Verb Frequency List | Portuguese (Portugal) Grammar

Vocabulary acquisition has a steep frequency curve. In European Portuguese, the top 10 verbs account for roughly a quarter of all finite verb tokens in running text; the top 100 cover about 75%; the top 250 cover around 88%. This page gives you those 250 verbs, banded by frequency tier, so you can spend your study time where it pays off most.

The list is organised into four tiers: the Top 10 essentials, the 11-50 core daily verbs, the 51-100 common verbs, and the 101-250 intermediate verbs. Each tier has a slightly different learning strategy, described in a note at the start of the section. Within each tier, verbs are presented with rank, infinitive, English gloss, semantic category, and an example sentence in natural PT-PT.

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Frequency lists exaggerate certain verbs and suppress others because of the corpora they draw on. Spoken conversational corpora will rank fazer, dizer, achar higher than written corpora, which favour ser, haver, existir. The bands here blend both — they are the pragmatically useful ranking for a learner aiming at all-round competence, not the ranking of any one corpus exactly.

Tier 1: The top 10 essentials — learn these cold

These ten verbs are the spine of Portuguese. Every day you speak or read Portuguese, you will use each of them multiple times. All but one are irregular. Getting them fully automatic — present, preterite, imperfect, subjunctive — is the single highest-return investment in the entire language.

Rank	Verb	English	Category
1	ser	to be (essence)	copula
2	ter	to have	possession / auxiliary
3	estar	to be (state)	copula
4	haver	there is/are; auxiliary	existence / auxiliary
5	fazer	to do, to make	action
6	ir	to go	motion / auxiliary
7	dizer	to say, to tell	communication
8	poder	to be able to	modal
9	ver	to see	perception
10	dar	to give	transfer

Tenho de dizer que estou muito contente com o resultado.

I have to say I'm very pleased with the result.

Vamos ver se o Miguel pode ajudar-nos com isto.

Let's see if Miguel can help us with this.

Dá-me dois minutos e estou aí.

Give me two minutes and I'll be there.

Tier 2: Ranks 11-50 — the core of daily speech

These forty verbs fill in everything the top ten skip: modals (querer, dever), motion (vir, sair, chegar), communication (falar, perguntar, responder, chamar), possession transactions (comprar, vender, pagar, receber), cognition (pensar, achar, saber, conhecer, aprender, esquecer, lembrar), and the everyday actions of eating, drinking, sleeping, working. Aim to make all of them comfortable in present, preterite, and imperfect before moving to Tier 3.

Rank	Verb	English	Category
11	saber	to know (a fact / how to)	cognition
12	querer	to want	volition / modal
13	dever	must, should; to owe	modal / possession
14	vir	to come	motion
15	ficar	to stay, to become	copula / state
16	passar	to pass; to spend (time)	motion / time
17	encontrar	to find; to meet	perception / social
18	pensar	to think	cognition
19	achar	to think, to find	cognition
20	parecer	to seem, to appear	copula / perception
21	deixar	to leave, to let	action / permission
22	levar	to take (with), to carry	motion / transfer
23	trazer	to bring	motion / transfer
24	pôr	to put, to place	action / placement
25	ajudar	to help	social
26	começar	to begin, to start	aspect
27	continuar	to continue	aspect
28	acabar	to finish, to end	aspect
29	trabalhar	to work	action
30	viver	to live	existence
31	morar	to live, to reside	location
32	comer	to eat	consumption
33	beber	to drink	consumption
34	dormir	to sleep	bodily state
35	acordar	to wake up	bodily state
36	sair	to go out, to leave	motion
37	entrar	to enter	motion
38	chegar	to arrive	motion
39	partir	to leave, to depart	motion
40	voltar	to return, to come back	motion
41	comprar	to buy	transaction
42	vender	to sell	transaction
43	pagar	to pay	transaction
44	receber	to receive, to get	transfer
45	esperar	to wait; to hope	waiting / desire
46	chamar	to call	communication
47	perguntar	to ask (a question)	communication
48	responder	to answer, to reply	communication
49	aprender	to learn	cognition
50	ensinar	to teach	cognition

Quero aprender a tocar guitarra portuguesa, mas ainda não encontrei professor.

