First Conjugation: -ar Verbs

The -ar class is the largest conjugation in Portuguese, accounting for roughly 60--65% of all verbs. It is also the most regular: once you learn the endings for the model verb falar (to speak), you can conjugate hundreds of other verbs -- trabalhar, morar, estudar, gostar, comprar, chegar, andar -- by applying the same patterns. Nearly every new verb that enters Portuguese joins this class, so its importance only grows over time.

Present indicative

The present tense is where you will start. Remove the -ar ending to find the stem (fal-), then add:

Preterite (pretérito perfeito simples)

The preterite expresses completed past actions. Note the written accent on falámos -- in European Portuguese this distinguishes the preterite from the present falamos.

Imperfect (pretérito imperfeito)

The imperfect describes habitual or ongoing past actions. For -ar verbs, the characteristic vowel is -ava-.

Simple pluperfect (pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples)

This tense is largely literary and formal. In everyday speech, Portuguese uses the compound form (tinha falado), but you will encounter the simple pluperfect in writing.

Future indicative (futuro do indicativo)

The future is formed by adding endings to the full infinitive, not the stem. The endings are the same across all three conjugation classes.

Conditional (condicional)

Like the future, the conditional adds endings to the full infinitive. The endings are identical for all three conjugation classes.

Present subjunctive

The present subjunctive swaps the characteristic vowel: -ar verbs take -e- where the indicative uses -a-.

Imperfect subjunctive

Formed from the preterite stem (fala-) with the marker -sse-.

Future subjunctive

The future subjunctive is actively used in everyday European Portuguese -- unlike in Spanish, where it has virtually disappeared. It appears after quando (when), se (if), assim que (as soon as), and similar conjunctions referring to future possibilities.

Personal infinitive

The personal infinitive is a feature virtually unique to Portuguese. It allows an infinitive to carry its own subject -- something no other major Romance language can do. For regular verbs, its forms are identical to the future subjunctive.

Imperative

The imperative is used for commands and requests. Affirmative forms for tu come from the present indicative (drop the final -s); other forms borrow from the present subjunctive.

Non-finite forms

Every -ar verb has three non-finite forms:

• Infinitive: falar (to speak)
• Gerund: falando (speaking)
• Past participle: falado (spoken)

These combine with auxiliary verbs to form compound tenses: tenho falado (I have been speaking), estava a falar (I was speaking), tinha falado (I had spoken).

Applying the pattern to other verbs

Every ending shown above for falar works the same way for any regular -ar verb. Replace the stem and the pattern holds:

The accent on morámos marks the preterite; its absence in moramos marks the present -- the same distinction you saw with falámos and falamos.

From here, move on to Regular -er verbs and Regular -ir verbs to complete the picture of regular conjugation. For deeper coverage of individual tenses, see Present Indicative: Regular -ar, Preterite: Regular -ar, and Imperfect: Regular -ar.