An auxiliary verb is a verb that has been partially drained of its original meaning and repurposed to build a compound tense or voice. Portuguese has four major auxiliaries — ter, haver, ser, estar — plus two secondary ones (ir for the immediate future, vir for a few periphrases) that sit at the edge of the category. English speakers come to Portuguese expecting ter to parallel have and ser to parallel be, and to some extent that is right — but every auxiliary has a specific job, and picking the wrong one produces sentences that are either ungrammatical or belong to the wrong register. This page is the definitive guide to who does what.
The choice of auxiliary encodes three kinds of information: which compound tense or voice you are building, how formal the utterance is, and whether you are emphasising action or result. A Portuguese speaker processes all three simultaneously without thinking; a learner has to assemble them consciously. Once the patterns are internalised, the whole system feels natural, but along the way there are enough traps to warrant a dedicated page.
Ter — the workhorse perfect auxiliary
Ter is Portugal's default auxiliary for every compound tense. Where Spanish uses haber, Portuguese uses ter. This is the single biggest lexical difference between the two languages' auxiliary systems, and it is the cause of countless Spanish-speaker errors.
Present perfect — tenho + participle
The pretérito perfeito composto ("compound present perfect") is formed with ter in the present + past participle. Note the special European Portuguese meaning: this is not the general past tense (that job belongs to the simple preterite). The compound present perfect in Portuguese means recent, repeated, or ongoing action from some time ago up to now — a very different meaning from English "have done." See the detailed present perfect compound page.
Tenho estudado muito para o exame.
I've been studying a lot for the exam. (ongoing, repeated over recent days)
Tem chovido todos os dias.
It's been raining every day.
Ultimamente, tenho ido muito ao cinema.
Lately, I've been going to the cinema a lot.
A frequent English-speaker error: translating "I have eaten" as tenho comido. In Portuguese, tenho comido means "I have been eating (repeatedly, lately)." The one-off English past ("I have eaten already" → "I ate already") is já comi.
Pluperfect — tinha + participle
The compound pluperfect (tinha feito) is the everyday past-in-the-past. It means "had done." See compound pluperfect.
Quando cheguei, eles já tinham jantado.
By the time I arrived, they had already had dinner.
Nunca tinha visto uma coisa assim.
I had never seen anything like it.
Future perfect and conditional perfect
Terei feito (future perfect) and teria feito (conditional perfect) round out the ter-based compound tenses.
Quando chegares, já terei acabado o relatório.
By the time you get here, I'll have finished the report.
Subjunctive compound tenses
All the same compound tenses exist in the subjunctive. The formation is parallel: subjunctive form of ter + past participle.
Duvido que tenham chegado a horas.
I doubt they arrived on time. (present perfect subjunctive)
Se tivesse sabido, teria avisado.
If I had known, I would have let you know. (pluperfect subjunctive + conditional perfect)
Haver — the formal and literary alternative
Haver is the older Romance perfect auxiliary (cognate with Spanish haber, Italian avere, French avoir). Portuguese has largely replaced it with ter, but haver survives in three specific niches: formal/literary prose, the existential construction há, and a few future-of-obligation periphrases.
Haver as perfect auxiliary — formal and literary
In formal writing and literature, haver can replace ter as the perfect auxiliary. The compound tenses look the same otherwise.
Eu havia ido ao museu várias vezes antes.
I had been to the museum several times before. (formal — = tinha ido)
Quando ele chegou, nós já havíamos saído.
When he arrived, we had already left. (literary)
O autor, no prefácio, afirma que havia trabalhado na obra durante dez anos.
The author, in the preface, states that he had worked on the book for ten years.
In everyday speech and most modern writing, tinha ido is far more natural than havia ido. Reserve haver as a perfect auxiliary for formal essays, literary prose, and legal documents. Using haver for everyday speech in Portugal comes across as stilted or affected. See haver as auxiliary.
Há-de + infinitive — future of certainty / insistence
The periphrasis haver de + infinitive is a live construction in European Portuguese for expressing the speaker's strong belief that an event will happen. It is colloquial but slightly old-fashioned, with a warm, confident flavour that vou or irei do not have.
Ele há-de chegar a tempo, não te preocupes.
He'll get here on time, don't worry.
Hás-de ver, um dia vais ser escritor.
You'll see — one day you'll be a writer.
Havemos de voltar àquele restaurante.
We must go back to that restaurant someday.