I want to learn to play Portuguese guitar, but I haven't found a teacher yet.

Pago-te amanhã, prometo — só preciso de passar pelo multibanco.

I'll pay you tomorrow, promise — I just need to stop by the ATM.

Chamou-me ontem à noite a perguntar por ti.

She called me last night asking about you.

Tier 3: Ranks 51-100 — common verbs you meet every day

By the time you are comfortable with Tiers 1 and 2, reading a newspaper or having a casual conversation will be mostly a matter of unknown nouns and adjectives, not unknown verbs. Tier 3 fills in emotion verbs (gostar, amar, adorar), transformation verbs (ficar, tornar-se, virar), production verbs (escrever, ler, estudar), and a handful of frequently-used irregulars that did not make the top fifty (conhecer, mostrar, perder, ganhar). Focus on present and preterite here; you will add imperfect naturally by exposure.

Rank	Verb	English	Category
51	conhecer	to know (be acquainted)	cognition
52	gostar	to like	emotion
53	escrever	to write	communication
54	ler	to read	communication
55	estudar	to study	cognition
56	perder	to lose; to miss (a train)	possession
57	ganhar	to win, to earn	possession
58	mostrar	to show	perception
59	procurar	to look for, to seek	perception
60	ouvir	to hear, to listen	perception
61	sentir	to feel	perception
62	lembrar	to remember; to remind	cognition
63	esquecer	to forget	cognition
64	tentar	to try, to attempt	action
65	conseguir	to manage to, to succeed	modal / action
66	precisar	to need	modal
67	usar	to use, to wear	action
68	mudar	to change, to move	transformation
69	crescer	to grow	transformation
70	nascer	to be born	existence
71	morrer	to die	existence
72	matar	to kill	action
73	andar	to walk; to go around	motion
74	correr	to run	motion
75	seguir	to follow	motion
76	abrir	to open	action
77	fechar	to close	action
78	subir	to go up, to climb	motion
79	descer	to go down	motion
80	ligar	to call (phone); to connect; to turn on	communication / action
81	desligar	to turn off; to hang up	action
82	pedir	to ask for, to order	communication
83	jogar	to play (a game)	action
84	tocar	to touch; to play (music); to ring	action / perception
85	sentar-se	to sit down	motion / bodily
86	adorar	to love, to adore	emotion
87	amar	to love (romantic)	emotion
88	odiar	to hate	emotion
89	preocupar	to worry	emotion
90	importar	to matter; to import	emotion / transfer
91	interessar	to interest	emotion
92	custar	to cost; to be hard	transaction / state
93	valer	to be worth	state
94	cair	to fall	motion
95	pôr-se	to start to; to position oneself	aspect
96	servir	to serve	action
97	parar	to stop	motion / aspect
98	tirar	to take out, to remove	action / transfer
99	meter	to put in, to stick in	action
100	contar	to count; to tell (a story)	communication / quantification

Conheço a Rita desde a faculdade — é minha amiga há vinte anos.

I've known Rita since university — she's been my friend for twenty years.

Esqueci-me de pôr o pão na lista — podes ir ao minimercado?

I forgot to put bread on the list — can you go to the corner shop?

Corro três vezes por semana no parque perto de casa.

I run three times a week in the park near my house.

Pedi-lhe para me ligar quando chegasse, mas esqueceu-se completamente.

I asked him to call me when he arrived, but he completely forgot.

A avó contou-nos a história do bisavô emigrante mais uma vez ao jantar.

Grandma told us the story of our emigrant great-grandfather at dinner once again.

