Falar Conjugation in Portuguese
falar means “to speak” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Portuguese learners meet — it sits at number 17 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Portuguese verbs. 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. This page gives you the complete conjugation of falar — 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 falo português com a Maria todos os dias.” — “I speak Portuguese with Maria.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: falar
- English: to speak
- Verb type: Regular -ar verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: falando
- Present participle: falante
- Past participle: falado
- 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 falar, 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 falar in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about falar
- 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 falado. 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 falando, the present participle is falante and the past participle is falado: 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 falar. 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 | falo |
| tu | falas |
| ele/ela | fala |
| nós | falamos |
| vós | falais |
| eles/elas | falam |
The present indicative (presente) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Eu falo português com a Maria todos os dias.” — “I speak Portuguese with Maria”
Pretérito perfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | falei |
| tu | falaste |
| ele/ela | falou |
| nós | falámos |
| vós | falastes |
| eles/elas | falaram |
The pretérito perfeito is used for completed actions in the past, especially one finished event. For example: “Eu falei português com a Maria ontem.” — “I spoke Portuguese with Maria”
Pretérito imperfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | falava |
| tu | falavas |
| ele/ela | falava |
| nós | falávamos |
| vós | faláveis |
| eles/elas | falavam |
The pretérito imperfeito is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Eu falava português com a Maria antigamente.” — “I used to speak Portuguese with Maria”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | falara |
| tu | falaras |
| ele/ela | falara |
| nós | faláramos |
| vós | faláreis |
| eles/elas | falaram |
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 falara português com a Maria antes do jantar.” — “I had spoken Portuguese with Maria”
Futuro do presente
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | falarei |
| tu | falarás |
| ele/ela | falará |
| nós | falaremos |
| vós | falareis |
| eles/elas | falarão |
The futuro do presente is used for what will happen, for predictions and for promises. For example: “Eu falarei português com a Maria amanhã.” — “I will speak Portuguese with Maria”
Futuro do pretérito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | falaria |
| tu | falarias |
| ele/ela | falaria |
| nós | falaríamos |
| vós | falaríeis |
| eles/elas | falariam |
The futuro do pretérito is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Eu falaria português com a Maria um dia.” — “I would speak Portuguese with Maria”
Pretérito perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenho falado |
| tu | tens falado |
| ele/ela | tem falado |
| nós | temos falado |
| vós | tendes falado |
| eles/elas | têm falado |
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 falado português com a Maria esta semana.” — “He has spoken Portuguese with Maria”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tinha falado |
| tu | tinhas falado |
| ele/ela | tinha falado |
| nós | tínhamos falado |
| vós | tínheis falado |
| eles/elas | tinham falado |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Eu tinha falado português com a Maria antes do jantar.” — “I had spoken Portuguese with Maria”
Futuro do presente composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | terei falado |
| tu | terás falado |
| ele/ela | terá falado |
| nós | teremos falado |
| vós | tereis falado |
| eles/elas | terão falado |
The futuro do presente composto is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Eu terei falado português com a Maria até amanhã.” — “I will have spoken Portuguese with Maria”
Futuro do pretérito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | teria falado |
| tu | terias falado |
| ele/ela | teria falado |
| nós | teríamos falado |
| vós | teríeis falado |
| eles/elas | teriam falado |
The futuro do pretérito composto is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Eu teria falado português com a Maria ontem.” — “I would have spoken Portuguese with Maria”
Presente do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | fale |
| tu | fales |
| ele/ela | fale |
| nós | falemos |
| vós | faleis |
| eles/elas | falem |
The presente do subjuntivo is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “É importante que eu fale português com a Maria.” — “It is important that I speak Portuguese with Maria”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | falasse |
| tu | falasses |
| ele/ela | falasse |
| nós | falássemos |
| vós | falásseis |
| eles/elas | falassem |
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 falasse português com a Maria.” — “It was important that I speak Portuguese with Maria”
Futuro do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | falar |
| tu | falares |
| ele/ela | falar |
| nós | falarmos |
| vós | falardes |
| eles/elas | falarem |
The futuro do subjuntivo is used after se and quando for a future possibility, where English would use the present. For example: “Se eu falar português com a Maria, é bom.” — “If I speak Portuguese with Maria, that is good”
Imperativo (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | fala |
| ele/ela | fale |
| nós | falemos |
| vós | falai |
| eles/elas | falem |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Fala português com a Maria!” — “Speak Portuguese with Maria!”
Imperativo (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | não fales |
| ele/ela | não fale |
| nós | não falemos |
| vós | não faleis |
| eles/elas | não falem |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Não fales português com a Maria.” — “Do not speak Portuguese with Maria.”
