Olhar Conjugation in Portuguese
olhar means “to look” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Portuguese learners meet — it sits at number 31 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Portuguese verbs. It means to look at something and to watch, and it is the verb for looking at a view, a film or a person. It is completely regular, and it is different from ver, which means to see without necessarily looking on purpose. This page gives you the complete conjugation of olhar — 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 olho para a televisão todos os dias.” — “I look at the television.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: olhar
- English: to look
- Verb type: Regular -ar verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: olhando
- Present participle: olhante
- Past participle: olhado
- Auxiliary: ter (all perfect tenses are formed with ter + the past participle)
- Ending: -ar verbs; pattern ar in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for olhar, 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 olhar in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about olhar
- It is regular: every form follows the ordinary -ar pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions.
- The perfect tenses use ter: the pretérito perfeito composto is formed with ter in the present plus the past participle olhado. 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 olhando, the present participle is olhante and the past participle is olhado: keep all three in mind as you read the tables, because the gerund appears in progressive constructions, the present participle appears as an adjective, and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those three 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 olhar. 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 | olho |
| tu | olhas |
| ele/ela | olha |
| nós | olhamos |
| vós | olhais |
| eles/elas | olham |
The present indicative (presente) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Eu olho para a televisão todos os dias.” — “I look at the television”
Pretérito perfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | olhei |
| tu | olhaste |
| ele/ela | olhou |
| nós | olhámos |
| vós | olhastes |
| eles/elas | olharam |
The pretérito perfeito is used for completed actions in the past, especially one finished event. For example: “Eu olhei para a televisão ontem.” — “I looked at the television”
Pretérito imperfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | olhava |
| tu | olhavas |
| ele/ela | olhava |
| nós | olhávamos |
| vós | olháveis |
| eles/elas | olhavam |
The pretérito imperfeito is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Eu olhava para a televisão antigamente.” — “I used to look at the television”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | olhara |
| tu | olharas |
| ele/ela | olhara |
| nós | olháramos |
| vós | olháreis |
| eles/elas | olharam |
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 olhara para a televisão antes do jantar.” — “I had looked at the television”
Futuro do presente
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | olharei |
| tu | olharás |
| ele/ela | olhará |
| nós | olharemos |
| vós | olhareis |
| eles/elas | olharão |
The futuro do presente is used for what will happen, for predictions and for promises. For example: “Eu olharei para a televisão amanhã.” — “I will look at the television”
Futuro do pretérito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | olharia |
| tu | olharias |
| ele/ela | olharia |
| nós | olharíamos |
| vós | olharíeis |
| eles/elas | olhariam |
The futuro do pretérito is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Eu olharia para a televisão um dia.” — “I would look at the television”
Pretérito perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenho olhado |
| tu | tens olhado |
| ele/ela | tem olhado |
| nós | temos olhado |
| vós | tendes olhado |
| eles/elas | têm olhado |
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 olhado para a televisão esta semana.” — “He has looked at the television”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tinha olhado |
| tu | tinhas olhado |
| ele/ela | tinha olhado |
| nós | tínhamos olhado |
| vós | tínheis olhado |
| eles/elas | tinham olhado |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Eu tinha olhado para a televisão antes do jantar.” — “I had looked at the television”
Futuro do presente composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | terei olhado |
| tu | terás olhado |
| ele/ela | terá olhado |
| nós | teremos olhado |
| vós | tereis olhado |
| eles/elas | terão olhado |
The futuro do presente composto is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Eu terei olhado para a televisão até amanhã.” — “I will have looked at the television”
Futuro do pretérito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | teria olhado |
| tu | terias olhado |
| ele/ela | teria olhado |
| nós | teríamos olhado |
| vós | teríeis olhado |
| eles/elas | teriam olhado |
The futuro do pretérito composto is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Eu teria olhado para a televisão ontem.” — “I would have looked at the television”
Presente do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | olhe |
| tu | olhes |
| ele/ela | olhe |
| nós | olhemos |
| vós | olheis |
| eles/elas | olhem |
The presente do subjuntivo is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “É importante que eu olhe para a televisão.” — “It is important that I look at the television”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | olhasse |
| tu | olhasses |
| ele/ela | olhasse |
| nós | olhássemos |
| vós | olhásseis |
| eles/elas | olhassem |
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 olhasse para a televisão.” — “It was important that I look at the television”
Futuro do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | olhar |
| tu | olhares |
| ele/ela | olhar |
| nós | olharmos |
| vós | olhardes |
| eles/elas | olharem |
The futuro do subjuntivo is used after se and quando for a future possibility, where English would use the present. For example: “Se eu olhar para a televisão, é bom.” — “If I look at the television, that is good”
Imperativo (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | olha |
| ele/ela | olhe |
| nós | olhemos |
| vós | olhai |
| eles/elas | olhem |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Olha para a televisão!” — “Look at the television!”
Imperativo (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | não olhes |
| ele/ela | não olhe |
| nós | não olhemos |
| vós | não olheis |
| eles/elas | não olhem |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Não olhes para a televisão.” — “Do not look at the television.”