Tier 4: Ranks 101-250 — intermediate verbs for real competence

The fourth tier is where Portuguese starts to feel rich. These 150 verbs fill in specialised and expressive vocabulary — the verbs you need to describe complex situations, express nuanced emotions, and read intermediate literature. Not every verb here will be relevant to every learner; focus on categories that match your interests. Aim for recognition first, then gradual production.

101-150 — cognition, communication, production

Rank	Verb	English	Category
101	acontecer	to happen	event
102	ocorrer	to occur; to come to mind	event / cognition
103	tratar	to treat; to deal with	action
104	explicar	to explain	communication
105	descrever	to describe	communication
106	indicar	to indicate, to point out	communication
107	apresentar	to present, to introduce	social
108	acolher	to host, to welcome	social
109	convidar	to invite	social
110	visitar	to visit	social / motion
111	viajar	to travel	motion
112	voar	to fly	motion
113	nadar	to swim	motion
114	construir	to build	production
115	criar	to create; to raise (children)	production
116	destruir	to destroy	action
117	quebrar	to break	action
118	partir	to break (transitive)	action
119	reparar	to repair; to notice	action / perception
120	arranjar	to fix; to arrange; to get	action
121	preparar	to prepare	action
122	cozinhar	to cook	action / consumption
123	lavar	to wash	action
124	limpar	to clean	action
125	secar	to dry	action
126	arrumar	to tidy up, to put away	action
127	pintar	to paint	production
128	desenhar	to draw	production
129	cantar	to sing	production
130	dançar	to dance	action
131	rir	to laugh	emotion
132	chorar	to cry	emotion
133	sorrir	to smile	emotion
134	gritar	to shout	communication
135	sussurrar	to whisper	communication
136	comentar	to comment	communication
137	discutir	to argue; to discuss	communication
138	concordar	to agree	communication
139	recusar	to refuse	communication
140	aceitar	to accept	communication
141	prometer	to promise	communication
142	jurar	to swear	communication
143	agradecer	to thank	communication
144	desculpar	to apologise, to excuse	communication
145	cumprimentar	to greet	social
146	despedir	to say goodbye; to fire	social / action
147	acompanhar	to accompany	social / motion
148	abandonar	to abandon	action
149	apoiar	to support, to back	social
150	cuidar	to take care of	social

Aconteceu uma coisa estranha esta manhã — recebi uma chamada de um número desconhecido.

Something strange happened this morning — I got a call from an unknown number.

Cozinhas tão bem que devias abrir um restaurante.

You cook so well that you should open a restaurant.

Ri-me imenso quando ouvi a história — o Tomás tem sempre destas.

I laughed a lot when I heard the story — Tomás always comes out with stuff like that.

151-200 — advanced actions and states

Rank	Verb	English	Category
151	tornar-se	to become	transformation
152	transformar	to transform	transformation
153	desenvolver	to develop	transformation
154	melhorar	to improve	transformation
155	piorar	to get worse	transformation
156	aumentar	to increase	transformation
157	diminuir	to decrease	transformation
158	reduzir	to reduce	transformation
159	multiplicar	to multiply	quantification
160	dividir	to divide	quantification
161	comparar	to compare	cognition
162	escolher	to choose	cognition
163	decidir	to decide	cognition
164	evitar	to avoid	action
165	permitir	to allow, to permit	permission
166	proibir	to forbid, to prohibit	permission
167	aconselhar	to advise	communication
168	sugerir	to suggest	communication
169	propor	to propose	communication
170	insistir	to insist	communication
171	repetir	to repeat	communication
172	lembrar-se	to remember (oneself of)	cognition
173	preocupar-se	to worry	emotion
174	queixar-se	to complain	communication
175	aproveitar	to take advantage of	action
176	desperdiçar	to waste	action
177	poupar	to save, to spare	action
178	gastar	to spend, to wear out	action
179	emprestar	to lend	transfer
180	devolver	to return, to give back	transfer
181	trocar	to swap, to exchange	transfer
182	guardar	to keep, to save	possession
183	esconder	to hide	action
184	investigar	to investigate, to research	cognition
185	apanhar	to catch, to take (a bus)	action / motion
186	perseguir	to chase, to pursue	motion
187	fugir	to flee, to run away	motion
188	esconder-se	to hide (oneself)	motion
189	aparecer	to appear	perception / motion
190	desaparecer	to disappear	perception / motion
191	surgir	to arise, to emerge	event
192	existir	to exist	existence
193	situar-se	to be located	location
194	encontrar-se	to be located; to meet up	location / social
195	dirigir-se	to head towards	motion
196	aproximar-se	to approach	motion
197	afastar-se	to move away	motion
198	entregar	to deliver, to hand over	transfer
199	obter	to obtain, to get	transfer
200	atingir	to reach, to hit	action / motion

