Introduction

Acordar means “to wake up”, and this page covers exactly one thing: acordar 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 acordar, 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 acordar in the present. It means to wake up, and it is completely regular: acordo, acordas, acorda, acordamos, acordais, acordam. Do not confuse it with lembrar, which means to remember, or with levantar, which means to get up after waking. For example: “Ele acorda cedo todos os dias.” — “He wakes up early.” Everything on this page uses the forms of acordar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Acordar in the Present — full table

Person Form
eu acordo
tu acordas
ele/ela acorda
nós acordamos
vós acordais
eles/elas acordam
Gerund: acordando · Past participle: acordado
The gerund is acordando, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Acordando cedo, aprendo muito.” — “While waking up early, I learn a lot.” The past participle is acordado, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho acordado 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 acordar is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for acordar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of acordar is formed

The present tense of acordar has six forms: eu acordo, tu acordas, ele acorda, nós acordamos, vós acordais, eles acordam. Say them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. acordar 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 acordar 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 acordamos and acordais pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Portuguese uses where English would often use the continuous form, so acordo can mean both “I wake up” and “I am waking up” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because acordar 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 acordar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use acordar 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 acordar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos os dias, sempre or todas as semanas to make the routine explicit. Example: “Eu acordo cedo todos os dias.” — “I wake up early.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about acordar does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Ele acorda cedo todos os dias.” — “He wakes up early.”

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 acordar 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 acordamos cedo todos os dias.” — “We wake up early.”

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 acordas cedo todos os dias.” — “You wake up early.”

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 acordar in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Eles acordam cedo todos os dias.” — “They wake up early.”

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 acorda cedo todos os dias.” — “He wakes up early”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele acordou cedo ontem.” — “He woke up early”
  • 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 acordo cedo todos os dias.” — “I wake up early”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu acordei cedo ontem.” — “I woke up early”
  • 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 acordas cedo todos os dias.” — “You wake up early”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu acordaste cedo ontem.” — “You woke up early”
  • 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: acordar 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 acordo cedo todos os dias.” — “I wake up early”
  2. “Tu acordas cedo todos os dias.” — “You wake up early”
  3. “Ele acorda cedo todos os dias.” — “He wakes up early”
  4. “Nós acordamos cedo todos os dias.” — “We wake up early”
  5. “Vós acordais cedo todos os dias.” — “You wake up early”
  6. “Eles acordam cedo todos os dias.” — “They wake up early”
  7. “Eu acordo cedo todos os dias.” — “I wake up early”
  8. “Ele acorda cedo todos os dias.” — “He wakes up early”

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

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 acordar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) acordas
    • B) acordo
    • C) acorda
    • D) acordamos

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

    • A) acordo
    • B) acorda
    • C) acordas
    • D) acordamos

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

    • A) acordo
    • B) acordas
    • C) acordamos
    • D) acorda

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

    • A) acordamos
    • B) acordo
    • C) acordas
    • D) acorda

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

    • A) acordo
    • B) acordais
    • C) acordas
    • D) acorda

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

    • A) acordo
    • B) acordas
    • C) acordam
    • D) acorda

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

    • A) acordas
    • B) acorda
    • C) acordamos
    • D) acordo

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

    • A) acordas
    • B) acordo
    • C) acorda
    • D) acordamos

Answer key

  1. B) acordo — the correct form is acordo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) acordas — the correct form is acordas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) acorda — the correct form is acorda. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) acordamos — the correct form is acordamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) acordais — the correct form is acordais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) acordam — the correct form is acordam. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) acordo — the correct form is acordo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) acordas — the correct form is acordas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does acordar mean in English?

acordar means “to wake up”. It is a regular -ar verb.

How is the present tense of acordar formed?

The six present forms are: eu acordo, tu acordas, ele acorda, nós acordamos, vós acordais, eles acordam. acordar 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 acordar?

The gerund is acordando and the past participle is acordado.

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