Estudar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

estudar — to study — 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 study, and it is completely regular: estudo, estudas, estuda, estudamos, estudais, estudam. It is the verb for studying a subject, a language or for an exam. On this page you will find estudar 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 estudar conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the estudar present tense page.

Example sentences with estudar

In the present tense

  • “Eu estudo português todos os dias.” — “I study Portuguese”
  • “Tu estudas português todos os dias.” — “You study Portuguese”
  • “Ele estuda português todos os dias.” — “He studies Portuguese”
  • “Nós estudamos português todos os dias.” — “We study Portuguese”
  • “Vós estudais português todos os dias.” — “You study Portuguese”
  • “Eles estudam português todos os dias.” — “They study Portuguese”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu estudei português ontem.” — “I studied Portuguese”
  • “Tu estudaste português ontem.” — “You studied Portuguese”
  • “Ele estudou português ontem.” — “He studied Portuguese”
  • “Nós estudámos português ontem.” — “We studied Portuguese”
  • “Vós estudastes português ontem.” — “You studied Portuguese”
  • “Eles estudaram português ontem.” — “They studied Portuguese”

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 estudava português antigamente.” — “I used to study Portuguese”
  • “Tu estudarás português amanhã.” — “You will study Portuguese”
  • “Ele estudaria português um dia.” — “He would study Portuguese”
  • “É importante que nós estudemos português.” — “It is important that we study Portuguese”
  • “Estuda português!” — “Study Portuguese!”

How estudar is used

The first thing to know about estudar is its core meaning: to study. It means to study, and it is completely regular: estudo, estudas, estuda, estudamos, estudais, estudam. It is the verb for studying a subject, a language or for an exam. 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 estudar keeps. The present eu form is estudo, 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 estudado, 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 estudar does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need estudo, never estudar. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho estudado, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle estudado is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Estudar in context

Eu estudo português todos os dias. Tu estudas português todos os dias. Ele estuda português todos os dias. Nós estudamos português todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of estudar is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — estudo, estudas, estuda, estudamos — while the meaning stays the same: to study. Eu estudei português ontem. Tu estudaste português ontem. Ele estudou português ontem. Nós estudámos português ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of estudar 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 study — 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 estudar português.”

✓ Right: “Eu estudo português todos os dias.”

The infinitive estudar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form estudo.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu estudas português.”

✓ Right: “Eu estudo português todos os dias.”

estudas is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is estudo — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu estudo português ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu estudei português ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito estudei here, not the present estudo.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou estudado português.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho estudado português esta semana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) estudo
    • B) estudas
    • C) estuda
    • D) estudamos

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

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

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

    • A) estudavas
    • B) estudávamos
    • C) estudáveis
    • D) estudava

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

    • A) estudaremos
    • B) estudarei
    • C) estudarás
    • D) estudará

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

    • A) estudaria
    • B) estudarias
    • C) estudaríamos
    • D) estudaríeis

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

    • A) estudaras
    • B) estudáramos
    • C) estudara
    • D) estudáreis

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

    • A) estude
    • B) estudes
    • C) estudeis
    • D) estudemos

  8. What is the gerund of estudar?

    • A) estudando
    • B) estudado
    • C) estudar
    • D) estudo

  9. What is the past participle of estudar?

    • A) estudando
    • B) estudado
    • C) estudar
    • D) estudo

  10. What does estudar mean in English?

  • A) to be
  • B) to have
  • C) to study
  • D) —

Answer key

  1. B) estudas — the correct form is estudas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho estudado — the correct form is tenho estudado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) estudava — the correct form is estudava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) estudaremos — the correct form is estudaremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) estudarias — the correct form is estudarias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) estudara — the correct form is estudara. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) estudemos — the correct form is estudemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) estudando — the correct form is estudando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) estudado — the correct form is estudado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to study — the correct form is to study. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does estudar mean in English?

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

Is estudar regular or irregular?

estudar is regular. estudar 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 estudar?

The gerund is estudando and the past participle is estudado. The perfect tenses use ter + estudado.

Where can I see the full conjugation of estudar?

On the estudar conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The estudar 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 estudar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Related pages