Precisar (To Need) — Full Conjugation

Precisar is how Portuguese says to need, and it is on the short list of verbs every learner has to master before any other — you will reach for it dozens of times a day: preciso de café, preciso de ajuda, preciso de dormir. As a verb it is a model of regularity; it conjugates like every other -ar verb in the book. The one thing that trips up English speakers is not the forms at all — it is the little preposition de that precisar almost always drags along behind it. In Portuguese, you do not "need something"; you "need of something."

This page lays out every tense of precisar and then walks through the three constructions you will actually use: precisar de + noun, precisar de + infinitive, and precisar que + subjunctive.

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Present indicative — presente do indicativo

Imperfect indicative — pretérito imperfeito

The imperfect precisava also serves as a polite conditional in spoken EP: precisava de falar consigo = I would need to speak with you (softened, formal).

Preterite indicative — pretérito perfeito simples

The 1pl precisámos carries a written accent on the á in European Portuguese — this is what distinguishes it from the identical-looking present 1pl precisamos (unstressed, no accent). In Brazilian orthography the accent is dropped; in European orthography it is preserved.

Pluperfect indicative, simple — pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples

Pluperfect indicative, compound — pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto

Present perfect — pretérito perfeito composto

Tenho precisado de ti = I have been needing you (recently).

Simple future — futuro do indicativo simples

Future perfect — futuro perfeito

Conditional — condicional (futuro do pretérito)

Conditional perfect — condicional composto

Present subjunctive — presente do conjuntivo

Imperfect subjunctive — imperfeito do conjuntivo

Future subjunctive — futuro do conjuntivo

Present perfect subjunctive — pretérito perfeito do conjuntivo

Pluperfect subjunctive — pretérito mais-que-perfeito do conjuntivo

Future perfect subjunctive — futuro perfeito do conjuntivo

Imperative — imperativo

Affirmative:

Negative:

The imperative of precisar is most often used in reassurance: não precisas (de) te preocupar = you don't need to worry.

Personal infinitive — infinitivo pessoal

Compound personal infinitive — infinitivo pessoal composto

How to use precisar — the three constructions

The conjugation of precisar is easy. The grammar around it is what matters. There are three patterns:

1. Precisar de + noun

This is the everyday "I need X" pattern. The de is obligatory in standard European Portuguese.

2. Precisar de + infinitive

"I need to do X." Again, de before the infinitive in careful EP. (In casual speech, some speakers drop it.)

3. Precisar que + subjunctive

"I need someone else to do X." When the subject of "need" differs from the subject of the action, use que + subjunctive. There is no de here.

Impersonal ser preciso — an important alternative

Ser preciso (it is necessary) is the impersonal sibling of precisar. It does not conjugate for a personal subject; the subject is an abstract "it."

• é preciso + infinitive — "it is necessary to..."
• é preciso que + subjunctive — "it is necessary that..."
• não é preciso — "there's no need"

Example sentences in context

Common mistakes

Key takeaways

• Precisar is a fully regular first-conjugation (-ar) verb.
• The key to using it is the preposition de, which appears before nouns (preciso de café) and infinitives (preciso de falar). Do not omit it in written or careful speech.
• For "I need someone to do X," use precisar que + subjunctive — and drop the de.
• The impersonal variant é preciso / é preciso que is everywhere in advice, warnings, and instructions.
• In European Portuguese, the 1pl preterite keeps the written accent: precisámos (we needed), distinct from precisamos (we need).
• The imperfect precisava doubles as a polite conditional in spoken EP: precisava de um favor = I'd need a favor.