional (reaveria…) — all exist |
| Periphrastic substitute | recuperar, voltar a ter, ter de volta |
Esperamos reaver o dinheiro que o banco reteve injustamente.
We hope to recover the money the bank unjustly held back.
Se reouver as chaves, avisa-me imediatamente.
If you get the keys back, let me know right away.
Nunca reouve a mala que perdi em Lisboa.
I never recovered the suitcase I lost in Lisbon.
The rule for reaver is elegant: forms that retain the -v- of the stem exist; forms that would drop the -v- (mirroring hei, hás, há, hão from haver) do not. So reavemos (✓) but *reá (✗); reouve (✓) but *reaja (✗). When the first, second, or third person singular is needed in the present, recuperar takes over entirely.
Feder — to stink, reek
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Traditional present indicative | — · fedes · fede · fedemos · fedeis · fedem |
| Traditional missing | 1sg (fedo) — avoided due to homophony with a vulgar interjection |
| Modern usage | Fedo is increasingly accepted as informal; many grammars now list feder as regular, not defective |
| Other tenses | Fully regular throughout |
| Periphrastic substitute (when the 1sg is avoided) | Cheirar mal — "to smell bad" |
Eu cheiro mal depois do ginásio, não vou mentir.
I stink after the gym, I won't lie.
Esta sala fede a tabaco velho — abre a janela, por favor.
This room reeks of old tobacco — open the window, please.
Feder illustrates how defectiveness can dissolve over time. Conservative grammars still flag the 1sg as avoided on phonetic grounds; younger speakers use fedo freely in casual contexts. The safer everyday option remains cheiro mal.
Doer — to hurt, ache
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Available present indicative | — · — · dói · — · — · doem |
| Missing present indicative | 1sg, 2sg, 1pl, 2pl — they have no plausible subject |
| Present subjunctive | Only 3sg (doa), 3pl (doam) |
| Imperfect | Only 3sg (doía), 3pl (doíam) |
| Preterite | Only 3sg (doeu), 3pl (doeram) |
| Future, conditional, all other tenses | Only 3sg and 3pl |
| Grammatical nature | Semantically defective — the subject is the body part that aches, not the person experiencing the pain. The person appears as an indirect object clitic. |
Dói-me a cabeça desde que acordei.
My head has been aching since I woke up.
Ontem doíam-me as costas de tanto estar sentado.
Yesterday my back hurt from sitting so much.
Se te doerem os pés, descansa um bocado.
If your feet hurt, rest a bit.
Doer is semantically defective: "I hurt" in the sense "my head hurts" doesn't take a human subject in Portuguese — the subject is the aching body part. You would not say *eu doo or *tu dóis, because the verb's meaning doesn't admit a first- or second-person subject. A similar pattern applies to agradar (to please), bastar (to suffice), and other so-called verbos de afecção, though those are usually classified as impersonal rather than defective.
Aprazer — to be pleasing, to gladden
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Available present indicative | — · — · apraz · — · — · aprazem (literary/archaic) |
| Missing | All persons except 3sg, 3pl — and these too are restricted to literary register |
| Preterite | 3sg only: aprouve |
| Modern usage | The 1sg/2sg/1pl/2pl do not appear in modern speech. The verb survives in fixed phrases: Apraz-me comunicar que… (formal correspondence) |
| Periphrastic substitute | agradar, dar prazer a, ser agradável |
Apraz-nos comunicar que o seu pedido foi aprovado.
(formal) We are pleased to inform you that your request has been approved.
Como lhe agrada à senhora fazer tudo à sua maneira!
How it pleases you, madam, to do everything your own way!
Aprazer is essentially restricted to formal correspondence and period literature. Learners should be able to recognize apraz-me / apraz-nos in a letter but should not try to conjugate the verb beyond those fossilized third-person forms.
Delir — to erase, to wipe out (literary)
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Available present indicative | — · deles · dele · delimos · delis · delem |
| Missing present indicative | 1sg (*delo) |
| Present subjunctive | Entire paradigm missing |
| Imperative | Affirmative 2sg/2pl only |
| Other tenses | All regular (delia, deliu, delira, delirá…) |
| Modern usage | Literary/archaic register; rare in speech |
| Periphrastic substitute | apagar, eliminar, riscar |
O tempo apaga tudo — diriam os antigos que o tempo tudo dele, mas ninguém usa já essa palavra.
