Acordar Conjugation in Portuguese
acordar means “to wake up” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Portuguese learners meet — it sits at number 148 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Portuguese verbs. 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. This page gives you the complete conjugation of acordar — 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 acordo cedo todos os dias.” — “I wake up early.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: acordar
- English: to wake up
- Verb type: Regular -ar verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: acordando
- Present participle: acordante
- Past participle: acordado
- 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 acordar, 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 acordar in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about acordar
- 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 acordado. 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 acordando, the present participle is acordante and the past participle is acordado: 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 acordar. 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 | acordo |
| tu | acordas |
| ele/ela | acorda |
| nós | acordamos |
| vós | acordais |
| eles/elas | acordam |
The present indicative (presente) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Eu acordo cedo todos os dias.” — “I wake up early”
Pretérito perfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | acordei |
| tu | acordaste |
| ele/ela | acordou |
| nós | acordámos |
| vós | acordastes |
| eles/elas | acordaram |
The pretérito perfeito is used for completed actions in the past, especially one finished event. For example: “Eu acordei cedo ontem.” — “I woke up early”
Pretérito imperfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | acordava |
| tu | acordavas |
| ele/ela | acordava |
| nós | acordávamos |
| vós | acordáveis |
| eles/elas | acordavam |
The pretérito imperfeito is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Eu acordava cedo antigamente.” — “I used to wake up early”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | acordara |
| tu | acordaras |
| ele/ela | acordara |
| nós | acordáramos |
| vós | acordáreis |
| eles/elas | acordaram |
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 acordara cedo antes do jantar.” — “I had woken up early”
Futuro do presente
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | acordarei |
| tu | acordarás |
| ele/ela | acordará |
| nós | acordaremos |
| vós | acordareis |
| eles/elas | acordarão |
The futuro do presente is used for what will happen, for predictions and for promises. For example: “Eu acordarei cedo amanhã.” — “I will wake up early”
Futuro do pretérito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | acordaria |
| tu | acordarias |
| ele/ela | acordaria |
| nós | acordaríamos |
| vós | acordaríeis |
| eles/elas | acordariam |
The futuro do pretérito is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Eu acordaria cedo um dia.” — “I would wake up early”
Pretérito perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenho acordado |
| tu | tens acordado |
| ele/ela | tem acordado |
| nós | temos acordado |
| vós | tendes acordado |
| eles/elas | têm acordado |
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 acordado cedo esta semana.” — “He has woken up early”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tinha acordado |
| tu | tinhas acordado |
| ele/ela | tinha acordado |
| nós | tínhamos acordado |
| vós | tínheis acordado |
| eles/elas | tinham acordado |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Eu tinha acordado cedo antes do jantar.” — “I had woken up early”
Futuro do presente composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | terei acordado |
| tu | terás acordado |
| ele/ela | terá acordado |
| nós | teremos acordado |
| vós | tereis acordado |
| eles/elas | terão acordado |
The futuro do presente composto is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Eu terei acordado cedo até amanhã.” — “I will have woken up early”
Futuro do pretérito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | teria acordado |
| tu | terias acordado |
| ele/ela | teria acordado |
| nós | teríamos acordado |
| vós | teríeis acordado |
| eles/elas | teriam acordado |
The futuro do pretérito composto is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Eu teria acordado cedo ontem.” — “I would have woken up early”
Presente do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | acorde |
| tu | acordes |
| ele/ela | acorde |
| nós | acordemos |
| vós | acordeis |
| eles/elas | acordem |
The presente do subjuntivo is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “É importante que eu acorde cedo.” — “It is important that I wake up early”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | acordasse |
| tu | acordasses |
| ele/ela | acordasse |
| nós | acordássemos |
| vós | acordásseis |
| eles/elas | acordassem |
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 acordasse cedo.” — “It was important that I wake up early”
Futuro do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | acordar |
| tu | acordares |
| ele/ela | acordar |
| nós | acordarmos |
| vós | acordardes |
| eles/elas | acordarem |
The futuro do subjuntivo is used after se and quando for a future possibility, where English would use the present. For example: “Se eu acordar cedo, é bom.” — “If I wake up early, that is good”
Imperativo (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | acorda |
| ele/ela | acorde |
| nós | acordemos |
| vós | acordai |
| eles/elas | acordem |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Acorda cedo!” — “Wake up early!”
Imperativo (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | não acordes |
| ele/ela | não acorde |
| nós | não acordemos |
| vós | não acordeis |
| eles/elas | não acordem |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Não acordes cedo.” — “Do not wake up early.”
