Perguntar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

perguntar — to ask — 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 ask, and it is completely regular: pergunto, perguntas, pergunta, perguntamos, perguntais, perguntam. Its pretérito perfeito is perguntei, perguntaste, perguntou, and its participle is perguntado. It takes the person asked, with a: pergunto à Maria. Do not confuse it with pedir, which means to ask for something. On this page you will find perguntar 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 perguntar conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the perguntar present tense page.

Example sentences with perguntar

In the present tense

  • “Eu pergunto à Maria todos os dias.” — “I ask Maria”
  • “Tu perguntas à Maria todos os dias.” — “You ask Maria”
  • “Ele pergunta à Maria todos os dias.” — “He asks Maria”
  • “Nós perguntamos à Maria todos os dias.” — “We ask Maria”
  • “Vós perguntais à Maria todos os dias.” — “You ask Maria”
  • “Eles perguntam à Maria todos os dias.” — “They ask Maria”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu perguntei à Maria ontem.” — “I asked Maria”
  • “Tu perguntaste à Maria ontem.” — “You asked Maria”
  • “Ele perguntou à Maria ontem.” — “He asked Maria”
  • “Nós perguntámos à Maria ontem.” — “We asked Maria”
  • “Vós perguntastes à Maria ontem.” — “You asked Maria”
  • “Eles perguntaram à Maria ontem.” — “They asked Maria”

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 perguntava à Maria antigamente.” — “I used to ask Maria”
  • “Tu perguntarás à Maria amanhã.” — “You will ask Maria”
  • “Ele perguntaria à Maria um dia.” — “He would ask Maria”
  • “É importante que nós perguntemos à Maria.” — “It is important that we ask Maria”
  • “Pergunta à Maria!” — “Ask Maria!”

How perguntar is used

The first thing to know about perguntar is its core meaning: to ask. It means to ask, and it is completely regular: pergunto, perguntas, pergunta, perguntamos, perguntais, perguntam. Its pretérito perfeito is perguntei, perguntaste, perguntou, and its participle is perguntado. It takes the person asked, with a: pergunto à Maria. Do not confuse it with pedir, which means to ask for something. 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 perguntar keeps. The present eu form is pergunto, 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 perguntado, 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 perguntar does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need pergunto, never perguntar. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho perguntado, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle perguntado is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Perguntar in context

Eu pergunto à Maria todos os dias. Tu perguntas à Maria todos os dias. Ele pergunta à Maria todos os dias. Nós perguntamos à Maria todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of perguntar is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — pergunto, perguntas, pergunta, perguntamos — while the meaning stays the same: to ask. Eu perguntei à Maria ontem. Tu perguntaste à Maria ontem. Ele perguntou à Maria ontem. Nós perguntámos à Maria ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of perguntar 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 ask — 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 perguntar à Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu pergunto à Maria todos os dias.”

The infinitive perguntar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form pergunto.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu perguntas à Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu pergunto à Maria todos os dias.”

perguntas is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is pergunto — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu pergunto à Maria ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu perguntei à Maria ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito perguntei here, not the present pergunto.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou perguntado à Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho perguntado à Maria esta semana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) pergunto
    • B) perguntas
    • C) pergunta
    • D) perguntamos

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

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

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

    • A) perguntavas
    • B) perguntávamos
    • C) perguntáveis
    • D) perguntava

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

    • A) perguntaremos
    • B) perguntarei
    • C) perguntarás
    • D) perguntará

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

    • A) perguntaria
    • B) perguntarias
    • C) perguntaríamos
    • D) perguntaríeis

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

    • A) perguntaras
    • B) perguntáramos
    • C) perguntara
    • D) perguntáreis

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

    • A) pergunte
    • B) perguntes
    • C) pergunteis
    • D) perguntemos

  8. What is the gerund of perguntar?

    • A) perguntando
    • B) perguntado
    • C) perguntar
    • D) pergunto

  9. What is the past participle of perguntar?

    • A) perguntando
    • B) perguntado
    • C) perguntar
    • D) pergunto

  10. What does perguntar mean in English?

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

Answer key

  1. B) perguntas — the correct form is perguntas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho perguntado — the correct form is tenho perguntado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) perguntava — the correct form is perguntava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) perguntaremos — the correct form is perguntaremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) perguntarias — the correct form is perguntarias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) perguntara — the correct form is perguntara. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) perguntemos — the correct form is perguntemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) perguntando — the correct form is perguntando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) perguntado — the correct form is perguntado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to ask — the correct form is to ask. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does perguntar mean in English?

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

Is perguntar regular or irregular?

perguntar is regular. perguntar 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 perguntar?

The gerund is perguntando and the past participle is perguntado. The perfect tenses use ter + perguntado.

Where can I see the full conjugation of perguntar?

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

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