(literary) Time erases everything — the ancients would say that time wipes out everything, but nobody uses that word anymore.
Cumpre deli-los do mapa e da memória. (literary)
It behooves us to erase them from the map and from memory.
Delir is a literary survival. You will find it in Camões, in 19th-century prose, and in legal formulas, but almost never in modern speech. Include it in your passive vocabulary for reading; in production, use apagar.
Puir — to wear out, to fray
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Available present indicative | — · puis · pui · puímos · puís · puem |
| Missing present indicative | 1sg only (*puo) |
| Present subjunctive | Missing entire paradigm |
| Other tenses | Regular throughout (puí, puíste, puiu…) |
| Periphrastic substitute | gastar, desgastar, esfiapar |
Estas calças já puíram tanto que as vou deitar fora.
These trousers have worn out so much that I'm going to throw them away.
O tempo pui tudo, até os punhos das camisas.
Time wears everything out, even shirt cuffs.
Puir survives in technical discussions of textiles and leatherwork. Like delir, it is more read than spoken, but specialists use it actively, so a C1 learner should recognize it.
Imbuir — traditionally listed as defective; now often regular
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Available present indicative | — (traditional) · imbuis · imbui · imbuímos · imbuís · imbuem |
| Modern status | Many modern grammars accept imbuo as a 1sg and classify imbuir as fully regular. Traditional/conservative sources list the 1sg as avoided. |
| Typical construction | imbuir-se de (to imbue oneself with) — reflexive usage dominates |
| Periphrastic substitute (if needed) | inspirar-se em, encher-se de, impregnar-se de |
Imbuo-me do espírito do autor antes de traduzir cada livro.
I immerse myself in the author's spirit before translating each book.
Os jovens imbuíram-se dos valores cívicos durante o programa.
The young people imbued themselves with civic values during the program.
Treat imbuir as a borderline case. Conservative grammar books label the 1sg as defective; Priberam and Houaiss list it as normal. When in doubt, reach for inspirar-se em.
Raiar — to dawn, to streak (archaic outside set phrases)
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Available forms | 3sg, 3pl across all tenses: raia, raiam, raiou, raiaram, raiará, raiaria, raie, raiem |
| Missing | 1sg, 2sg, 1pl, 2pl — semantically unavailable |
| Typical usage | Meteorological/poetic: o dia raia, raia a aurora, raiou o sol |
| Modern alternatives | amanhecer, nascer o dia, despontar |
Quando raiar o dia, partimos.
When day breaks, we'll set off.
Raiou a aurora sobre os telhados molhados.
(literary) Dawn broke over the wet rooftops.
Raiar is semantically defective like doer: only the day, the dawn, or the sun can be its subject, so the first- and second-person forms simply have no referent. The verb is also stylistically marked as elevated; in conversational Portuguese, amanhecer is preferred.
Quick-reference summary table
| Verb | Meaning | Main gap | Preferred substitute |
|---|---|---|---|
| falir | to go bankrupt | Whole present ind. (except 1pl/2pl); all present subj. | ir à falência, declarar falência |
| abolir | to abolish | 1sg present ind.; all present subj. | acabar com, eliminar |
| colorir | to color | 1sg present ind.; all present subj. | pintar |
| precaver-se | to guard against | Everything except 1pl/2pl present ind.; all present subj.; no imperative | prevenir-se, acautelar-se |
| reaver | to recover | All present ind. singular + 3pl; all present subj. | recuperar, voltar a ter |
| feder | to stink | 1sg traditionally avoided (now borderline regular) | cheirar mal |
| doer | to hurt | Only 3sg/3pl — semantic | — (body-part subject required) |
| aprazer | to please | Only 3sg/3pl; literary register | agradar |
| delir | to erase | 1sg present ind.; all present subj. — literary | apagar, eliminar |
| puir | to wear out | 1sg present ind.; all present subj. | gastar, desgastar |
| imbuir | to imbue | 1sg traditionally; now often regular | inspirar-se em (conservative) |
| raiar | to dawn | Only 3sg/3pl — semantic + literary | amanhecer |
PT-PT vs BP differences
A few of these verbs are treated slightly differently in Brazilian Portuguese:
- Feder: Brazilian speakers use fedo with fewer qualms than Portuguese ones; the defectiveness is more eroded in BP.
