Falar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

falar — to speak — 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 is the everyday verb for speaking a language and for talking with people, and it is completely regular, so once you know the -ar endings you can build every form from the stem. It is the model verb for the whole first conjugation, and the one this guide uses for its tables. On this page you will find falar 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 falar conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the falar present tense page.

Example sentences with falar

In the present tense

  • “Eu falo português com a Maria todos os dias.” — “I speak Portuguese with Maria”
  • “Tu falas português com a Maria todos os dias.” — “You speak Portuguese with Maria”
  • “Ele fala português com a Maria todos os dias.” — “He speaks Portuguese with Maria”
  • “Nós falamos português com a Maria todos os dias.” — “We speak Portuguese with Maria”
  • “Vós falais português com a Maria todos os dias.” — “You speak Portuguese with Maria”
  • “Eles falam português com a Maria todos os dias.” — “They speak Portuguese with Maria”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu falei português com a Maria ontem.” — “I spoke Portuguese with Maria”
  • “Tu falaste português com a Maria ontem.” — “You spoke Portuguese with Maria”
  • “Ele falou português com a Maria ontem.” — “He spoke Portuguese with Maria”
  • “Nós falámos português com a Maria ontem.” — “We spoke Portuguese with Maria”
  • “Vós falastes português com a Maria ontem.” — “You spoke Portuguese with Maria”
  • “Eles falaram português com a Maria ontem.” — “They spoke Portuguese with Maria”

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 falava português com a Maria antigamente.” — “I used to speak Portuguese with Maria”
  • “Tu falarás português com a Maria amanhã.” — “You will speak Portuguese with Maria”
  • “Ele falaria português com a Maria um dia.” — “He would speak Portuguese with Maria”
  • “É importante que nós falemos português com a Maria.” — “It is important that we speak Portuguese with Maria”
  • “Fala português com a Maria!” — “Speak Portuguese with Maria!”

How falar is used

The first thing to know about falar is its core meaning: to speak. It is the everyday verb for speaking a language and for talking with people, and it is completely regular, so once you know the -ar endings you can build every form from the stem. It is the model verb for the whole first conjugation, and the one this guide uses for its tables. 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 falar keeps. The present eu form is falo, 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 falado, 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 falar does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need falo, never falar. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho falado, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle falado is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Falar in context

Eu falo português com a Maria todos os dias. Tu falas português com a Maria todos os dias. Ele fala português com a Maria todos os dias. Nós falamos português com a Maria todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of falar is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — falo, falas, fala, falamos — while the meaning stays the same: to speak. Eu falei português com a Maria ontem. Tu falaste português com a Maria ontem. Ele falou português com a Maria ontem. Nós falámos português com a Maria ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of falar 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 speak — 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 falar português com a Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu falo português com a Maria todos os dias.”

The infinitive falar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form falo.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu falas português com a Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu falo português com a Maria todos os dias.”

falas is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is falo — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu falo português com a Maria ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu falei português com a Maria ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito falei here, not the present falo.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou falado português com a Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho falado português com a Maria esta semana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) falo
    • B) falas
    • C) fala
    • D) falamos

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

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

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

    • A) falavas
    • B) falávamos
    • C) faláveis
    • D) falava

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

    • A) falaremos
    • B) falarei
    • C) falarás
    • D) falará

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

    • A) falaria
    • B) falarias
    • C) falaríamos
    • D) falaríeis

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

    • A) falaras
    • B) faláramos
    • C) falara
    • D) faláreis

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

    • A) fale
    • B) fales
    • C) faleis
    • D) falemos

  8. What is the gerund of falar?

    • A) falando
    • B) falado
    • C) falar
    • D) falo

  9. What is the past participle of falar?

    • A) falando
    • B) falado
    • C) falar
    • D) falo

  10. What does falar mean in English?

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

Answer key

  1. B) falas — the correct form is falas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho falado — the correct form is tenho falado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) falava — the correct form is falava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) falaremos — the correct form is falaremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) falarias — the correct form is falarias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) falara — the correct form is falara. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) falemos — the correct form is falemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) falando — the correct form is falando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) falado — the correct form is falado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to speak — the correct form is to speak. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does falar mean in English?

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

Is falar regular or irregular?

falar is regular. falar 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 falar?

The gerund is falando and the past participle is falado. The perfect tenses use ter + falado.

Where can I see the full conjugation of falar?

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

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