Note the hyphenated spelling há-de, hás-de, há-de, havemos-de, hão-de: a peculiarity of pre-Acordo orthography that many speakers still prefer. Post-Acordo spelling drops the hyphen (há de). Both are acceptable in contemporary European Portuguese writing; newspapers have mixed practice.
Existential há — there is, there are
A distinct use: há (the 3rd-person singular present of haver) functions as an invariant existential marker meaning "there is / there are." Number-invariant — no plural. See haver existential.
Há dois cafés na esquina.
There are two cafés on the corner.
Havia muita gente na praça.
There were a lot of people in the square.
Tem havido muitos problemas ultimamente.
There have been a lot of problems lately. (note: compound of haver with itself)
Ser — the passive voice auxiliary
Ser is the auxiliary for the canonical passive voice. Combined with a past participle, it forms the structure "X was/is/will be done by Y." The participle agrees with the subject in gender and number. For the full passive treatment see ser passive.
O prédio foi construído em 1890.
The building was constructed in 1890.
A carta foi escrita à mão.
The letter was written by hand.
Os candidatos serão entrevistados na próxima semana.
The candidates will be interviewed next week.
A exposição tem sido visitada por milhares de pessoas.
The exhibition has been visited by thousands of people.
Note the double auxiliary structure in the last example: tem sido visitada = ter (perfect auxiliary) + sido (participle of ser) + visitada (main participle). Portuguese stacks auxiliaries freely to encode multiple layers of meaning.
Ser vs estar + participle — the action/result distinction
One of the classic traps: ser + participle versus estar + participle both translate to English "is done," but they mean different things.
- Ser + participle: the action of doing (dynamic passive). Someone did it.
- Estar + participle: the result of the action (resultative state). It is in a done state, as a consequence of some prior action.
A porta foi fechada às onze.
The door was closed at eleven. (someone closed it at that time)
A porta estava fechada quando cheguei.
The door was closed when I arrived. (in a closed state)
O jantar é servido às oito.
Dinner is served at eight. (action happens at that time)
O jantar está servido.
Dinner is served. (ready and waiting — resultative)
This distinction is one of the most important in Portuguese grammar, and English provides almost no help in drawing it. A competent B2 speaker can flip between the two forms without thinking; a learner should drill them until the choice becomes automatic.
Estar — the progressive and resultative auxiliary
Estar has two major auxiliary jobs: estar a + infinitive for the progressive, and estar + participle for resultative states.
Estar a + infinitive — the European progressive
The signature European Portuguese progressive construction. See progressive with estar for details.
Estou a ler um romance policial muito giro.
I'm reading a really cool mystery novel.
Eles estavam a jantar quando o telefone tocou.
They were having dinner when the phone rang.
Estás a gozar comigo!
You're making fun of me!
A chuva está a abrandar.
The rain is easing off.
Brazilian Portuguese uses estar + gerund (estou lendo) for the progressive. European Portuguese uses estar a + infinitive (estou a ler). This is the most distinctive single feature of European Portuguese syntax — using the European form in Brazil sounds formal or slightly foreign, and using the Brazilian form in Portugal sounds either Brazilian or like a learner.
Estar + participle — resultative state
Estar + participle gives the state resulting from an action. The participle typically agrees with the subject, though some high-frequency adjectivalised participles behave like ordinary adjectives.
A loja está fechada ao domingo.
The shop is closed on Sundays.
O relatório já está escrito.
The report is already written.
As cartas estão em cima da mesa — estão prontas para serem enviadas.
The letters are on the table — they're ready to be sent.
Estar a + infinitive in other tenses
The progressive works in every tense — past, future, conditional, subjunctive.
Ontem às oito estava a trabalhar.
Yesterday at eight I was working.
Amanhã a esta hora estarei a fazer exame.
This time tomorrow I'll be taking the exam.
Estaria a estudar se não tivesse saído.
I'd be studying if I hadn't gone out.
Espero que estejas a gostar do curso.
I hope you're enjoying the course.
Ir — the immediate future auxiliary
Ir + infinitive forms the futuro próximo ("near future"), which is the everyday way of expressing futurity in spoken European Portuguese. It parallels English "going to." See ir + infinitive as future for the full treatment.
Vou comprar pão depois do trabalho.
I'm going to buy bread after work.
Eles vão casar no próximo verão.
They're getting married next summer.
Vai chover esta tarde.