- Colorir: BP often treats it as regular, accepting coloro in informal writing. Portuguese grammarians remain stricter.
- Precaver-se: Identical in both varieties — severely defective everywhere.
- Reaver: Identical pattern in both varieties, though BP may prefer the periphrasis ter de volta more readily.
- Imbuir: BP explicitly classifies it as regular in most modern grammars. PT-PT dictionaries vary.
Comparison with English and Spanish
English has genuinely defective modals (can, must, ought, shall — no infinitive, no participle), but its lexical verbs have complete paradigms. English speakers therefore find the Portuguese pattern surprising: why should abolir have a preterite but no first-person present?
Spanish has a similar but narrower set of verbos defectivos: abolir and soler are the canonical examples. Spanish abolir behaves exactly like Portuguese abolir (no 1sg present), so speakers of Spanish find this particular verb familiar. But precaver-se is specific to Portuguese — Spanish has precaver as a fully regular verb.
Common mistakes
❌ Eu abolo este decreto imediatamente.
Wrong — the 1sg present of **abolir** does not exist in standard PT-PT.
✅ Eu vou acabar com este decreto imediatamente.
Correct — the periphrasis replaces the missing 1sg.
❌ Quero que a empresa fala já, não consigo esperar mais.
Wrong — mixing up **falar** and **falir**; also no present subjunctive of **falir** exists.
✅ Quero que a empresa vá à falência já, não consigo esperar mais.
Correct — the periphrasis **ir à falência** plugs the subjunctive gap.
❌ Reavo as minhas chaves no balcão.
Wrong — no 1sg present of **reaver** exists.
✅ Recupero as minhas chaves no balcão.
Correct — **recuperar** substitutes for the missing form.
❌ Preciso que te precavenhas contra a chuva.
Wrong — no present subjunctive of **precaver-se** exists; the invented form is meaningless.
✅ Preciso que te previnas contra a chuva.
Correct — **prevenir-se** fills the gap.
❌ Eu doo muito depois do treino.
Wrong — **doer** takes the body part as subject, not the person.
✅ Doem-me muito os músculos depois do treino.
Correct — the muscles hurt me.
Key takeaways
- Defective verbs have missing forms, not irregular ones. The speaker repairs the gap with a different verb or a periphrasis.
- The most heavily defective verb in active use is precaver-se; the most literary is aprazer; the most morphologically elegant is reaver (all -v-dropping forms are absent).
- Whenever an -ir verb lacks its 1sg present (abolir, colorir, delir, puir), its present subjunctive is also automatically missing — because the subjunctive is built on that stem.
- Semantic defectives like doer and raiar are missing because their meaning rules out certain subjects, not because the morphology fails.
- When in doubt about whether a form exists, reach for a periphrasis — ir + infinitive, acabar de, voltar a, or a synonym verb. That's what native speakers do too.
For the teaching page on when and why defectiveness occurs, see defective verbs. For an overview of all verb classes, see classes of verbs.
Related Topics
- Defective VerbsC1 — Portuguese verbs with incomplete paradigms — falir, abolir, colorir, precaver-se, reaver, feder — and the periphrases native speakers use to work around the gaps.
- Verb Classes: Overview of Irregular PatternsA2 — Most 'irregular' Portuguese verbs follow patterns. A map of the main verb classes — spelling-change, stem-change, -ear, -iar, -air — plus the short list of verbs that truly are one-offs.
- Irregular Present SubjunctiveB1 — The fifteen or so verbs whose present subjunctive cannot be built from the eu-form stem, organized by frequency with full paradigms.
- Present Indicative OverviewA1 — Uses and formation of the present tense in Portuguese
- Irregular Verb GroupsB1 — Portuguese irregular verbs organised into families that share the same irregularity — learn one pattern, unlock a whole group.
- Periphrastic Verb Constructions: OverviewA2 — A map of the productive verb + preposition + infinitive (and verb + gerund) constructions of European Portuguese — the compact machinery that adds aspect, phase, and modality to any verb.