Tornei-me mais paciente desde que tive filhos — não havia outra hipótese.

I've become more patient since I had children — there was no other option.

Escolhemos bem o restaurante para o jantar de aniversário — a comida estava impecável.

We chose the restaurant well for the birthday dinner — the food was perfect.

A Ana emprestou-me os apontamentos porque faltei à aula da terça.

Ana lent me her notes because I missed Tuesday's class.

201-250 — specialised and expressive verbs

Rank	Verb	English	Category
201	manter	to maintain, to keep	action
202	conter	to contain	state
203	deter	to detain, to hold back	action
204	reter	to retain	action
205	conter-se	to restrain oneself	emotion
206	exigir	to demand, to require	communication
207	supor	to suppose, to assume	cognition
208	imaginar	to imagine	cognition
209	recordar	to recall	cognition
210	memorizar	to memorise	cognition
211	ignorar	to ignore; not to know	cognition
212	confundir	to confuse	cognition
213	distinguir	to distinguish	cognition
214	reconhecer	to recognise	cognition
215	descobrir	to discover, to find out	cognition
216	admitir	to admit	communication
217	confessar	to confess	communication
218	negar	to deny	communication
219	mentir	to lie	communication
220	traduzir	to translate	communication
221	interpretar	to interpret	communication / cognition
222	referir	to refer to; to mention	communication
223	citar	to cite, to quote	communication
224	notar	to notice	perception
225	observar	to observe	perception
226	vigiar	to watch over	perception
227	examinar	to examine	perception
228	analisar	to analyse	cognition
229	concluir	to conclude	cognition
230	resolver	to solve, to decide	action / cognition
231	tratar-se	to be a matter of	state
232	referir-se	to refer (to)	communication
233	dedicar-se	to devote oneself	action
234	esforçar-se	to strive, to make an effort	action
235	arrepender-se	to regret	emotion
236	zangar-se	to get angry	emotion
237	apaixonar-se	to fall in love	emotion
238	divertir-se	to have fun	emotion
239	aborrecer-se	to get bored, to get upset	emotion
240	assustar-se	to be frightened	emotion
241	surpreender-se	to be surprised	emotion
242	cansar-se	to get tired	bodily state
243	queimar	to burn	action
244	gelar	to freeze	action / state
245	aquecer	to warm up, to heat	action
246	arrefecer	to cool down	action
247	derreter	to melt	transformation
248	proteger	to protect	action
249	atacar	to attack	action
250	defender	to defend	action

Descobri ontem que afinal a reunião foi adiada para a quinta.

I found out yesterday that the meeting was actually postponed to Thursday.

Apaixonei-me por Lisboa na primeira visita e ainda não me passou.

I fell in love with Lisbon on my first visit and it still hasn't worn off.

Dedica-se à pintura há quase trinta anos — é uma artista a sério.

She's devoted herself to painting for nearly thirty years — she's a serious artist.

