Achar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

achar — to think, to find — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a regular -ar verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to think, to find and to consider, and it is the verb for opinions — acho que é tarde. It is completely regular, and it is different from pensar, which is the verb for the act of thinking itself. On this page you will find achar in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the achar conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the achar present tense page.

Example sentences with achar

In the present tense

  • “Eu acho que é tarde todos os dias.” — “I think that it is late”
  • “Tu achas que é tarde todos os dias.” — “You think that it is late”
  • “Ele acha que é tarde todos os dias.” — “He thinks that it is late”
  • “Nós achamos que é tarde todos os dias.” — “We think that it is late”
  • “Vós achais que é tarde todos os dias.” — “You think that it is late”
  • “Eles acham que é tarde todos os dias.” — “They think that it is late”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu achei que é tarde ontem.” — “I thought that it is late”
  • “Tu achaste que é tarde ontem.” — “You thought that it is late”
  • “Ele achou que é tarde ontem.” — “He thought that it is late”
  • “Nós achámos que é tarde ontem.” — “We thought that it is late”
  • “Vós achastes que é tarde ontem.” — “You thought that it is late”
  • “Eles acharam que é tarde ontem.” — “They thought that it is late”

In other tenses

The same verb in the pretérito imperfeito, the futuro do presente, the futuro do pretérito, the presente do subjuntivo and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Eu achava que é tarde antigamente.” — “I used to think that it is late”
  • “Tu acharás que é tarde amanhã.” — “You will think that it is late”
  • “Ele acharia que é tarde um dia.” — “He would think that it is late”
  • “É importante que nós achemos que é tarde.” — “It is important that we think that it is late”
  • “Acha que é tarde!” — “Think that it is late!”

How achar is used

The first thing to know about achar is its core meaning: to think, to find. It means to think, to find and to consider, and it is the verb for opinions — acho que é tarde. It is completely regular, and it is different from pensar, which is the verb for the act of thinking itself. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the pretérito perfeito, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company achar keeps. The present eu form is acho, and it pairs naturally with the time words todos os dias and sempre for habits, and with agora for what is happening right now. The pretérito perfeito composto eu form is tenho achado, and it pairs with ontem and esta semana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what achar does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need acho, never achar. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho achado, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle achado is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Achar in context

Eu acho que é tarde todos os dias. Tu achas que é tarde todos os dias. Ele acha que é tarde todos os dias. Nós achamos que é tarde todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of achar is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — acho, achas, acha, achamos — while the meaning stays the same: to think, to find. Eu achei que é tarde ontem. Tu achaste que é tarde ontem. Ele achou que é tarde ontem. Nós achámos que é tarde ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of achar appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to think, to find — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Eu achar que é tarde.”

✓ Right: “Eu acho que é tarde todos os dias.”

The infinitive achar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form acho.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu achas que é tarde.”

✓ Right: “Eu acho que é tarde todos os dias.”

achas is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is acho — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu acho que é tarde ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu achei que é tarde ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito achei here, not the present acho.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou achado que é tarde.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho achado que é tarde esta semana.”

achar takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto. The eu form is tenho achado — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on achar across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of achar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) acho
    • B) achas
    • C) acha
    • D) achamos

  2. What is the eu form of achar in the Pretérito perfeito composto?

    • A) tens achado
    • B) tem achado
    • C) tenho achado
    • D) temos achado

  3. What is the ele/ela form of achar in the Pretérito imperfeito?

    • A) achavas
    • B) achávamos
    • C) acháveis
    • D) achava

  4. What is the nós form of achar in the Futuro do presente?

    • A) acharemos
    • B) acharei
    • C) acharás
    • D) achará

  5. What is the tu form of achar in the Futuro do pretérito?

    • A) acharia
    • B) acharias
    • C) acharíamos
    • D) acharíeis

  6. What is the eu form of achar in the Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples?

    • A) acharas
    • B) acháramos
    • C) achara
    • D) acháreis

  7. What is the nós form of achar in the Presente do subjuntivo?

    • A) ache
    • B) aches
    • C) acheis
    • D) achemos

  8. What is the gerund of achar?

    • A) achando
    • B) achado
    • C) achar
    • D) acho

  9. What is the past participle of achar?

    • A) achando
    • B) achado
    • C) achar
    • D) acho

  10. What does achar mean in English?

  • A) to be
  • B) to have
  • C) to think, to find
  • D) —

Answer key

  1. B) achas — the correct form is achas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho achado — the correct form is tenho achado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) achava — the correct form is achava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) acharemos — the correct form is acharemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) acharias — the correct form is acharias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) achara — the correct form is achara. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) achemos — the correct form is achemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) achando — the correct form is achando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) achado — the correct form is achado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to think, to find — the correct form is to think, to find. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does achar mean in English?

achar means “to think, to find”. You use it whenever you talk about to think, to find in Portuguese, in the present, the past and the future.

Is achar regular or irregular?

achar is regular. achar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of achar?

The gerund is achando and the past participle is achado. The perfect tenses use ter + achado.

Where can I see the full conjugation of achar?

On the achar conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The achar present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for achar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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