Presente do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenha falado |
| tu | tenhas falado |
| ele/ela | tenha falado |
| nós | tenhamos falado |
| vós | tenhais falado |
| eles/elas | tenham falado |
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 falado português com a Maria.” — “It is important that I have spoken Portuguese with Maria”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tivesse falado |
| tu | tivesses falado |
| ele/ela | tivesse falado |
| nós | tivéssemos falado |
| vós | tivésseis falado |
| eles/elas | tivessem falado |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a past subordinate clause. For example: “Era importante que eu tivesse falado português com a Maria.” — “It was important that I had spoken Portuguese with Maria”
Futuro do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tiver falado |
| tu | tiveres falado |
| ele/ela | tiver falado |
| nós | tivermos falado |
| vós | tiverdes falado |
| eles/elas | tiverem falado |
The futuro do subjuntivo composto is used after se for a completed future possibility. For example: “Se eu tiver falado português com a Maria, é bom.” — “If I have spoken Portuguese with Maria, that is good”
Gerund
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Gerund | falando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with estar for the progressive. For example: “Falando português com a Maria, aprendo muito.” — “While speaking Portuguese with Maria, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Present participle | falante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle falante 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 falante 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 | falado |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Eu tenho falado português com a Maria esta semana.” — “I have spoken Portuguese with Maria.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with falar, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Portuguese and try to produce it from the English.
- “Eu falo português com a Maria todos os dias.” — “I speak Portuguese with Maria”
- “Tu falaste português com a Maria ontem.” — “You spoke Portuguese with Maria”
- “Ele falava português com a Maria antigamente.” — “He used to speak Portuguese with Maria”
- “Eu falarei português com a Maria amanhã.” — “I will speak Portuguese with Maria”
- “Tu falarias português com a Maria um dia.” — “You would speak Portuguese with Maria”
- “Ele tem falado português com a Maria esta semana.” — “He has spoken Portuguese with Maria”
- “Eu tinha falado português com a Maria antes do jantar.” — “I had spoken Portuguese with Maria”
- “Tu terás falado português com a Maria até amanhã.” — “You will have spoken Portuguese with Maria”
- “É importante que eu fale português com a Maria.” — “It is important that I speak Portuguese with Maria”
- “Fala português com a Maria!” — “Speak Portuguese with Maria!”
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’s form
✗ 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. Match the verb to the subject every time: eu goes with falo.
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 the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito falei for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the pretérito perfeito composto
✗ Wrong: “Eu sou falado português com a Maria.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho falado português com a Maria esta semana.”
The pretérito perfeito composto of falar is formed with ter plus the past participle falado: the eu form is tenho falado. 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 falo português com a Maria.”
✓ Right: “É importante que eu fale português com a Maria.”
After é importante que Portuguese needs the subjunctive, so use fale here, not the indicative falo.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Eu tenho falando português com a Maria.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho falado português com a Maria esta semana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle falado, not the gerund falando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on falar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the eu form of falar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) falas
- B) falo
- C) fala
- D) falamos
What is the ele/ela form of falar in the Pretérito perfeito?
- A) falei
- B) falaste
- C) falou
- D) falámos
What is the nós form of falar in the Pretérito imperfeito?
- A) falava
- B) falavas
- C) faláveis
- D) falávamos
What is the tu form of falar in the Futuro do presente?
- A) falarás
- B) falarei
- C) falará
- D) falaremos
What is the eu form of falar in the Futuro do pretérito?
- A) falarias
- B) falaria
- C) falaríamos
- D) falaríeis
What is the ele/ela form of falar in the Pretérito perfeito composto?
- A) tenho falado
- B) tens falado
- C) tem falado
- D) temos falado
What is the ele/ela form of falar in the Presente do subjuntivo?
- A) fales
- B) falemos
- C) faleis
- D) fale
What is the eu form of falar in the Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo?
- A) falasse
- B) falasses
- C) falássemos
- D) falásseis
What is the gerund of falar?
- A) falado
- B) falando
- C) falar
- D) falo
What does falar mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to have
- C) to speak
- D) —
Answer key
- B) falo — the correct form is falo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) falou — the correct form is falou. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) falávamos — the correct form is falávamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) falarás — the correct form is falarás. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) falaria — the correct form is falaria. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) tem falado — the correct form is tem falado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) fale — the correct form is fale. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) falasse — the correct form is falasse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) falando — the correct form is falando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- 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”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is falar regular or irregular?
falar is regular: it follows the ordinary -ar pattern in every tense. The gerund is falando and the past participle is falado.
What are the gerund and past participle of falar?
The gerund is falando — use it with estar for the progressive. The past participle is falado — use it with ter for the perfect tenses, as in tenho falado.
Which auxiliary does falar take in the pretérito perfeito composto?
falar takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto: the eu form is tenho falado. All seven compound tenses on this page are built with ter plus the past participle falado.
How do I say “I speak” in Portuguese?
Say “Eu falo português com a Maria todos os dias.” — “I speak Portuguese with Maria” The eu form of the present is falo, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of falar — every tense of falar in one place.
- Falar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Falar 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 falar with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise falar with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise falar with the interactive tool.