Fazer
to do / to make
Presente
Current actions, habits, and general truths.
| eu | faço | Eu faço o que posso com o que tenho. — I do what I can with what I have. |
| você/ele/ela | faz | Ela faz tudo acontecer — é quem mantém o grupo unido. — She makes everything happen — she's the one who keeps the group together. |
| nós | fazemos | Nós fazemos melhor juntos do que separados. — We do better together than apart. |
| eles/elas | fazem | Eles fazem o impossível parecer fácil. — They make the impossible look easy. |
I do what satisfies me first — the rest comes afterwards with more quality. My friend makes things happen where others make plans. We make more sense together than apart. Doing is the bridge between intention and reality.
Pret. Perfeito
Completed past actions — what happened.
| eu | fiz | Eu fiz a escolha mais difícil e foi a mais certa. — I made the hardest choice and it was the most right. |
| você/ele/ela | fez | Ela fez aniversário e não disse nada — típico. — She had a birthday and didn't say a word — typical. |
| nós | fizemos | Nós fizemos o que precisava ser feito. — We did what needed to be done. |
| eles/elas | fizeram | Eles fizeram mais do que lhes foi pedido — sempre. — They did more than was asked of them — always. |
The event was a success but cost everything. I did the impossible in forty-eight hours. My team did what the manual said was impossible. We did together what none of us would do alone. Those who did more than expected were the ones who stayed in everyone's memory.
Pret. Imperfeito
Ongoing or habitual past — what used to happen or was happening.
| eu | fazia | Eu fazia bolo com a minha avó toda vez que eu ficava doente. — I used to make cake with my grandmother every time I was ill. |
| você/ele/ela | fazia | Ela fazia questão de ouvir antes de falar. — She used to make a point of listening before speaking. |
| nós | fazíamos | Nós fazíamos a tarefa de casa juntos na varanda. — We used to do homework together on the veranda. |
| eles/elas | faziam | Eles faziam silêncio quando o assunto era sério. — They used to fall silent when the subject was serious. |
In childhood, I used to do theatre in the garden with an adult's seriousness. I used to make lunch at twelve when my mum was working. My brother used to do homework at the last minute and get better marks than me — I never understood. We used to make a mess together and clean up separately.
Futuro Informal
Plans and intentions — "going to." The most common future form in spoken BR Portuguese.
| eu | vou fazer | Vou fazer o que prometei sem mais adiamento. — I'm going to do what I promised without any more delay. |
| você/ele/ela | vai fazer | Ela vai fazer trinta anos na sexta — e vai celebrar como merece. — She's going to turn thirty on Friday — and is going to celebrate as she deserves. |
| nós | vamos fazer | Vamos fazer esse projeto acontecer do zero. — We're going to make this project happen from scratch. |
| eles/elas | vão fazer | Eles vão fazer acontecer — é o que sabem melhor. — They're going to make it happen — it's what they do best. |
The list is long but the focus is clear. I'm going to do what matters first — the rest will fall into place. My partner is going to give the opening presentation. We're going to make it happen with what we have — without waiting for the perfect moment. Those who are going to do it soon are going to arrive first — it's simple maths.
Futuro Formal
Formal future — "shall/will." More common in writing than speech.
| eu | farei | Farei tudo que estiver ao meu alcance. — I will do everything within my reach. |
| você/ele/ela | fará | Ela fará a diferença onde for. — She will make a difference wherever she goes. |
| nós | faremos | Faremos o que for necessário para chegar lá. — We will do whatever is necessary to get there. |
| eles/elas | farão | Eles farão o mundo diferente — é só uma questão de tempo. — They will make the world different — it's just a matter of time. |
The communiqué was direct: The organisation will do everything within its reach to meet deadlines. We will make the necessary adjustments based on the feedback received. The contributors will make their contributions within the established guidelines. I will personally carry out the final curation of each piece.
Condicional
Hypotheticals and polite requests — "would."
| eu | faria | Eu faria tudo de novo se o resultado fosse o mesmo. — I would do it all again if the result were the same. |
| você/ele/ela | faria | Ela faria qualquer coisa pela família. — She would do anything for the family. |
| nós | faríamos | Faríamos mais se tivéssemos mais recursos. — We would do more if we had more resources. |
| eles/elas | fariam | Eles fariam o que fosse necessário para preservar o legado. — They would do whatever was necessary to preserve the legacy. |
If the world were fairer, I would do good without any personal cost. My craftsman friend would spend his whole life doing what he loves if the market valued it. We would make more beautiful things if we had more time and less anxiety. People would do more for the collective if they saw that it would come back to them.
Fazer across the tenses
A short story using fazer in multiple tenses
Minha mãe fazia o jantar e a conversa ao mesmo tempo — arte rara. Fazia questão de perguntar como foi o dia de cada um antes de qualquer coisa. Nós fazíamos silêncio nos primeiros minutos e depois falávamos todos ao mesmo tempo.
Hoje eu faço o mesmo — jantar e escuta. Ontem fiz a sopa que ela fazia quando eu estava doente — ficou diferente, como sempre fica. Fizemos juntas a receita algumas vezes e eu nunca peguei o segredo.
No próximo domingo, vou fazer a sopa de novo. Se ela viver para ver, farei para ela provar e me dizer o que está faltando.
Perguntei o que ela faria se pudesse fazer uma última coisa. Ela não pensou: Faria o jantar de domingo com todo mundo em volta da mesa. Era o que ela melhor sabia fazer — reunir.
My mum used to make dinner and conversation at the same time — a rare art. She used to make a point of asking how each person's day had been before anything else. We used to fall silent in the first few minutes and then all talk at once. Today I do the same — dinner and listening. Yesterday I made the soup she used to make when I was ill — it came out different, as it always does. We made the recipe together a few times and I never got the secret. Next Sunday, I'm going to make the soup again. If she lives to see it, I will make it for her to taste and tell me what's missing. I asked what she would do if she could do one last thing. She didn't think: I would make Sunday dinner with everyone around the table. It was what she knew how to do best — to gather people.
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