Estudar Conjugation in Portuguese
estudar means “to study” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Portuguese learners meet — it sits at number 25 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Portuguese verbs. 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. This page gives you the complete conjugation of estudar — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Eu estudo português todos os dias.” — “I study Portuguese.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: estudar
- English: to study
- Verb type: Regular -ar verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: estudando
- Present participle: estudante
- Past participle: estudado
- Auxiliary: ter (all perfect tenses are formed with ter + the past participle)
- Ending: -ar verbs; pattern ar in the verified tables
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. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read estudar in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about estudar
- It is regular: every form follows the ordinary -ar pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions.
- The perfect tenses use ter: the pretérito perfeito composto is formed with ter in the present plus the past participle estudado. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The gerund is estudando, the present participle is estudante and the past participle is estudado: keep all three in mind as you read the tables, because the gerund appears in progressive constructions, the present participle appears as an adjective, and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those three forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for estudar. Learn the present tense first, then the pretérito perfeito and the pretérito imperfeito, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative (presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | estudo |
| tu | estudas |
| ele/ela | estuda |
| nós | estudamos |
| vós | estudais |
| eles/elas | estudam |
The present indicative (presente) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Eu estudo português todos os dias.” — “I study Portuguese”
Pretérito perfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | estudei |
| tu | estudaste |
| ele/ela | estudou |
| nós | estudámos |
| vós | estudastes |
| eles/elas | estudaram |
The pretérito perfeito is used for completed actions in the past, especially one finished event. For example: “Eu estudei português ontem.” — “I studied Portuguese”
Pretérito imperfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | estudava |
| tu | estudavas |
| ele/ela | estudava |
| nós | estudávamos |
| vós | estudáveis |
| eles/elas | estudavam |
The pretérito imperfeito is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Eu estudava português antigamente.” — “I used to study Portuguese”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | estudara |
| tu | estudaras |
| ele/ela | estudara |
| nós | estudáramos |
| vós | estudáreis |
| eles/elas | estudaram |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples is used for an action completed before another past action; in everyday speech the compound form with tinha is more common. For example: “Eu estudara português antes do jantar.” — “I had studied Portuguese”
Futuro do presente
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | estudarei |
| tu | estudarás |
| ele/ela | estudará |
| nós | estudaremos |
| vós | estudareis |
| eles/elas | estudarão |
The futuro do presente is used for what will happen, for predictions and for promises. For example: “Eu estudarei português amanhã.” — “I will study Portuguese”
Futuro do pretérito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | estudaria |
| tu | estudarias |
| ele/ela | estudaria |
| nós | estudaríamos |
| vós | estudaríeis |
| eles/elas | estudariam |
The futuro do pretérito is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Eu estudaria português um dia.” — “I would study Portuguese”
Pretérito perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenho estudado |
| tu | tens estudado |
| ele/ela | tem estudado |
| nós | temos estudado |
| vós | tendes estudado |
| eles/elas | têm estudado |
The pretérito perfeito composto is used for actions that started in the past and continue, or have been repeated, up to the present. For example: “Ele tem estudado português esta semana.” — “He has studied Portuguese”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tinha estudado |
| tu | tinhas estudado |
| ele/ela | tinha estudado |
| nós | tínhamos estudado |
| vós | tínheis estudado |
| eles/elas | tinham estudado |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Eu tinha estudado português antes do jantar.” — “I had studied Portuguese”
Futuro do presente composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | terei estudado |
| tu | terás estudado |
| ele/ela | terá estudado |
| nós | teremos estudado |
| vós | tereis estudado |
| eles/elas | terão estudado |
The futuro do presente composto is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Eu terei estudado português até amanhã.” — “I will have studied Portuguese”
Futuro do pretérito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | teria estudado |
| tu | terias estudado |
| ele/ela | teria estudado |
| nós | teríamos estudado |
| vós | teríeis estudado |
| eles/elas | teriam estudado |
The futuro do pretérito composto is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Eu teria estudado português ontem.” — “I would have studied Portuguese”
Presente do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | estude |
| tu | estudes |
| ele/ela | estude |
| nós | estudemos |
| vós | estudeis |
| eles/elas | estudem |
The presente do subjuntivo is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “É importante que eu estude português.” — “It is important that I study Portuguese”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | estudasse |
| tu | estudasses |
| ele/ela | estudasse |
| nós | estudássemos |
| vós | estudásseis |
| eles/elas | estudassem |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after que, and in se-clauses. For example: “Era importante que eu estudasse português.” — “It was important that I study Portuguese”
Futuro do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | estudar |
| tu | estudares |
| ele/ela | estudar |
| nós | estudarmos |
| vós | estudardes |
| eles/elas | estudarem |
The futuro do subjuntivo is used after se and quando for a future possibility, where English would use the present. For example: “Se eu estudar português, é bom.” — “If I study Portuguese, that is good”
Imperativo (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | estuda |
| ele/ela | estude |
| nós | estudemos |
| vós | estudai |
| eles/elas | estudem |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Estuda português!” — “Study Portuguese!”
Imperativo (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | não estudes |
| ele/ela | não estude |
| nós | não estudemos |
| vós | não estudeis |
| eles/elas | não estudem |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Não estudes português.” — “Do not study Portuguese.”
