Introduction

Ligar means “to turn on”, and this page covers exactly one thing: ligar 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 ligar, 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 ligar in the present. It means to turn on and to switch on, and it is regular apart from its spelling: the -gar stem keeps its hard g by writing gu before e and i, so the pretérito perfeito eu form is liguei. The present is ligo, ligas, liga, and the participle is ligado. It also means to connect and to phone someone. Do not confuse it with desligar, which means to turn off. For example: “Ele liga a televisão todos os dias.” — “He turns on the television.” Everything on this page uses the forms of ligar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Ligar in the Present — full table

Person Form
eu ligo
tu ligas
ele/ela liga
nós ligamos
vós ligais
eles/elas ligam
Gerund: ligando · Past participle: ligado
The gerund is ligando, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Ligando a televisão, aprendo muito.” — “While turning on the television, I learn a lot.” The past participle is ligado, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho ligado 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 ligar is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for ligar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of ligar is formed

The present tense of ligar has six forms: eu ligo, tu ligas, ele liga, nós ligamos, vós ligais, eles ligam. Say them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. ligar 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. Because the stem keeps its hard sound by writing qu or gu before e and i, the eu form is ligo and the subjunctive eu form is ligue.

Two things about the present of ligar 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 ligamos and ligais pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Portuguese uses where English would often use the continuous form, so ligo can mean both “I turn on” and “I am turning on” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because ligar 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 ligar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use ligar 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 ligar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos os dias, sempre or todas as semanas to make the routine explicit. Example: “Eu ligo a televisão todos os dias.” — “I turn on the television.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about ligar does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Ele liga a televisão todos os dias.” — “He turns on the television.”

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 ligar 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 ligamos a televisão todos os dias.” — “We turn on the television.”

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 ligas a televisão todos os dias.” — “You turn on the television.”

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 ligar in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Eles ligam a televisão todos os dias.” — “They turn on the television.”

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 liga a televisão todos os dias.” — “He turns on the television”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele ligou a televisão ontem.” — “He turned on the television”
  • 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 ligo a televisão todos os dias.” — “I turn on the television”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu liguei a televisão ontem.” — “I turned on the television”
  • 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 ligas a televisão todos os dias.” — “You turn on the television”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu ligaste a televisão ontem.” — “You turned on the television”
  • 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: ligar 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 ligo a televisão todos os dias.” — “I turn on the television”
  2. “Tu ligas a televisão todos os dias.” — “You turn on the television”
  3. “Ele liga a televisão todos os dias.” — “He turns on the television”
  4. “Nós ligamos a televisão todos os dias.” — “We turn on the television”
  5. “Vós ligais a televisão todos os dias.” — “You turn on the television”
  6. “Eles ligam a televisão todos os dias.” — “They turn on the television”
  7. “Eu ligo a televisão todos os dias.” — “I turn on the television”
  8. “Ele liga a televisão todos os dias.” — “He turns on the television”

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

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 ligar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) ligas
    • B) ligo
    • C) liga
    • D) ligamos

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

    • A) ligo
    • B) liga
    • C) ligas
    • D) ligamos

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

    • A) ligo
    • B) ligas
    • C) ligamos
    • D) liga

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

    • A) ligamos
    • B) ligo
    • C) ligas
    • D) liga

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

    • A) ligo
    • B) ligais
    • C) ligas
    • D) liga

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

    • A) ligo
    • B) ligas
    • C) ligam
    • D) liga

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

    • A) ligas
    • B) liga
    • C) ligamos
    • D) ligo

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

    • A) ligas
    • B) ligo
    • C) liga
    • D) ligamos

Answer key

  1. B) ligo — the correct form is ligo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ligas — the correct form is ligas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) liga — the correct form is liga. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) ligamos — the correct form is ligamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) ligais — the correct form is ligais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) ligam — the correct form is ligam. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) ligo — the correct form is ligo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) ligas — the correct form is ligas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does ligar mean in English?

ligar means “to turn on”. It is a regular -ar verb.

How is the present tense of ligar formed?

The six present forms are: eu ligo, tu ligas, ele liga, nós ligamos, vós ligais, eles ligam. ligar 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 ligar?

The gerund is ligando and the past participle is ligado.

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