Vocabulary 29 March 2026

100 Most Common Brazilian Portuguese Verbs

If you're learning Brazilian Portuguese, verbs are the backbone of everything. You can get surprisingly far with just 100 verbs — they cover the vast majority of everyday conversation. Here's the definitive list, grouped by how you'll actually use them.

Essential Verbs (1–20)

These are the absolute foundation. You'll use every one of these in your first conversation.

ser	to be (permanent)
estar	to be (temporary/state)
ter	to have
fazer	to do / to make
ir	to go
poder	can / to be able
dizer	to say / to tell
dar	to give
saber	to know (facts)
querer	to want
chegar	to arrive
passar	to pass / to spend time
dever	to owe / must
ficar	to stay / to become
deixar	to leave / to let
falar	to speak
levar	to take / to carry
conhecer	to know (people/places)
vir	to come
pensar	to think

💡 Saber vs Conhecer

Both mean "to know" but they're not interchangeable. Saber is for facts, skills, and information ("Eu sei falar inglês" — I know how to speak English). Conhecer is for people, places, and experiences ("Eu conheço São Paulo" — I know São Paulo). Getting this right is one of the things that makes you sound natural.

Action & Movement (21–40)

sair	to go out / to leave
parecer	to seem
comer	to eat
tomar	to take / to drink
olhar	to look
ver	to see
ouvir	to hear
sentir	to feel
perder	to lose
ganhar	to win / to earn
comprar	to buy
vender	to sell
pagar	to pay
trabalhar	to work
estudar	to study
aprender	to learn
ensinar	to teach
escrever	to write
ler	to read
abrir	to open

Vou tomar um café.

I'm going to have a coffee.

Tomar is used for drinks and meals in BR Portuguese, not beber (which sounds overly formal for coffee).

Daily Life (41–60)

fechar	to close
correr	to run
andar	to walk
dormir	to sleep
acordar	to wake up
morar	to live (reside)
viver	to live (be alive)
morrer	to die
nascer	to be born
crescer	to grow
mudar	to change
voltar	to return
entrar	to enter
subir	to go up
descer	to go down
pedir	to ask for / to order
responder	to answer
perguntar	to ask (a question)
ajudar	to help
precisar	to need

💡 Morar vs Viver

Morar means to reside somewhere specific ("Eu moro em Londres"). Viver means to live in the broader sense — to be alive, to experience life ("Eu quero viver bem"). Brazilians use morar for the "where do you live?" question almost exclusively.

Emotions & Communication (61–80)

gostar	to like
amar	to love
odiar	to hate
esperar	to wait / to hope
lembrar	to remember
esquecer	to forget
tentar	to try
conseguir	to manage / to achieve
usar	to use
colocar	to put / to place
tirar	to take out / to remove
pegar	to grab / to catch
jogar	to play (game) / to throw
brincar	to play (child)
cantar	to sing
dançar	to dance
nadar	to swim
viajar	to travel
dirigir	to drive
cozinhar	to cook

Eu gosto de cozinhar, mas não consigo fazer pão de queijo.

I like cooking, but I can't manage to make cheese bread.

Gostar always takes "de" — one of the most common mistakes English speakers make is dropping it.

Practical & Household (81–100)

limpar	to clean
lavar	to wash
escolher	to choose
decidir	to decide
começar	to start
acabar	to finish / to end
parar	to stop
continuar	to continue
encontrar	to find / to meet
procurar	to look for
chamar	to call
mandar	to send / to order
receber	to receive
trazer	to bring
levantar	to lift / to get up
cair	to fall
acreditar	to believe
achar	to find / to think
entender	to understand
explicar	to explain

💡 Achar — the Swiss Army knife verb

Achar is one of the most versatile verbs in Brazilian Portuguese. It means "to find" literally ("Achei meu celular" — I found my phone) but Brazilians use it constantly to mean "to think/believe" ("Eu acho que sim" — I think so). You'll hear "acho que" dozens of times per day in Brazil.

How to Learn These

Don't try to memorise all 100 at once. Start with the first 20 — they're the most frequent and you'll encounter them immediately in any conversation or text. Once those feel natural, move through the list in groups of 20.

Focus on learning each verb in context rather than in isolation. A verb paired with a sentence sticks far better than a verb paired with a translation. And prioritise the present tense and the pretérito perfeito (simple past) first — those two tenses cover about 80% of everyday conversation.

Drill these verbs with spaced repetition

Palavra has all 100 of these verbs as flashcards in the free tier, plus conjugated versions across 6 tenses with the full unlock.

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