Běžná nepravidelná slovesa

The verbs you use most are, as in English, the least regular. Here are eight that turn up in nearly every conversation. The good news: in fazer, poder, querer, saber and dizer most of the irregularity sits in the eu form; dar, ver and vir are irregular throughout and are best learned as whole sets.

In use

• Faço café toda manhã. - I make coffee every morning. Fazer also does the weather and time: Faz calor. Faz dois anos.
• Posso pagar com cartão? - Can I pay by card?
• Quero um pão de queijo, por favor. In a shop or café, Brazilians soften it: Eu queria... "I'd like..."
• Sei falar português. - I can speak Portuguese (I know how).
• Ele diz que vem amanhã. - He says he's coming tomorrow.

Ver and vir

"See" and "come" look alike and are easy to mix up:

• Eles veem o jogo. - They watch the match. (no accent since the 1990 spelling reform)
• Eles vêm de Portugal. - They come from Portugal.
• Nós vemos - we see; nós vimos - we come, and also "we saw", the past of ver.

Saber, poder and conhecer

English "can" and "know" split here. Saber + infinitive is "can" as a learned skill: Você sabe nadar? - "Can you swim?" Poder is "can" as possibility or permission: Hoje não posso nadar, estou resfriado. And "know a person or a place" is a third verb, conhecer (regular): Conheço o Rio, mas não conheço Salvador.

Where English speakers slip

• Regularising the eu form: *fazo, *podo, *sabo, *dizo. Learn faço, posso, sei, digo as words in their own right.
• Using saber for people: *Sei a Ana. It is Conheço a Ana.