Presente do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenha estudado |
| tu | tenhas estudado |
| ele/ela | tenha estudado |
| nós | tenhamos estudado |
| vós | tenhais estudado |
| eles/elas | tenham estudado |
The presente do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a subordinate clause expressing doubt, wish or emotion. For example: “É importante que eu tenha estudado português.” — “It is important that I have studied Portuguese”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tivesse estudado |
| tu | tivesses estudado |
| ele/ela | tivesse estudado |
| nós | tivéssemos estudado |
| vós | tivésseis estudado |
| eles/elas | tivessem estudado |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a past subordinate clause. For example: “Era importante que eu tivesse estudado português.” — “It was important that I had studied Portuguese”
Futuro do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tiver estudado |
| tu | tiveres estudado |
| ele/ela | tiver estudado |
| nós | tivermos estudado |
| vós | tiverdes estudado |
| eles/elas | tiverem estudado |
The futuro do subjuntivo composto is used after se for a completed future possibility. For example: “Se eu tiver estudado português, é bom.” — “If I have studied Portuguese, that is good”
Gerund
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Gerund | estudando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with estar for the progressive. For example: “Estudando português, aprendo muito.” — “While studying Portuguese, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Present participle | estudante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle estudante is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective. You will meet estudante more often as an adjective or a noun than as a verb form, so learn it as a word in its own right.
Past participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Past participle | estudado |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Eu tenho estudado português esta semana.” — “I have studied Portuguese.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with estudar, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Portuguese and try to produce it from the English.
- “Eu estudo português todos os dias.” — “I study Portuguese”
- “Tu estudaste português ontem.” — “You studied Portuguese”
- “Ele estudava português antigamente.” — “He used to study Portuguese”
- “Eu estudarei português amanhã.” — “I will study Portuguese”
- “Tu estudarias português um dia.” — “You would study Portuguese”
- “Ele tem estudado português esta semana.” — “He has studied Portuguese”
- “Eu tinha estudado português antes do jantar.” — “I had studied Portuguese”
- “Tu terás estudado português até amanhã.” — “You will have studied Portuguese”
- “É importante que eu estude português.” — “It is important that I study Portuguese”
- “Estuda português!” — “Study Portuguese!”
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’s form
✗ Wrong: “Eu estudas português.”
✓ Right: “Eu estudo português todos os dias.”
estudas is the tu form, not the eu form. Match the verb to the subject every time: eu goes with estudo.
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 the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito estudei for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the pretérito perfeito composto
✗ Wrong: “Eu sou estudado português.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho estudado português esta semana.”
The pretérito perfeito composto of estudar is formed with ter plus the past participle estudado: the eu form is tenho estudado. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “É importante que eu estudo português.”
✓ Right: “É importante que eu estude português.”
After é importante que Portuguese needs the subjunctive, so use estude here, not the indicative estudo.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Eu tenho estudando português.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho estudado português esta semana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle estudado, not the gerund estudando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on estudar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the eu form of estudar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) estudas
- B) estudo
- C) estuda
- D) estudamos
What is the ele/ela form of estudar in the Pretérito perfeito?
- A) estudei
- B) estudaste
- C) estudou
- D) estudámos
What is the nós form of estudar in the Pretérito imperfeito?
- A) estudava
- B) estudavas
- C) estudáveis
- D) estudávamos
What is the tu form of estudar in the Futuro do presente?
- A) estudarás
- B) estudarei
- C) estudará
- D) estudaremos
What is the eu form of estudar in the Futuro do pretérito?
- A) estudarias
- B) estudaria
- C) estudaríamos
- D) estudaríeis
What is the ele/ela form of estudar in the Pretérito perfeito composto?
- A) tenho estudado
- B) tens estudado
- C) tem estudado
- D) temos estudado
What is the ele/ela form of estudar in the Presente do subjuntivo?
- A) estudes
- B) estudemos
- C) estudeis
- D) estude
What is the eu form of estudar in the Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo?
- A) estudasse
- B) estudasses
- C) estudássemos
- D) estudásseis
What is the gerund of estudar?
- A) estudado
- B) estudando
- C) estudar
- D) estudo
What does estudar mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to have
- C) to study
- D) —
Answer key
- B) estudo — the correct form is estudo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) estudou — the correct form is estudou. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) estudávamos — the correct form is estudávamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) estudarás — the correct form is estudarás. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) estudaria — the correct form is estudaria. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) tem estudado — the correct form is tem estudado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) estude — the correct form is estude. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) estudasse — the correct form is estudasse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) estudando — the correct form is estudando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- 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”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is estudar regular or irregular?
estudar is regular: it follows the ordinary -ar pattern in every tense. The gerund is estudando and the past participle is estudado.
What are the gerund and past participle of estudar?
The gerund is estudando — use it with estar for the progressive. The past participle is estudado — use it with ter for the perfect tenses, as in tenho estudado.
Which auxiliary does estudar take in the pretérito perfeito composto?
estudar takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto: the eu form is tenho estudado. All seven compound tenses on this page are built with ter plus the past participle estudado.
How do I say “I study” in Portuguese?
Say “Eu estudo português todos os dias.” — “I study Portuguese” The eu form of the present is estudo, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of estudar — every tense of estudar in one place.
- Estudar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Estudar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Portuguese present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Portuguese.
- Estar conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Dar conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Portuguese verbs — the full hub of Portuguese conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Verb Conjugator — practise estudar with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise estudar with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise estudar with the interactive tool.