Fazer Conjugation in Portuguese
fazer means “to do, to make” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Portuguese learners meet — it sits at number 5 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Portuguese verbs. It covers both “to do” and “to make”, and it appears in dozens of everyday expressions: making a cake, doing homework, and talking about the weather, where Portuguese says the weather “does” hot or cold. It is irregular in almost every tense, so its tables are worth learning whole — especially fiz in the pretérito perfeito and faço in the present. This page gives you the complete conjugation of fazer — 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 faço um bolo todos os dias.” — “I make a cake.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: fazer
- English: to do, to make
- Verb type: Irregular -er verb
- Irregular in: presente, pretérito perfeito, pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples, futuro do presente, futuro do pretérito, presente do subjuntivo, pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo, futuro do subjuntivo, imperativo afirmativo, imperativo negativo, particípio, pretérito perfeito composto, pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto, futuro do presente composto, futuro do pretérito composto, presente do subjuntivo composto, pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto, futuro do subjuntivo composto
- Gerund: fazendo
- Present participle: —
- Past participle: feito
- Auxiliary: ter (all perfect tenses are formed with ter + the past participle)
- Ending: -er verbs; pattern er in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for fazer, 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 fazer in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about fazer
- It is irregular in 18 tense(s): presente, pretérito perfeito, pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples, futuro do presente, futuro do pretérito, presente do subjuntivo, pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo, futuro do subjuntivo, imperativo afirmativo, imperativo negativo, particípio, pretérito perfeito composto, pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto, futuro do presente composto, futuro do pretérito composto, presente do subjuntivo composto, pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto, futuro do subjuntivo composto. Learn those forms as a set instead of guessing them from the infinitive, because the stem changes in ways no rule predicts.
- The perfect tenses use ter: the pretérito perfeito composto is formed with ter in the present plus the past participle feito. 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 fazendo and the past participle is feito: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the gerund appears in progressive constructions and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. There is no present participle form listed for this verb in the verified tables. If you know those two 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 fazer. 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 | faço |
| tu | fazes |
| ele/ela | faz |
| nós | fazemos |
| vós | fazeis |
| eles/elas | fazem |
The present indicative (presente) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Eu faço um bolo todos os dias.” — “I make a cake”
Pretérito perfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | fiz |
| tu | fizeste |
| ele/ela | fez |
| nós | fizemos |
| vós | fizestes |
| eles/elas | fizeram |
The pretérito perfeito is used for completed actions in the past, especially one finished event. For example: “Eu fiz um bolo ontem.” — “I made a cake”
Pretérito imperfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | fazia |
| tu | fazias |
| ele/ela | fazia |
| nós | fazíamos |
| vós | fazíeis |
| eles/elas | faziam |
The pretérito imperfeito is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Eu fazia um bolo antigamente.” — “I used to make a cake”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | fizera |
| tu | fizeras |
| ele/ela | fizera |
| nós | fizéramos |
| vós | fizéreis |
| eles/elas | fizeram |
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 fizera um bolo antes do jantar.” — “I had made a cake”
Futuro do presente
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | farei |
| tu | farás |
| ele/ela | fará |
| nós | faremos |
| vós | fareis |
| eles/elas | farão |
The futuro do presente is used for what will happen, for predictions and for promises. For example: “Eu farei um bolo amanhã.” — “I will make a cake”
Futuro do pretérito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | faria |
| tu | farias |
| ele/ela | faria |
| nós | faríamos |
| vós | faríeis |
| eles/elas | fariam |
The futuro do pretérito is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Eu faria um bolo um dia.” — “I would make a cake”
Pretérito perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenho feito |
| tu | tens feito |
| ele/ela | tem feito |