Presente do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenha olhado |
| tu | tenhas olhado |
| ele/ela | tenha olhado |
| nós | tenhamos olhado |
| vós | tenhais olhado |
| eles/elas | tenham olhado |
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 olhado para a televisão.” — “It is important that I have looked at the television”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tivesse olhado |
| tu | tivesses olhado |
| ele/ela | tivesse olhado |
| nós | tivéssemos olhado |
| vós | tivésseis olhado |
| eles/elas | tivessem olhado |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a past subordinate clause. For example: “Era importante que eu tivesse olhado para a televisão.” — “It was important that I had looked at the television”
Futuro do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tiver olhado |
| tu | tiveres olhado |
| ele/ela | tiver olhado |
| nós | tivermos olhado |
| vós | tiverdes olhado |
| eles/elas | tiverem olhado |
The futuro do subjuntivo composto is used after se for a completed future possibility. For example: “Se eu tiver olhado para a televisão, é bom.” — “If I have looked at the television, that is good”
Gerund
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Gerund | olhando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with estar for the progressive. For example: “Olhando para a televisão, aprendo muito.” — “While looking at the television, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Present participle | olhante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle olhante is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective. You will meet olhante more often as an adjective or a noun than as a verb form, so learn it as a word in its own right.
Past participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Past participle | olhado |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Eu tenho olhado para a televisão esta semana.” — “I have looked at the television.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with olhar, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Portuguese and try to produce it from the English.
- “Eu olho para a televisão todos os dias.” — “I look at the television”
- “Tu olhaste para a televisão ontem.” — “You looked at the television”
- “Ele olhava para a televisão antigamente.” — “He used to look at the television”
- “Eu olharei para a televisão amanhã.” — “I will look at the television”
- “Tu olharias para a televisão um dia.” — “You would look at the television”
- “Ele tem olhado para a televisão esta semana.” — “He has looked at the television”
- “Eu tinha olhado para a televisão antes do jantar.” — “I had looked at the television”
- “Tu terás olhado para a televisão até amanhã.” — “You will have looked at the television”
- “É importante que eu olhe para a televisão.” — “It is important that I look at the television”
- “Olha para a televisão!” — “Look at the television!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Eu olhar para a televisão.”
✓ Right: “Eu olho para a televisão todos os dias.”
The infinitive olhar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form olho.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Eu olhas para a televisão.”
✓ Right: “Eu olho para a televisão todos os dias.”
olhas is the tu form, not the eu form. Match the verb to the subject every time: eu goes with olho.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Eu olho para a televisão ontem.”
✓ Right: “Eu olhei para a televisão ontem.”
Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito olhei for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the pretérito perfeito composto
✗ Wrong: “Eu sou olhado para a televisão.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho olhado para a televisão esta semana.”
The pretérito perfeito composto of olhar is formed with ter plus the past participle olhado: the eu form is tenho olhado. 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 olho para a televisão.”
✓ Right: “É importante que eu olhe para a televisão.”
After é importante que Portuguese needs the subjunctive, so use olhe here, not the indicative olho.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Eu tenho olhando para a televisão.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho olhado para a televisão esta semana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle olhado, not the gerund olhando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on olhar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the eu form of olhar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) olhas
- B) olho
- C) olha
- D) olhamos
What is the ele/ela form of olhar in the Pretérito perfeito?
- A) olhei
- B) olhaste
- C) olhou
- D) olhámos
What is the nós form of olhar in the Pretérito imperfeito?
- A) olhava
- B) olhavas
- C) olháveis
- D) olhávamos
What is the tu form of olhar in the Futuro do presente?
- A) olharás
- B) olharei
- C) olhará
- D) olharemos
What is the eu form of olhar in the Futuro do pretérito?
- A) olharias
- B) olharia
- C) olharíamos
- D) olharíeis
What is the ele/ela form of olhar in the Pretérito perfeito composto?
- A) tenho olhado
- B) tens olhado
- C) tem olhado
- D) temos olhado
What is the ele/ela form of olhar in the Presente do subjuntivo?
- A) olhes
- B) olhemos
- C) olheis
- D) olhe
What is the eu form of olhar in the Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo?
- A) olhasse
- B) olhasses
- C) olhássemos
- D) olhásseis
What is the gerund of olhar?
- A) olhado
- B) olhando
- C) olhar
- D) olho
What does olhar mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to have
- C) to look
- D) —
Answer key
- B) olho — the correct form is olho. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) olhou — the correct form is olhou. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) olhávamos — the correct form is olhávamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) olharás — the correct form is olharás. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) olharia — the correct form is olharia. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) tem olhado — the correct form is tem olhado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) olhe — the correct form is olhe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) olhasse — the correct form is olhasse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) olhando — the correct form is olhando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to look — the correct form is to look. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does olhar mean in English?
olhar means “to look”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is olhar regular or irregular?
olhar is regular: it follows the ordinary -ar pattern in every tense. The gerund is olhando and the past participle is olhado.
What are the gerund and past participle of olhar?
The gerund is olhando — use it with estar for the progressive. The past participle is olhado — use it with ter for the perfect tenses, as in tenho olhado.
Which auxiliary does olhar take in the pretérito perfeito composto?
olhar takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto: the eu form is tenho olhado. All seven compound tenses on this page are built with ter plus the past participle olhado.
How do I say “I look” in Portuguese?
Say “Eu olho para a televisão todos os dias.” — “I look at the television” The eu form of the present is olho, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of olhar — every tense of olhar in one place.
- Olhar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Olhar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Portuguese present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Portuguese.
- Estar conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Dar 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 olhar with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise olhar with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise olhar with the interactive tool.