Fechar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

fechar — to close — 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 close, and it is completely regular: fecho, fechas, fecha, fechamos, fechais, fecham. Its pretérito perfeito is fechei, fechaste, fechou, and its participle is fechado. It is the natural opposite of abrir. On this page you will find fechar 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 fechar conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the fechar present tense page.

Example sentences with fechar

In the present tense

  • “Eu fecho a porta todos os dias.” — “I close the door”
  • “Tu fechas a porta todos os dias.” — “You close the door”
  • “Ele fecha a porta todos os dias.” — “He closes the door”
  • “Nós fechamos a porta todos os dias.” — “We close the door”
  • “Vós fechais a porta todos os dias.” — “You close the door”
  • “Eles fecham a porta todos os dias.” — “They close the door”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu fechei a porta ontem.” — “I closed the door”
  • “Tu fechaste a porta ontem.” — “You closed the door”
  • “Ele fechou a porta ontem.” — “He closed the door”
  • “Nós fechámos a porta ontem.” — “We closed the door”
  • “Vós fechastes a porta ontem.” — “You closed the door”
  • “Eles fecharam a porta ontem.” — “They closed the door”

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 fechava a porta antigamente.” — “I used to close the door”
  • “Tu fecharás a porta amanhã.” — “You will close the door”
  • “Ele fecharia a porta um dia.” — “He would close the door”
  • “É importante que nós fechemos a porta.” — “It is important that we close the door”
  • “Fecha a porta!” — “Close the door!”

How fechar is used

The first thing to know about fechar is its core meaning: to close. It means to close, and it is completely regular: fecho, fechas, fecha, fechamos, fechais, fecham. Its pretérito perfeito is fechei, fechaste, fechou, and its participle is fechado. It is the natural opposite of abrir. 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 fechar keeps. The present eu form is fecho, 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 fechado, 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 fechar does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need fecho, never fechar. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho fechado, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle fechado is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Fechar in context

Eu fecho a porta todos os dias. Tu fechas a porta todos os dias. Ele fecha a porta todos os dias. Nós fechamos a porta todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of fechar is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — fecho, fechas, fecha, fechamos — while the meaning stays the same: to close. Eu fechei a porta ontem. Tu fechaste a porta ontem. Ele fechou a porta ontem. Nós fechámos a porta ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of fechar 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 close — 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 fechar a porta.”

✓ Right: “Eu fecho a porta todos os dias.”

The infinitive fechar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form fecho.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu fechas a porta.”

✓ Right: “Eu fecho a porta todos os dias.”

fechas is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is fecho — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu fecho a porta ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu fechei a porta ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito fechei here, not the present fecho.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou fechado a porta.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho fechado a porta esta semana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) fecho
    • B) fechas
    • C) fecha
    • D) fechamos

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

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

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

    • A) fechavas
    • B) fechávamos
    • C) fecháveis
    • D) fechava

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

    • A) fecharemos
    • B) fecharei
    • C) fecharás
    • D) fechará

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

    • A) fecharia
    • B) fecharias
    • C) fecharíamos
    • D) fecharíeis

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

    • A) fecharas
    • B) fecháramos
    • C) fechara
    • D) fecháreis

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

    • A) feche
    • B) feches
    • C) fecheis
    • D) fechemos

  8. What is the gerund of fechar?

    • A) fechando
    • B) fechado
    • C) fechar
    • D) fecho

  9. What is the past participle of fechar?

    • A) fechando
    • B) fechado
    • C) fechar
    • D) fecho

  10. What does fechar mean in English?

  • A) to ask for
  • B) to receive
  • C) to close
  • D) to pay

Answer key

  1. B) fechas — the correct form is fechas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho fechado — the correct form is tenho fechado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) fechava — the correct form is fechava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) fecharemos — the correct form is fecharemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) fecharias — the correct form is fecharias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) fechara — the correct form is fechara. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) fechemos — the correct form is fechemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) fechando — the correct form is fechando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) fechado — the correct form is fechado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to close — the correct form is to close. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does fechar mean in English?

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

Is fechar regular or irregular?

fechar is regular. fechar 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 fechar?

The gerund is fechando and the past participle is fechado. The perfect tenses use ter + fechado.

Where can I see the full conjugation of fechar?

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

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