| nós | temos feito |
| vós | tendes feito |
| eles/elas | têm feito |
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 feito um bolo esta semana.” — “He has made a cake”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tinha feito |
| tu | tinhas feito |
| ele/ela | tinha feito |
| nós | tínhamos feito |
| vós | tínheis feito |
| eles/elas | tinham feito |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Eu tinha feito um bolo antes do jantar.” — “I had made a cake”
Futuro do presente composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | terei feito |
| tu | terás feito |
| ele/ela | terá feito |
| nós | teremos feito |
| vós | tereis feito |
| eles/elas | terão feito |
The futuro do presente composto is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Eu terei feito um bolo até amanhã.” — “I will have made a cake”
Futuro do pretérito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | teria feito |
| tu | terias feito |
| ele/ela | teria feito |
| nós | teríamos feito |
| vós | teríeis feito |
| eles/elas | teriam feito |
The futuro do pretérito composto is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Eu teria feito um bolo ontem.” — “I would have made a cake”
Presente do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | faça |
| tu | faças |
| ele/ela | faça |
| nós | façamos |
| vós | façais |
| eles/elas | façam |
The presente do subjuntivo is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “É importante que eu faça um bolo.” — “It is important that I make a cake”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | fizesse |
| tu | fizesses |
| ele/ela | fizesse |
| nós | fizéssemos |
| vós | fizésseis |
| eles/elas | fizessem |
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 fizesse um bolo.” — “It was important that I make a cake”
Futuro do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | fizer |
| tu | fizeres |
| ele/ela | fizer |
| nós | fizermos |
| vós | fizerdes |
| eles/elas | fizerem |
The futuro do subjuntivo is used after se and quando for a future possibility, where English would use the present. For example: “Se eu fizer um bolo, é bom.” — “If I make a cake, that is good”
Imperativo (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | faz |
| ele/ela | faça |
| nós | façamos |
| vós | fazei |
| eles/elas | façam |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Faz um bolo!” — “Make a cake!”
Imperativo (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | não faças |
| ele/ela | não faça |
| nós | não façamos |
| vós | não façais |
| eles/elas | não façam |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Não faças um bolo.” — “Do not make a cake.”
Presente do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenha feito |
| tu | tenhas feito |
| ele/ela | tenha feito |
| nós | tenhamos feito |
| vós | tenhais feito |
| eles/elas | tenham feito |
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 feito um bolo.” — “It is important that I have made a cake”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tivesse feito |
| tu | tivesses feito |
| ele/ela | tivesse feito |
| nós | tivéssemos feito |
| vós | tivésseis feito |
| eles/elas | tivessem feito |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a past subordinate clause. For example: “Era importante que eu tivesse feito um bolo.” — “It was important that I had made a cake”
Futuro do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tiver feito |
| tu | tiveres feito |
| ele/ela | tiver feito |
| nós | tivermos feito |
| vós | tiverdes feito |
| eles/elas | tiverem feito |
The futuro do subjuntivo composto is used after se for a completed future possibility. For example: “Se eu tiver feito um bolo, é bom.” — “If I have made a cake, that is good”
Gerund
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Gerund | fazendo |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with estar for the progressive. For example: “Fazendo um bolo, aprendo muito.” — “While making a cake, I learn a lot.”
Past participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Past participle | feito |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Eu tenho feito um bolo esta semana.” — “I have made a cake.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with fazer, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Portuguese and try to produce it from the English.
- “Eu faço um bolo todos os dias.” — “I make a cake”
- “Tu fizeste um bolo ontem.” — “You made a cake”
- “Ele fazia um bolo antigamente.” — “He used to make a cake”
- “Eu farei um bolo amanhã.” — “I will make a cake”
- “Tu farias um bolo um dia.” — “You would make a cake”
- “Ele tem feito um bolo esta semana.” — “He has made a cake”
- “Eu tinha feito um bolo antes do jantar.” — “I had made a cake”
- “Tu terás feito um bolo até amanhã.” — “You will have made a cake”
- “É importante que eu faça um bolo.” — “It is important that I make a cake”
- “Faz um bolo!” — “Make a cake!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Eu fazer um bolo.”
