Brazilian Portuguese/Lesson 5
< Brazilian PortugueseConjugating -ER verbs
In this lesson we will be looking at conjugating -ER verbs. We've already looked at how to conjugate -AR verbs, and the principle is exactly the same for -ER verbs, except the endings that you use to conjugate them are slightly different.
The two verbs related to food and drink (today's topic) that we are using today are -ER verbs, so I'll use those, comer (to eat) and beber (to drink) as an example.
| Subject | Ending |
|---|---|
| I | -o |
| You | -e |
| He | -e |
| She | -e |
| We | -emos |
| They | -em |
- Take the verb infinitive, in this case comer
- Remove the -ER at the end of the verb
- And finally add one of these endings depending on the subject
Examples
Eu como um bolo = I eat a cake
Você come muito = You eat a lot
Nos não bebemos o álcool = We don't drink alcohol
Eles bebem suco = They drink juice
Other -ER verbs include aprender (to learn), correr (to run), ler (to read), vender (to sell) and viver (to live).
Talking about likes and dislikes
To make sure you don't inadvertently order something you don't like, we'll quickly run over how to express likes and dislikes in Portuguese using the verb gostar (to like).
You use gostar as you would any other -AR verb, except for one thing. You must add the word "de" (of) after the verb, which means that when you say you like something, you are actually saying "I like of it"
As with any verb, you can make it negative by placing the word "não" (not) between the subject and the verb. You can also add an infinitive after "de" to say what particular things you like to do.
EXAMPLES
Eu gosto de chocolate = I like chocolate
Nos gostamos de tocar o piano = We like playing the piano
Ela não gusta seu emprego = She doesn't like her job