Abrir
to open
Presente
Current actions, habits, and general truths.
| eu | abro | Eu abro as janelas toda manhã — o dia começa com ar. — I open the windows every morning — the day starts with fresh air. |
| você/ele/ela | abre | Ela abre o coração com uma facilidade que eu admiro. — She opens her heart with an ease I admire. |
| nós | abrimos | Nós abrimos o restaurante há dez anos e ainda aprendemos. — We opened the restaurant ten years ago and are still learning. |
| eles/elas | abrem | Eles abrem os olhos para o que os outros fecham. — They open their eyes to what others close theirs to. |
I open the bedroom window before anything else — it's the ritual that separates night from day. My friend opens presents slowly, prolonging the pleasure. We opened our company without enough capital and with excess confidence — and it worked. Opening is always an act of faith.
Pret. Perfeito
Completed past actions — what happened.
| eu | abri | Eu abri a carta com mãos que tremiam um pouco. — I opened the letter with hands that trembled a little. |
| você/ele/ela | abriu | Ela abriu um negócio do zero com mil reais e muita crença. — She opened a business from scratch with a thousand reais and a lot of belief. |
| nós | abrimos | Nós abrimos um precedente que mudou a cultura da empresa. — We opened a precedent that changed the company culture. |
| eles/elas | abriram | Eles abriram a reunião com uma pergunta que ninguém esperava. — They opened the meeting with a question nobody expected. |
The envelope had been on the table for three days. I finally opened it and it was better than expected. My friend opened her own practice and is thriving. We opened the difficult conversation that was waiting — and the air became lighter. Those who opened up first created the trust.
Pret. Imperfeito
Ongoing or habitual past — what used to happen or was happening.
| eu | abria | Eu abria o caderno e ficava olhando antes de escrever qualquer coisa. — I used to open my notebook and stare before writing anything. |
| você/ele/ela | abria | Ela abria a porta antes de tocar — sabia quem era pelo jeito de bater. — She used to open the door before knocking — she knew who it was by the knock. |
| nós | abríamos | Nós abríamos a loja às sete e o primeiro café era de graça. — We used to open the shop at seven and the first coffee was free. |
| eles/elas | abriam | Eles abriam espaço para o novo sem abandonar o essencial. — They used to open up space for the new without abandoning the essential. |
In childhood, I used to open Christmas presents at midnight on the dot. I used to open the fridge hoping something new had appeared since ten minutes before. My mum used to open the kitchen door every morning humming. We used to open the day together before everything else — that was family.
Futuro Informal
Plans and intentions — "going to." The most common future form in spoken BR Portuguese.
| eu | vou abrir | Vou abrir minha própria empresa antes dos trinta e cinco. — I'm going to open my own business before I'm thirty-five. |
| você/ele/ela | vai abrir | Ela vai abrir os resultados ao vivo — nervos à flor da pele. — She's going to open the results live — nerves on edge. |
| nós | vamos abrir | Vamos abrir o debate para todas as vozes da sala. — We're going to open the debate to all voices in the room. |
| eles/elas | vão abrir | Eles vão abrir uma filial no nordeste ainda este ano. — They're going to open a branch in the northeast this year. |
The new phase starts Monday. I'm going to open the office in the new city with everything planned. My partner is going to open the negotiations with the main supplier. We're going to open the physical space with a discreet and meaningful celebration. The partners who are going to open with us have already confirmed.
Futuro Formal
Formal future — "shall/will." More common in writing than speech.
| eu | abrirei | Abrirei o coração quando sentir que é seguro. — I will open my heart when I feel it is safe. |
| você/ele/ela | abrirá | A empresa abrirá o capital em bolsa no próximo semestre. — The company will open its capital on the stock exchange next semester. |
| nós | abriremos | Abriremos as inscrições assim que o edital for publicado. — We will open registrations as soon as the notice is published. |
| eles/elas | abrirão | Eles abrirão o evento com uma performance inesquecível. — They will open the event with an unforgettable performance. |
The communiqué was clear: Registrations will open on the first. We will open to the general public after the accreditation phase. The organisers will open applications with transparent criteria. I will personally open the closing ceremony.
Condicional
Hypotheticals and polite requests — "would."
| eu | abriria | Eu abriria o restaurante se soubesse cozinhar melhor. — I would open the restaurant if I knew how to cook better. |
| você/ele/ela | abriria | Ela abriria mão de tudo por quem ama. — She would give up everything for those she loves. |
| nós | abriríamos | Abriríamos mais cedo se os clientes chegassem mais cedo. — We would open earlier if the clients arrived earlier. |
| eles/elas | abririam | Eles abririam outra unidade se o mercado indicasse. — They would open another unit if the market indicated it. |
If fear didn't close so many doors, I would open more. My friend would open a photography studio if he had starting capital. We would open more space for dialogue if we knew how to listen without defending. Organisations would open more opportunities if they saw talent where it truly is.
Abrir across the tenses
A short story using abrir in multiple tenses
Meu pai abria o negócio às seis da manhã todo dia sem falta. Abria a persiana, o caixa, as janelas — e depois o café. Nós filhos abríamos os olhos naquele ritual de longe e achávamos que era o mundo normal.
Hoje eu abro minha própria coisa e entendo o que custava. Ontem abri o computador às seis e pensei nele. Abrimos assim nosso dia — com ele dentro, mesmo sem perceber.
No próximo ano, vou abrir o segundo espaço. Se der, abrirei com ele do meu lado — ainda estamos nessa.
Perguntei o que ele abriria se pudesse abrir uma coisa nova. Ele não pensou: Abriria o tempo. O único recurso que nunca sobrou.
My dad used to open the business at six in the morning every day without fail. He used to open the shutters, the till, the windows — and then the coffee. We children used to open our eyes to that ritual from afar and thought it was the normal world. Today I open my own thing and understand what it cost. Yesterday I opened the computer at six and thought of him. We open our day like this — with him inside, without even realising. Next year, I'm going to open the second space. If it works, I will open it with him beside me — we're still in it. I asked what he would open if he could open one new thing. He didn't think: I would open time. The only resource that was never left over.
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