✓ Right: “Eu faço um bolo todos os dias.”
The infinitive fazer never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form faço.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Eu fazes um bolo.”
✓ Right: “Eu faço um bolo todos os dias.”
fazes is the tu form, not the eu form. Match the verb to the subject every time: eu goes with faço.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Eu faço um bolo ontem.”
✓ Right: “Eu fiz um bolo ontem.”
Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito fiz for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the pretérito perfeito composto
✗ Wrong: “Eu sou feito um bolo.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho feito um bolo esta semana.”
The pretérito perfeito composto of fazer is formed with ter plus the past participle feito: the eu form is tenho feito. 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 faço um bolo.”
✓ Right: “É importante que eu faça um bolo.”
After é importante que Portuguese needs the subjunctive, so use faça here, not the indicative faço.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Eu tenho fazendo um bolo.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho feito um bolo esta semana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle feito, not the gerund fazendo. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on fazer. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the eu form of fazer in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) fazes
- B) faço
- C) faz
- D) fazemos
What is the ele/ela form of fazer in the Pretérito perfeito?
- A) fiz
- B) fizeste
- C) fez
- D) fizemos
What is the nós form of fazer in the Pretérito imperfeito?
- A) fazia
- B) fazias
- C) fazíeis
- D) fazíamos
What is the tu form of fazer in the Futuro do presente?
- A) farás
- B) farei
- C) fará
- D) faremos
What is the eu form of fazer in the Futuro do pretérito?
- A) farias
- B) faria
- C) faríamos
- D) faríeis
What is the ele/ela form of fazer in the Pretérito perfeito composto?
- A) tenho feito
- B) tens feito
- C) tem feito
- D) temos feito
What is the ele/ela form of fazer in the Presente do subjuntivo?
- A) faças
- B) façamos
- C) façais
- D) faça
What is the eu form of fazer in the Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo?
- A) fizesse
- B) fizesses
- C) fizéssemos
- D) fizésseis
What is the gerund of fazer?
- A) feito
- B) fazendo
- C) fazer
- D) faço
What does fazer mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to have
- C) to do, to make
- D) —
Answer key
- B) faço — the correct form is faço. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) fez — the correct form is fez. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) fazíamos — the correct form is fazíamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) farás — the correct form is farás. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) faria — the correct form is faria. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) tem feito — the correct form is tem feito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) faça — the correct form is faça. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) fizesse — the correct form is fizesse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) fazendo — the correct form is fazendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to do, to make — the correct form is to do, to make. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does fazer mean in English?
fazer means “to do, to make”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is fazer regular or irregular?
fazer is irregular: it is irregular in presente, pretérito perfeito, pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples, futuro do presente, futuro do pretérito, presente do subjuntivo, pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo, futuro do subjuntivo, imperativo afirmativo, imperativo negativo, particípio, pretérito perfeito composto, pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto, futuro do presente composto, futuro do pretérito composto, presente do subjuntivo composto, pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto, futuro do subjuntivo composto. The gerund is fazendo and the past participle is feito.
What are the gerund and past participle of fazer?
The gerund is fazendo — use it with estar for the progressive. The past participle is feito — use it with ter for the perfect tenses, as in tenho feito.
Which auxiliary does fazer take in the pretérito perfeito composto?
fazer takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto: the eu form is tenho feito. All seven compound tenses on this page are built with ter plus the past participle feito.
How do I say “I make” in Portuguese?
Say “Eu faço um bolo todos os dias.” — “I make a cake” The eu form of the present is faço, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of fazer — every tense of fazer in one place.
- Fazer in the pretérito perfeito tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Fazer examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Portuguese pretérito perfeito tense guide — the full guide to the pretérito perfeito tense in Portuguese.
- Portuguese irregular verbs — every common irregular Portuguese verb, grouped by pattern.
- Ser conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Ter 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 fazer with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise fazer with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise fazer with the interactive tool.