Introduction

Lembrar means “to remember”, and this page covers exactly one thing: lembrar in the present tense. The present is the tense Portuguese speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for lembrar, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the pretérito perfeito, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about lembrar in the present. It means to remember, and it is completely regular: lembro, lembras, lembra, lembramos, lembrais, lembram. Its pretérito perfeito is lembrei, lembraste, lembrou, and its participle is lembrado. It usually takes de before its object: lembro da Maria. For example: “Ele lembra da Maria todos os dias.” — “He remembers Maria.” Everything on this page uses the forms of lembrar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Lembrar in the Present — full table

Person Form
eu lembro
tu lembras
ele/ela lembra
nós lembramos
vós lembrais
eles/elas lembram
Gerund: lembrando · Past participle: lembrado
The gerund is lembrando, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Lembrando da Maria, aprendo muito.” — “While remembering Maria, I learn a lot.” The past participle is lembrado, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho lembrado is the pretérito perfeito composto, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how lembrar is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for lembrar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of lembrar is formed

The present tense of lembrar has six forms: eu lembro, tu lembras, ele lembra, nós lembramos, vós lembrais, eles lembram. Say them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. lembrar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings — -o, -as, -a, -amos, -ais, -am for -ar verbs; -o, -es, -e, -emos, -eis, -em for -er verbs; and -o, -es, -e, -imos, -is, -em for -ir verbs — so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb.

Two things about the present of lembrar are worth noticing. First, the nós and vós forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its nós and vós forms from the same stem, so learning lembramos and lembrais pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Portuguese uses where English would often use the continuous form, so lembro can mean both “I remember” and “I am remembering” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because lembrar is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -ar endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of lembrar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use lembrar in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and lembrar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos os dias, sempre or todas as semanas to make the routine explicit. Example: “Eu lembro da Maria todos os dias.” — “I remember Maria.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about lembrar does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Ele lembra da Maria todos os dias.” — “He remembers Maria.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Portuguese often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with lembrar in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nós lembramos da Maria todos os dias.” — “We remember Maria.”

4. Scheduled future events

Portuguese uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu lembras da Maria todos os dias.” — “You remember Maria.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and lembrar in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Eles lembram da Maria todos os dias.” — “They remember Maria.”

Present Tense vs Pretérito Perfeito: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the pretérito perfeito, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the pretérito perfeito describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as todos os dias or sempre, while the pretérito perfeito sentences use ontem or na semana passada. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Ele lembra da Maria todos os dias.” — “He remembers Maria”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele lembrou da Maria ontem.” — “He remembered Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
  • Present Tense: “Eu lembro da Maria todos os dias.” — “I remember Maria”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu lembrei da Maria ontem.” — “I remembered Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
  • Present Tense: “Tu lembras da Maria todos os dias.” — “You remember Maria”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu lembraste da Maria ontem.” — “You remembered Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.

Example sentences: lembrar in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Eu lembro da Maria todos os dias.” — “I remember Maria”
  2. “Tu lembras da Maria todos os dias.” — “You remember Maria”
  3. “Ele lembra da Maria todos os dias.” — “He remembers Maria”
  4. “Nós lembramos da Maria todos os dias.” — “We remember Maria”
  5. “Vós lembrais da Maria todos os dias.” — “You remember Maria”
  6. “Eles lembram da Maria todos os dias.” — “They remember Maria”
  7. “Eu lembro da Maria todos os dias.” — “I remember Maria”
  8. “Ele lembra da Maria todos os dias.” — “He remembers Maria”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Eu lembras da Maria.” Right: “Eu lembro da Maria todos os dias.” Why: The eu form is lembro, not lembras. lembras is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Nós lembro da Maria.” Right: “Nós lembramos da Maria todos os dias.” Why: Nós needs the nós form lembramos. lembro belongs with eu only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Eu lembro da Maria todos os dias ontem.” Right: “Eu lembrei da Maria ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito lembrei for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Eu lembrar da Maria.” Right: “Eu lembro da Maria todos os dias.” Why: The infinitive lembrar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated form lembro.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the eu form of lembrar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) lembras
    • B) lembro
    • C) lembra
    • D) lembramos

  2. What is the tu form of lembrar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) lembro
    • B) lembra
    • C) lembras
    • D) lembramos

  3. What is the ele/ela form of lembrar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) lembro
    • B) lembras
    • C) lembramos
    • D) lembra

  4. What is the nós form of lembrar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) lembramos
    • B) lembro
    • C) lembras
    • D) lembra

  5. What is the vós form of lembrar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) lembro
    • B) lembrais
    • C) lembras
    • D) lembra

  6. What is the eles/elas form of lembrar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) lembro
    • B) lembras
    • C) lembram
    • D) lembra

  7. What is the eu form of lembrar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) lembras
    • B) lembra
    • C) lembramos
    • D) lembro

  8. What is the tu form of lembrar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) lembras
    • B) lembro
    • C) lembra
    • D) lembramos

Answer key

  1. B) lembro — the correct form is lembro. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) lembras — the correct form is lembras. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) lembra — the correct form is lembra. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) lembramos — the correct form is lembramos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) lembrais — the correct form is lembrais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) lembram — the correct form is lembram. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) lembro — the correct form is lembro. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) lembras — the correct form is lembras. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does lembrar mean in English?

lembrar means “to remember”. It is a regular -ar verb.

How is the present tense of lembrar formed?

The six present forms are: eu lembro, tu lembras, ele lembra, nós lembramos, vós lembrais, eles lembram. lembrar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

When do I use the present instead of the pretérito perfeito?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the pretérito perfeito for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.

What are the gerund and past participle of lembrar?

The gerund is lembrando and the past participle is lembrado.

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