Introduction

Beber means “to drink”, and this page covers exactly one thing: beber 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 beber, 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 beber in the present. 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. For example: “Ele bebe um café todos os dias.” — “He drinks a coffee.” Everything on this page uses the forms of beber exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Beber in the Present — full table

Person Form
eu bebo
tu bebes
ele/ela bebe
nós bebemos
vós bebeis
eles/elas bebem
Gerund: bebendo · Past participle: bebido
The gerund is bebendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Bebendo um café, aprendo muito.” — “While drinking a coffee, I learn a lot.” The past participle is bebido, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho bebido 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 beber is used.
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.

How the present of beber is formed

The present tense of beber has six forms: eu bebo, tu bebes, ele bebe, nós bebemos, vós bebeis, eles bebem. Say them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. beber is regular: every form follows the standard -er 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 beber 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 bebemos and bebeis pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Portuguese uses where English would often use the continuous form, so bebo can mean both “I drink” and “I am drinking” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because beber is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -er endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er 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 beber

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use beber 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 beber is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos os dias, sempre or todas as semanas to make the routine explicit. Example: “Eu bebo um café todos os dias.” — “I drink a coffee.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about beber does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Ele bebe um café todos os dias.” — “He drinks a coffee.”

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 beber 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 bebemos um café todos os dias.” — “We drink a coffee.”

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 bebes um café todos os dias.” — “You drink a coffee.”

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 beber in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Eles bebem um café todos os dias.” — “They drink a coffee.”

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 bebe um café todos os dias.” — “He drinks a coffee”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele bebeu um café ontem.” — “He drank a coffee”
  • 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 bebo um café todos os dias.” — “I drink a coffee”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu bebi um café ontem.” — “I drank a coffee”
  • 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 bebes um café todos os dias.” — “You drink a coffee”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu bebeste um café ontem.” — “You drank a coffee”
  • 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: beber 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 bebo um café todos os dias.” — “I drink a coffee”
  2. “Tu bebes um café todos os dias.” — “You drink a coffee”
  3. “Ele bebe um café todos os dias.” — “He drinks a coffee”
  4. “Nós bebemos um café todos os dias.” — “We drink a coffee”
  5. “Vós bebeis um café todos os dias.” — “You drink a coffee”
  6. “Eles bebem um café todos os dias.” — “They drink a coffee”
  7. “Eu bebo um café todos os dias.” — “I drink a coffee”
  8. “Ele bebe um café todos os dias.” — “He drinks a coffee”

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

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 beber in the Present indicative (presente)?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Answer key

  1. B) bebo — the correct form is bebo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) bebes — the correct form is bebes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) bebe — the correct form is bebe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) bebemos — the correct form is bebemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) bebeis — the correct form is bebeis. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) bebem — the correct form is bebem. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) bebo — the correct form is bebo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) bebes — the correct form is bebes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does beber mean in English?

beber means “to drink”. It is a regular -er verb.

How is the present tense of beber formed?

The six present forms are: eu bebo, tu bebes, ele bebe, nós bebemos, vós bebeis, eles bebem. beber is regular: every form follows the standard -er 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 beber?

The gerund is bebendo and the past participle is bebido.

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