Beber Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

beber — to drink — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a regular -er verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to drink, and it is completely regular: bebo, bebes, bebe, bebemos, bebeis, bebem. It is the verb behind every conversation about coffee, water and wine, and one of the first -er verbs learners meet. On this page you will find beber 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 beber conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the beber present tense page.

Example sentences with beber

In the present tense

  • “Eu bebo um café todos os dias.” — “I drink a coffee”
  • “Tu bebes um café todos os dias.” — “You drink a coffee”
  • “Ele bebe um café todos os dias.” — “He drinks a coffee”
  • “Nós bebemos um café todos os dias.” — “We drink a coffee”
  • “Vós bebeis um café todos os dias.” — “You drink a coffee”
  • “Eles bebem um café todos os dias.” — “They drink a coffee”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu bebi um café ontem.” — “I drank a coffee”
  • “Tu bebeste um café ontem.” — “You drank a coffee”
  • “Ele bebeu um café ontem.” — “He drank a coffee”
  • “Nós bebemos um café ontem.” — “We drank a coffee”
  • “Vós bebestes um café ontem.” — “You drank a coffee”
  • “Eles beberam um café ontem.” — “They drank a coffee”

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 bebia um café antigamente.” — “I used to drink a coffee”
  • “Tu beberás um café amanhã.” — “You will drink a coffee”
  • “Ele beberia um café um dia.” — “He would drink a coffee”
  • “É importante que nós bebamos um café.” — “It is important that we drink a coffee”
  • “Bebe um café!” — “Drink a coffee!”

How beber is used

The first thing to know about beber is its core meaning: to drink. It means to drink, and it is completely regular: bebo, bebes, bebe, bebemos, bebeis, bebem. It is the verb behind every conversation about coffee, water and wine, and one of the first -er verbs learners meet. 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 beber keeps. The present eu form is bebo, 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 bebido, 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 beber does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need bebo, never beber. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho bebido, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle bebido is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Beber in context

Eu bebo um café todos os dias. Tu bebes um café todos os dias. Ele bebe um café todos os dias. Nós bebemos um café todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of beber is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — bebo, bebes, bebe, bebemos — while the meaning stays the same: to drink. Eu bebi um café ontem. Tu bebeste um café ontem. Ele bebeu um café ontem. Nós bebemos um café ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of beber 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 drink — 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 beber um café.”

✓ Right: “Eu bebo um café todos os dias.”

The infinitive beber never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form bebo.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu bebes um café.”

✓ Right: “Eu bebo um café todos os dias.”

bebes is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is bebo — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu bebo um café ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu bebi um café ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito bebi here, not the present bebo.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou bebido um café.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho bebido um café esta semana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) bebo
    • B) bebes
    • C) bebe
    • D) bebemos

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

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

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

    • A) bebias
    • B) bebíamos
    • C) bebíeis
    • D) bebia

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

    • A) beberemos
    • B) beberei
    • C) beberás
    • D) beberá

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

    • A) beberia
    • B) beberias
    • C) beberíamos
    • D) beberíeis

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

    • A) beberas
    • B) bebéramos
    • C) bebera
    • D) bebéreis

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

    • A) beba
    • B) bebas
    • C) bebais
    • D) bebamos

  8. What is the gerund of beber?

    • A) bebendo
    • B) bebido
    • C) beber
    • D) bebo

  9. What is the past participle of beber?

    • A) bebendo
    • B) bebido
    • C) beber
    • D) bebo

  10. What does beber mean in English?

  • A) to be
  • B) to have
  • C) to drink
  • D) —

Answer key

  1. B) bebes — the correct form is bebes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho bebido — the correct form is tenho bebido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) bebia — the correct form is bebia. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) beberemos — the correct form is beberemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) beberias — the correct form is beberias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) bebera — the correct form is bebera. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) bebamos — the correct form is bebamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) bebendo — the correct form is bebendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) bebido — the correct form is bebido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to drink — the correct form is to drink. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does beber mean in English?

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

Is beber regular or irregular?

beber is regular. beber is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of beber?

The gerund is bebendo and the past participle is bebido. The perfect tenses use ter + bebido.

Where can I see the full conjugation of beber?

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

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