Assistir
to watch / to attend / to assist
Presente
Current actions, habits, and general truths.
| eu | assisto | Eu assisto documentários quando preciso de perspectiva. — I watch documentaries when I need perspective. |
| você/ele/ela | assiste | Ela assiste ao jogo com uma concentração que silencia a torcida ao redor. — She watches the match with a focus that silences the crowd around her. |
| nós | assistimos | Nós assistimos ao mesmo filme e saímos com interpretações opostas. — We watched the same film and came out with opposite interpretations. |
| eles/elas | assistem | Eles assistem às aulas com presença real — celular no bolso. — They attend classes with real presence — phone in pocket. |
I watch films to live lives I don't have the courage to have. My friend watches with running commentary — you can't watch together in silence. We watched the world change and chose not to be just spectators. Watching well is also a form of participating.
Pret. Perfeito
Completed past actions — what happened.
| eu | assisti | Eu assisti ao show de pé, chorando, sem vergonha. — I watched the show standing, crying, without embarrassment. |
| você/ele/ela | assistiu | Ela assistiu à apresentação do filho e ficou sem fala. — She watched her son's presentation and was speechless. |
| nós | assistimos | Nós assistimos à história acontecer e fizemos parte dela. — We watched history happen and were part of it. |
| eles/elas | assistiram | Eles assistiram ao lançamento do foguete em silêncio absoluto. — They watched the rocket launch in absolute silence. |
The concert was on the last day of the festival. I watched from the front row by accident and it became the best memory of the year. My friend watched the same show from outside because the ticket sold out — and thought it was worth it anyway. We watched the sunset afterwards and said nothing. Those who watched live say there's no way to describe it — that's true.
Pret. Imperfeito
Ongoing or habitual past — what used to happen or was happening.
| eu | assistia | Eu assistia às novelas com minha avó toda tarde — era sagrado. — I used to watch soap operas with my grandmother every afternoon — it was sacred. |
| você/ele/ela | assistia | Ela assistia às aulas sem caderno — memorizava tudo assim mesmo. — She used to attend classes without a notebook — she memorised everything anyway. |
| nós | assistíamos | Nós assistíamos ao jogo do Brasil na praça com toda a vizinhança. — We used to watch Brazil's match in the square with the whole neighbourhood. |
| eles/elas | assistiam | Eles assistiam ao desenrolar dos eventos sem intervir — estratégia. — They used to watch events unfold without intervening — strategy. |
In childhood, I used to watch the Olympic Games with the whole family paralysed in front of the TV. I used to watch the eight o'clock soap opera as if watching the news — very seriously. My grandmother used to watch the news twice a day and take a position. We used to watch together and then debate — it was our school of the world.
Futuro Informal
Plans and intentions — "going to." The most common future form in spoken BR Portuguese.
| eu | vou assistir | Vou assistir ao documentário que todo mundo está comentando. — I'm going to watch the documentary everyone is talking about. |
| você/ele/ela | vai assistir | Ela vai assistir à final ao vivo — comprou os ingressos meses atrás. — She's going to watch the final live — she bought tickets months ago. |
| nós | vamos assistir | Vamos assistir juntos à estreia — é tradição nossa. — We're going to watch the premiere together — it's our tradition. |
| eles/elas | vão assistir | Eles vão assistir à palestra do pesquisador visitante. — They're going to attend the visiting researcher's talk. |
Next week is the premiere. I'm going to watch with the whole group — like the old days. My friend is going to watch her documentary's award ceremony. We're going to watch the municipal election results together, without opening our phones. Those who are going to attend the seminar need to confirm by tomorrow.
Futuro Formal
Formal future — "shall/will." More common in writing than speech.
| eu | assistirei | Assistirei de camarote a esta geração fazer a diferença. — I will watch from the front row as this generation makes a difference. |
| você/ele/ela | assistirá | Ela assistirá à formatura com orgulho e lágrimas — ao mesmo tempo. — She will watch the graduation with pride and tears — simultaneously. |
| nós | assistiremos | Assistiremos ao resultado das eleições juntos. — We will watch the election results together. |
| eles/elas | assistirão | Os alunos assistirão às sessões de defesa do próprio projeto. — The students will attend the defence sessions of their own project. |
The communiqué was distributed: Participants will attend the talks without interruption. We will watch the finalists' presentations in the drawn order. The mentors will attend the practical sessions before giving feedback. I will personally attend the opening ceremony.
Condicional
Hypotheticals and polite requests — "would."
| eu | assistiria | Eu assistiria a qualquer coisa se fosse com a pessoa certa. — I would watch anything if it were with the right person. |
| você/ele/ela | assistiria | Ela assistiria ao show se não fosse no mesmo dia da viagem. — She would watch the show if it weren't on the same day as the trip. |
| nós | assistiríamos | Assistiríamos mais teatro se houvesse mais oferta na cidade. — We would watch more theatre if there were more on offer in the city. |
| eles/elas | assistiriam | Eles assistiriam às aulas com mais frequência com ensino híbrido. — They would attend classes more frequently with hybrid teaching. |
If time were more elastic, I would watch everything that passes unseen. My friend would watch all the films on the list that has been growing for years. We would go to more theatre if there were more compatible times. People would watch with more attention if there were fewer screens to compete.
Assistir across the tenses
A short story using assistir in multiple tenses
Minha avó assistia às novelas como se fossem documentários — com total seriedade. Assistia em silêncio, só comentava nos intervalos. Nós assistíamos junto quando havia visita e ela ficava dividida entre a tela e a conversa.
Hoje eu assisto às novelas dela nas reprises e entendo melhor o que ela via. Ontem assisti a um clipe antigo do artista favorito dela e senti ela perto. Assistimos assim o passado — sem câmera, mas com todo o sentido.
No próximo domingo, vou assistir ao jogo com meu pai como antes. Se ele quiser, assistiremos ao filme dela depois — tradição nova.
Perguntei ao meu pai o que mais gostaria de ter assistido ao vivo. Sem hesitar: a chegada do homem à Lua. Assistiria mais de uma vez se pudesse. Era o tipo de coisa que a gente assiste e nunca volta ao mesmo.
My grandmother used to watch soap operas as if they were documentaries — with total seriousness. She used to watch in silence, only commenting during ad breaks. We used to watch together when there were visitors and she'd be torn between the screen and the conversation. Today I watch her soaps in reruns and better understand what she saw. Yesterday I watched an old clip of her favourite artist and felt her close. We watch the past like this — without a camera, but with all the feeling. Next Sunday, I'm going to watch the match with my dad like before. If he wants, we will watch her film afterwards — a new tradition. I asked my dad what he would most have liked to watch live. Without hesitating: the moon landing. I would watch it more than once if I could. It was the kind of thing you watch and you're never quite the same.
Palavra has conjugation flashcards for assistir across all tenses, plus 2,000+ more cards covering vocabulary, grammar, and real-world phrases.
Try Palavra Free →