Introduction
Limpar means “to clean”, and this page covers exactly one thing: limpar 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 limpar, 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 limpar in the present. It means to clean, and it is completely regular: limpo, limpas, limpa, limpamos, limpais, limpam. Its pretérito perfeito is limpei, limpaste, limpou, and its participle is limpado. It is the verb for cleaning a house, a room or a car. For example: “Ele limpa a casa todos os dias.” — “He cleans the house.” Everything on this page uses the forms of limpar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.
Limpar in the Present — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | limpo |
| tu | limpas |
| ele/ela | limpa |
| nós | limpamos |
| vós | limpais |
| eles/elas | limpam |
| Gerund: limpando · Past participle: limpado | |
| The gerund is limpando, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Limpando a casa, aprendo muito.” — “While cleaning the house, I learn a lot.” The past participle is limpado, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho limpado 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 limpar is used. | |
| Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for limpar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. |
How the present of limpar is formed
The present tense of limpar has six forms: eu limpo, tu limpas, ele limpa, nós limpamos, vós limpais, eles limpam. Say them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. limpar 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 limpar 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 limpamos and limpais pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Portuguese uses where English would often use the continuous form, so limpo can mean both “I clean” and “I am cleaning” — context tells the listener which one you mean.
Because limpar 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 limpar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use limpar 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 limpar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos os dias, sempre or todas as semanas to make the routine explicit. Example: “Eu limpo a casa todos os dias.” — “I clean the house.”
2. General truths
Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about limpar does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Ele limpa a casa todos os dias.” — “He cleans the house.”
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 limpar 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 limpamos a casa todos os dias.” — “We clean the house.”
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 limpas a casa todos os dias.” — “You clean the house.”
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 limpar in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Eles limpam a casa todos os dias.” — “They clean the house.”
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 limpa a casa todos os dias.” — “He cleans the house”
- Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele limpou a casa ontem.” — “He cleaned the house”
- 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 limpo a casa todos os dias.” — “I clean the house”
- Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu limpei a casa ontem.” — “I cleaned the house”
- 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 limpas a casa todos os dias.” — “You clean the house”
- Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu limpaste a casa ontem.” — “You cleaned the house”
- 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: limpar 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.
- “Eu limpo a casa todos os dias.” — “I clean the house”
- “Tu limpas a casa todos os dias.” — “You clean the house”
- “Ele limpa a casa todos os dias.” — “He cleans the house”
- “Nós limpamos a casa todos os dias.” — “We clean the house”
- “Vós limpais a casa todos os dias.” — “You clean the house”
- “Eles limpam a casa todos os dias.” — “They clean the house”
- “Eu limpo a casa todos os dias.” — “I clean the house”
- “Ele limpa a casa todos os dias.” — “He cleans the house”
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 limpas a casa.” Right: “Eu limpo a casa todos os dias.” Why: The eu form is limpo, not limpas. limpas is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
- Wrong: “Nós limpo a casa.” Right: “Nós limpamos a casa todos os dias.” Why: Nós needs the nós form limpamos. limpo belongs with eu only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
- Wrong: “Eu limpo a casa todos os dias ontem.” Right: “Eu limpei a casa ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito limpei for a finished action yesterday.
- Wrong: “Eu limpar a casa.” Right: “Eu limpo a casa todos os dias.” Why: The infinitive limpar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated form limpo.
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.
What is the eu form of limpar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) limpas
- B) limpo
- C) limpa
- D) limpamos
What is the tu form of limpar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) limpo
- B) limpa
- C) limpas
- D) limpamos
What is the ele/ela form of limpar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) limpo
- B) limpas
- C) limpamos
- D) limpa
What is the nós form of limpar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) limpamos
- B) limpo
- C) limpas
- D) limpa
What is the vós form of limpar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) limpo
- B) limpais
- C) limpas
- D) limpa
What is the eles/elas form of limpar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) limpo
- B) limpas
- C) limpam
- D) limpa
What is the eu form of limpar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) limpas
- B) limpa
- C) limpamos
- D) limpo
What is the tu form of limpar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) limpas
- B) limpo
- C) limpa
- D) limpamos
Answer key
- B) limpo — the correct form is limpo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) limpas — the correct form is limpas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) limpa — the correct form is limpa. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) limpamos — the correct form is limpamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) limpais — the correct form is limpais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) limpam — the correct form is limpam. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) limpo — the correct form is limpo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) limpas — the correct form is limpas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does limpar mean in English?
limpar means “to clean”. It is a regular -ar verb.
How is the present tense of limpar formed?
The six present forms are: eu limpo, tu limpas, ele limpa, nós limpamos, vós limpais, eles limpam. limpar 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 limpar?
The gerund is limpando and the past participle is limpado.
Related pages
- limpar conjugation — full tables
- limpar examples and quiz
- Portuguese present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Portuguese.
- Pagar conjugation — another Portuguese verb in this batch.
- Comprar conjugation — another Portuguese verb in this batch.
- Portuguese verbs — the full hub of Portuguese conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise limpar with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise limpar with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise limpar with the interactive tool.