It's going to rain this afternoon.
Vamos ver o que acontece.
Let's see what happens. (or: We're going to see what happens.)
The morphological future (comprarei, casarão, choverá) still exists in writing and formal speech, but in casual speech it is largely replaced by ir + infinitive. The exceptions are certain set phrases and hypotheticals.
Distinguishing auxiliary ir from serial ir
Ir as a future auxiliary takes any infinitive without physical movement implied: vou estudar, vou pensar, vou descansar. Ir in a serial chain (see the serial verb constructions page) implies actual going: vou comprar pão (I'm going out to buy bread). Context disambiguates.
The archaic ser for motion verbs — é chegado
In medieval and early modern Portuguese, ser was the perfect auxiliary for certain intransitive motion verbs, just as French and Italian still do today (je suis arrivé, sono arrivato). Modern European Portuguese has lost this feature almost entirely, but it survives in a handful of highly literary set phrases.
É chegado o tempo de decidir.
The time has come to decide. (literary — compare to modern chegou o tempo)
Era finda a batalha.
The battle was over. (literary)
São passados dez anos desde que o vi pela última vez.
It's been ten years since I last saw him. (literary flavour)
You will encounter these forms in poetry, religious texts, 19th-century fiction, and the occasional elegant piece of contemporary journalism. Do not produce them in everyday speech — you will sound like you stepped out of a Camilo Castelo Branco novel. But recognise them when reading.
Auxiliary selection in passive-reflexive constructions
One area that trips up learners is what happens when you combine a passive with a compound tense. The passive auxiliary is ser, and the compound auxiliary is ter, so you end up stacking both.
A carta tinha sido enviada antes da reunião.
The letter had been sent before the meeting.
O problema terá sido resolvido até amanhã.
The problem will have been solved by tomorrow.
A notícia teria sido anunciada se o ministro tivesse concordado.
The news would have been announced if the minister had agreed.
The formula: ter (in whatever tense) + sido (participle of ser) + main participle (agreeing with the subject).
Decision flowchart
When you need a compound verbal expression, run through these questions in order:
- Is there passive meaning (patient as subject)? → use ser + participle.
- Is this a progressive (action in progress)? → use estar a + infinitive.
- Is this a resultative state (description of the current state)? → use estar + participle.
- Is this a perfect compound tense (had, has, will have)? → use ter + participle (default) or haver + participle (formal/literary).
- Is this an immediate future in speech? → use ir + infinitive.
- Is this an obligation or strong prediction? → consider haver de + infinitive or ter de + infinitive.
Applied to a complex case: "The report will have been being written by then" has multiple auxiliaries nested. Portuguese would probably rephrase — o relatório estará a ser escrito nessa altura (progressive passive) or o relatório terá sido escrito até lá (perfect passive) — rather than stack progressive + perfect + passive, which is grammatically possible but stylistically clunky.
Comparison with Spanish
The auxiliary selection system is one of the biggest structural differences between Portuguese and Spanish.
| Function | Portuguese | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| Perfect tenses | ter + participle | haber + participle |
| Passive | ser + participle | ser + participle |
| Progressive | estar a + infinitive | estar + gerund |
| Resultative state | estar + participle | estar + participle |
| Immediate future | ir + infinitive (no preposition) | ir a + infinitive |
| Existential "there is" | há (haver) | hay (haber) |
| Past obligation/future | haver de + infinitive (colloquial) | haber de + infinitive (archaic) |
Spanish speakers learning Portuguese consistently stumble on ter as the perfect auxiliary — their instinct is to reach for a haver-cognate. The fix is to drill the compound tenses until ter feels automatic.
Another trap for Spanish speakers: the European progressive estar a ler sounds deeply weird when their instinct says estar leyendo. Brazilian Portuguese sides with Spanish on this, which is why many Brazilians find European Portuguese progressive forms initially jarring.
Comparison with English
English has a smaller auxiliary inventory — primarily have, be, do, will, would — and uses it more flexibly. Mapping:
| English | Portuguese equivalent |
|---|---|
| have done | tenho feito (recent/ongoing) or já fiz (simple past) |
| had done | tinha feito |
| will have done | terei feito |
| would have done | teria feito |
| is done (by) | é feito (por), foi feito (por) |
| is (in a done state) | está feito |
| is doing | está a fazer |
| is going to do | vai fazer |
| there is | há |
The critical mismatch: English "have + participle" collapses several Portuguese distinctions. I have eaten could be comi (I ate), tenho comido (I've been eating regularly), or já comi (I've already eaten). Context determines which Portuguese form fits.
