A1 · Unit 2 · Lesson 3
Regular present: -er and -ir verbs
Comer, beber, escrever, abrir — completing the regular present tense with the two remaining families.
The two remaining verb families, -er and -ir, finish off the regular present tense — and they're almost twins.
The -er endings
Drop -er and add -o, -e, -emos, -em. Take “comer” (to eat): como, come, comemos, comem.
Build it, step by step
Conjugate it — comer
Present · reveal each person, then keep the cheat card.
Eu bebo água.
I drink water.
Ele come pouco.
He eats little.
Nós vendemos a casa.
We're selling the house.
The -ir endings — almost the same
The -ir verbs match -er everywhere except “nós”, where they take -imos. Take “abrir” (to open): abro, abre, abrimos, abrem.
Eu decido amanhã.
I'll decide tomorrow.
Ela parte cedo.
She leaves early.
Nós dividimos a conta.
We split the bill.
“Nós” is where they differ
The only gap between the families is the “nós” form: -er gives -emos, -ir gives -imos. Everything else lines up.
Spot the pattern
Both families share endings — except “nós”. Predict the “we” form: -er gives -emos, -ir gives -imos.
Nós comemos juntos.
We eat together.
Nós partimos às seis.
We leave at six.
Vocês escrevem bem.
You write well.
Common mistakes
- — The split shows up only in “nós”: comemos (-er) but abrimos (-ir).
- — “eles/elas/vocês” take -em for both families: comem, abrem — never -am.
- — “Beber” means to drink, but Brazilians often say “tomar”: tomar água, tomar um café.
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