Presente do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenha acordado |
| tu | tenhas acordado |
| ele/ela | tenha acordado |
| nós | tenhamos acordado |
| vós | tenhais acordado |
| eles/elas | tenham acordado |
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 acordado cedo.” — “It is important that I have woken up early”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tivesse acordado |
| tu | tivesses acordado |
| ele/ela | tivesse acordado |
| nós | tivéssemos acordado |
| vós | tivésseis acordado |
| eles/elas | tivessem acordado |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a past subordinate clause. For example: “Era importante que eu tivesse acordado cedo.” — “It was important that I had woken up early”
Futuro do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tiver acordado |
| tu | tiveres acordado |
| ele/ela | tiver acordado |
| nós | tivermos acordado |
| vós | tiverdes acordado |
| eles/elas | tiverem acordado |
The futuro do subjuntivo composto is used after se for a completed future possibility. For example: “Se eu tiver acordado cedo, é bom.” — “If I have woken up early, that is good”
Gerund
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Gerund | acordando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with estar for the progressive. For example: “Acordando cedo, aprendo muito.” — “While waking up early, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Present participle | acordante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle acordante 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 acordante 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 | acordado |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Eu tenho acordado cedo esta semana.” — “I have woken up early.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with acordar, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Portuguese and try to produce it from the English.
- “Eu acordo cedo todos os dias.” — “I wake up early”
- “Tu acordaste cedo ontem.” — “You woke up early”
- “Ele acordava cedo antigamente.” — “He used to wake up early”
- “Eu acordarei cedo amanhã.” — “I will wake up early”
- “Tu acordarias cedo um dia.” — “You would wake up early”
- “Ele tem acordado cedo esta semana.” — “He has woken up early”
- “Eu tinha acordado cedo antes do jantar.” — “I had woken up early”
- “Tu terás acordado cedo até amanhã.” — “You will have woken up early”
- “É importante que eu acorde cedo.” — “It is important that I wake up early”
- “Acorda cedo!” — “Wake up early!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Eu acordar cedo.”
✓ Right: “Eu acordo cedo todos os dias.”
The infinitive acordar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form acordo.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Eu acordas cedo.”
✓ Right: “Eu acordo cedo todos os dias.”
acordas is the tu form, not the eu form. Match the verb to the subject every time: eu goes with acordo.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Eu acordo cedo ontem.”
✓ Right: “Eu acordei cedo ontem.”
Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito acordei for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the pretérito perfeito composto
✗ Wrong: “Eu sou acordado cedo.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho acordado cedo esta semana.”
The pretérito perfeito composto of acordar is formed with ter plus the past participle acordado: the eu form is tenho acordado. 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 acordo cedo.”
✓ Right: “É importante que eu acorde cedo.”
After é importante que Portuguese needs the subjunctive, so use acorde here, not the indicative acordo.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Eu tenho acordando cedo.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho acordado cedo esta semana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle acordado, not the gerund acordando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on acordar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the eu form of acordar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) acordas
- B) acordo
- C) acorda
- D) acordamos
What is the ele/ela form of acordar in the Pretérito perfeito?
- A) acordei
- B) acordaste
- C) acordou
- D) acordámos
What is the nós form of acordar in the Pretérito imperfeito?
- A) acordava
- B) acordavas
- C) acordáveis
- D) acordávamos
What is the tu form of acordar in the Futuro do presente?
- A) acordarás
- B) acordarei
- C) acordará
- D) acordaremos
What is the eu form of acordar in the Futuro do pretérito?
- A) acordarias
- B) acordaria
- C) acordaríamos
- D) acordaríeis
What is the ele/ela form of acordar in the Pretérito perfeito composto?
- A) tenho acordado
- B) tens acordado
- C) tem acordado
- D) temos acordado
What is the ele/ela form of acordar in the Presente do subjuntivo?
- A) acordes
- B) acordemos
- C) acordeis
- D) acorde
What is the eu form of acordar in the Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo?
- A) acordasse
- B) acordasses
- C) acordássemos
- D) acordásseis
What is the gerund of acordar?
- A) acordado
- B) acordando
- C) acordar
- D) acordo
What does acordar mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to have
- C) to wake up
- D) —
Answer key
- B) acordo — the correct form is acordo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) acordou — the correct form is acordou. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) acordávamos — the correct form is acordávamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) acordarás — the correct form is acordarás. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) acordaria — the correct form is acordaria. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) tem acordado — the correct form is tem acordado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) acorde — the correct form is acorde. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) acordasse — the correct form is acordasse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) acordando — the correct form is acordando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to wake up — the correct form is to wake up. 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 core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is acordar regular or irregular?
acordar is regular: it follows the ordinary -ar pattern in every tense. The gerund is acordando and the past participle is acordado.
What are the gerund and past participle of acordar?
The gerund is acordando — use it with estar for the progressive. The past participle is acordado — use it with ter for the perfect tenses, as in tenho acordado.
Which auxiliary does acordar take in the pretérito perfeito composto?
acordar takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto: the eu form is tenho acordado. All seven compound tenses on this page are built with ter plus the past participle acordado.
How do I say “I wake up” in Portuguese?
Say “Eu acordo cedo todos os dias.” — “I wake up early” The eu form of the present is acordo, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of acordar — every tense of acordar in one place.
- Acordar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Acordar 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 acordar with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise acordar with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise acordar with the interactive tool.