Present tense conjugation of the verb Ter in Portuguese

This Portuguese lesson will show you the present tense conjugation of the verb Ter in Portuguese. In the video, I give you pronunciation tips that are useful for your Portuguese in general. At the end of this post you will find practice exercises.

Ter means to have in English. It is an irregular verb in Portuguese.

Verb conjugation is challenging, but it is doable. You can totally master it. Check out my lesson with 8 power tips to learn verb conjugation.

Present tense conjugation of the verb Ter

• Eu tenho
• Você tem
• Ele tem
• Ela tem
• Nós temos
• A gente tem
• Eles têm
• Elas têm
• Vocês têm

The pronunciation of tem and têm is exactly the same.

Below are examples using the verb Ter in full sentences:

1. Quanto anos você tem? = How old are you? (Literally, what we ask in Portuguese is: How many years do you have?)

2. Eu tenho dois gatos. Você tem animais de estimação? = I have two cats. Do you have pets?

3. Você tem tempo para conversar amanhã? Que tal a gente sair pra tomar um café? = Do you have time to talk tomorrow? How about we go out for coffee?

4. Nós temos sorte de ter amigos como você. = We are lucky to have friends like you. (Notice that in Portuguese we say “we have luck”).

5. Você tem horas, por favor? = Do you have the time, please?

Here is the video lesson with pronunciation tips:

Now you can learn the easiest way to say “there is” and “there are” in Portuguese as it uses the verb Ter.

And you can improve your Portuguese even more by learning how to say that you “have to do something” in Portuguese.

Practice exercises with the verb Ter

The trick to learn the conjugation of irregular verbs is lots of practice. You have to memorize the conjugations to the point where they get into autopilot mode. The best way to do so is by using the verbs regularly and often in real life situations.

Complete the sentences with the appropriate conjugation of Ter in the present tense. To learn new vocabulary, use one of these great online dictionaries.

1. João _______________ um cachorro.

2. Eu __________________ um carro vermelho.

3. Renata __________________ um livro.

4. Eu _______________ muita energia.

5. Nós ___________________ muitos amigos.

6. Dani e Clara ____________________ uma bicicleta.

7.
ANA:       Fabiana ____________________ dinheiro, né??

MARIA:   ____________, sim. Fabiana ______________ muito dinheiro.

8. Este supermercado ________________ muitas frutas frescas.

9. Eu __________________ pressa. Não ___________________ tempo.

10. Nós __________________ muita sorte.

11. Cristina ____________________ vinte e nove anos.

12. Este shopping ___________________ lojas ótimas.

Answer key:

1. tem

2. tenho

3. tem

4. tenho

5. temos

6. têm

7. tem; tem, tem

8. tem

9. tenho, tenho

10. temos

11. tem

12. tem