Common mistakes
Mistake 1: Using haver instead of ter for everyday perfect tenses.
❌ Eu hei comido já.
Wrong: haver is not the everyday perfect auxiliary in modern European Portuguese, and hei + comido is doubly ungrammatical.
✅ Já comi.
Correct: for a one-off completed action, use the simple preterite, not any compound tense.
✅ Tenho comido bem ultimamente.
Correct: tenho comido = I've been eating well lately (ongoing/repeated).
Spanish-speaker error; English-speaker error. The full fix: ter for modern compound tenses, and be careful about when to use a compound tense versus the simple preterite.
Mistake 2: Translating "I have eaten" as tenho comido.
❌ Tenho comido há uma hora.
Wrong: this would mean 'I've been eating for an hour' (odd meaning).
✅ Comi há uma hora.
Correct: a one-off past event uses the simple preterite.
The Portuguese compound present perfect is narrower than the English one. Most English "have + ed" sentences translate to Portuguese preterite, not to the compound.
Mistake 3: Confusing ser + participle with estar + participle.
❌ A loja é fechada. (meaning: it's currently closed)
Wrong: ser + participle describes an action, not a current state.
✅ A loja está fechada.
Correct: estar + participle = currently in a closed state.
✅ A loja é fechada aos domingos.
Correct: ser + participle for a habitual action — it gets closed on Sundays (by someone).
Mistake 4: Using estar + gerund for the progressive.
❌ Estou lendo um livro.
Brazilian, not European Portuguese.
✅ Estou a ler um livro.
European Portuguese requires estar a + infinitive for the progressive.
Forcing yourself to say estar a + inf is the single most important habit for sounding European Portuguese rather than Brazilian.
Mistake 5: Forgetting participle agreement in the passive.
❌ As cartas foi escrito ontem.
Wrong: participle must agree with subject in number and gender.
✅ As cartas foram escritas ontem.
Correct: foram (plural) + escritas (feminine plural) to agree with as cartas.
The passive-ser demands full agreement every time. This is distinct from the compound ter tenses, where the participle is invariable (tenho escrito, tinha escrito, regardless of subject).
Key takeaways
- Ter is the everyday perfect auxiliary: tenho, tinha, terei, teria + participle. Invariable participle.
- Haver is the formal/literary alternative for perfects and the existential há. Also alive in há-de + infinitive for confident future.
- Ser + participle builds the canonical passive; participle agrees with the subject.
- Estar a + infinitive builds the progressive; distinctive European Portuguese form.
- Estar + participle describes a resultative state; participle agrees with the subject.
- Ir + infinitive is the immediate future, now dominant in speech over the morphological future.
- The archaic ser for motion verbs (é chegado) survives in literary language; recognise but do not produce.
- Double auxiliary stacks (ter + sido + participle) encode perfect + passive simultaneously.
Related Topics
- Ter vs Haver as AuxiliaryB1 — Why modern European Portuguese uses ter instead of haver in compound tenses, with the register, set expressions, and 'haver de + infinitive' left behind.
- Ter as Auxiliary VerbA2 — How ter conjugates as the auxiliary for every compound tense in European Portuguese, with the full paradigm and the invariability rule that governs the participle.
- Haver as Auxiliary (Formal)C1 — Haver + past participle in formal writing, legal prose, and nineteenth-century literature — how to recognize it, why it persists, and when (almost never) to produce it yourself.
- Ser + Past Participle (Analytic Passive)B1 — The Portuguese analytic passive — ser + past participle + (por + agent). The most explicit passive construction, with mandatory participle agreement and the por contractions (pelo, pela, pelos, pelas).
- Estar a + Infinitive: the European Portuguese ProgressiveA2 — How European Portuguese expresses ongoing actions: not with estar + gerund, but with estar a + infinitive (estou a ler, estás a falar). Full paradigm across tenses, the sister periphrases andar a / continuar a / passar a, and why this construction is the single most important marker of EP speech.
- Ir + Infinitive (Informal Future)A1 — The most common way to express future in spoken Portuguese
- Pretérito Perfeito Composto (Present Perfect Compound)B1 — Tenho feito — the deep dive on European Portuguese's iterative present perfect, the tense that only means 'has been doing' over a recent ongoing period.