Verbs by semantic category — a quick index

If you want to target a specific domain, here are the most useful verbs from each category within the top 250:

Category	Core verbs
Motion	ir, vir, sair, entrar, chegar, partir, voltar, andar, correr, subir, descer, viajar
Cognition	saber, conhecer, pensar, achar, aprender, estudar, lembrar, esquecer, decidir, escolher
Communication	dizer, falar, chamar, perguntar, responder, pedir, contar, explicar, sugerir, prometer
Perception	ver, ouvir, sentir, mostrar, parecer, notar, observar, procurar
Possession / transfer	ter, dar, receber, levar, trazer, comprar, vender, pagar, emprestar, devolver
Emotion	gostar, adorar, amar, odiar, preocupar-se, rir, chorar, divertir-se, apaixonar-se
Modal / volition	poder, querer, dever, precisar, conseguir, tentar, ter de, haver de
Aspect (start/stop/continue)	começar, continuar, acabar, deixar de, voltar a, parar de
Transformation	ficar, tornar-se, mudar, crescer, melhorar, piorar, aumentar, diminuir

Learning strategy — what to do with this list

A concrete plan for using this page over six months:

Month 1: Master Tier 1 (top 10) in present indicative, preterite, imperfect. Drill until the forms are automatic.
Month 2: Add Tier 2 present and preterite. Keep hammering Tier 1 into subjunctive and future.
Month 3: Tier 3 recognition, plus the six most common Tier 3 verbs in production (conhecer, gostar, escrever, ler, esquecer, precisar).
Month 4: Expand Tier 3 production. Start passive recognition of Tier 4.
Months 5-6: Actively produce categories from Tier 4 that match your interests (cooking verbs if you love food, travel verbs if you travel, etc.).

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Do not try to memorise all 250 at once. The frequency curve means the top 50 appear in every sentence and the bottom 150 appear only occasionally. Spend 80% of your practice time on the top 100; let the bottom tier accumulate through exposure.

Notes and caveats

Rankings are approximate. Different frequency corpora give slightly different orders, especially below rank 50. Treat the tier as reliable and individual ranks within a tier as interchangeable.
Reflexive / pronominal forms (lembrar-se, preocupar-se) are listed separately only where they are commonly used independently of the non-reflexive form. For the full reflexive verb list, see pronominal verb list.
This list reflects European Portuguese frequencies. Brazilian Portuguese has slightly different distribution, notably for tu verbs (less common), gerúndio constructions, and specific colloquial items.
Verbs with preposition governance (gostar de, precisar de, começar a) are a separate learning challenge — see verb + preposition list.

Common mistakes

❌ Eu gosto muito Lisboa.

Incorrect: gostar requires the preposition de. Missing preposition is the single most common learner error with this verb.

✅ Eu gosto muito de Lisboa.

Correct: always gostar de.

❌ Eu preciso um café antes de começar a trabalhar.

Incorrect: precisar takes de before the object. Precisar + de + noun/infinitive.

✅ Eu preciso de um café antes de começar a trabalhar.

Correct: precisar de.

❌ Eu sei o João há dez anos.

Incorrect: saber does not mean 'to know a person'. Use conhecer for acquaintance.

✅ Eu conheço o João há dez anos.

Correct: conhecer for people and places; saber for facts and skills.

❌ Vou ficar em casa hoje porque estou cansado, assim não vou ao ginásio.

Stylistic mistake: *assim* as connector here is awkward. Use portanto or por isso for 'therefore'.

✅ Vou ficar em casa hoje porque estou cansado, portanto não vou ao ginásio.

Correct: portanto / por isso = therefore. Assim = thus / like this (different role).

❌ Esqueci os chaves em casa.

Incorrect: esquecer is more naturally used reflexively (esquecer-se **de** algo) in European Portuguese.

✅ Esqueci-me das chaves em casa.

Correct: the reflexive esquecer-se de is standard in PT-PT. Non-reflexive esquecer is used but less idiomatic.

For verb-by-verb full conjugations, see the individual pages linked from verb reference overview. For irregular verbs grouped by shared pattern, see irregular verb groups.