Introduction
Cantar means “to sing”, and this page covers exactly one thing: cantar 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 cantar, 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 cantar in the present. It means to sing, and it is completely regular: canto, cantas, canta, cantamos, cantais, cantam. Its pretérito perfeito is cantei, cantaste, cantou, and its participle is cantado. It is the verb for singing a song, in the shower or on a stage. For example: “Ele canta uma canção todos os dias.” — “He sings a song.” Everything on this page uses the forms of cantar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.
Cantar in the Present — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | canto |
| tu | cantas |
| ele/ela | canta |
| nós | cantamos |
| vós | cantais |
| eles/elas | cantam |
| Gerund: cantando · Past participle: cantado | |
| The gerund is cantando, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Cantando uma canção, aprendo muito.” — “While singing a song, I learn a lot.” The past participle is cantado, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho cantado 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 cantar is used. | |
| Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for cantar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. |
How the present of cantar is formed
The present tense of cantar has six forms: eu canto, tu cantas, ele canta, nós cantamos, vós cantais, eles cantam. Say them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. cantar 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 cantar 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 cantamos and cantais pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Portuguese uses where English would often use the continuous form, so canto can mean both “I sing” and “I am singing” — context tells the listener which one you mean.
Because cantar 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 cantar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use cantar 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 cantar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos os dias, sempre or todas as semanas to make the routine explicit. Example: “Eu canto uma canção todos os dias.” — “I sing a song.”
2. General truths
Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about cantar does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Ele canta uma canção todos os dias.” — “He sings a song.”
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 cantar 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 cantamos uma canção todos os dias.” — “We sing a song.”
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 cantas uma canção todos os dias.” — “You sing a song.”
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 cantar in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Eles cantam uma canção todos os dias.” — “They sing a song.”
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 canta uma canção todos os dias.” — “He sings a song”
- Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele cantou uma canção ontem.” — “He sang a song”
- 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 canto uma canção todos os dias.” — “I sing a song”
- Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu cantei uma canção ontem.” — “I sang a song”
- 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 cantas uma canção todos os dias.” — “You sing a song”
- Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu cantaste uma canção ontem.” — “You sang a song”
- 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: cantar 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.
- “Eu canto uma canção todos os dias.” — “I sing a song”
- “Tu cantas uma canção todos os dias.” — “You sing a song”
- “Ele canta uma canção todos os dias.” — “He sings a song”
- “Nós cantamos uma canção todos os dias.” — “We sing a song”
- “Vós cantais uma canção todos os dias.” — “You sing a song”
- “Eles cantam uma canção todos os dias.” — “They sing a song”
- “Eu canto uma canção todos os dias.” — “I sing a song”
- “Ele canta uma canção todos os dias.” — “He sings a song”
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 cantas uma canção.” Right: “Eu canto uma canção todos os dias.” Why: The eu form is canto, not cantas. cantas is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
- Wrong: “Nós canto uma canção.” Right: “Nós cantamos uma canção todos os dias.” Why: Nós needs the nós form cantamos. canto belongs with eu only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
- Wrong: “Eu canto uma canção todos os dias ontem.” Right: “Eu cantei uma canção ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito cantei for a finished action yesterday.
- Wrong: “Eu cantar uma canção.” Right: “Eu canto uma canção todos os dias.” Why: The infinitive cantar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated form canto.
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.
What is the eu form of cantar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) cantas
- B) canto
- C) canta
- D) cantamos
What is the tu form of cantar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) canto
- B) canta
- C) cantas
- D) cantamos
What is the ele/ela form of cantar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) canto
- B) cantas
- C) cantamos
- D) canta
What is the nós form of cantar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) cantamos
- B) canto
- C) cantas
- D) canta
What is the vós form of cantar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) canto
- B) cantais
- C) cantas
- D) canta
What is the eles/elas form of cantar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) canto
- B) cantas
- C) cantam
- D) canta
What is the eu form of cantar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) cantas
- B) canta
- C) cantamos
- D) canto
What is the tu form of cantar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) cantas
- B) canto
- C) canta
- D) cantamos
Answer key
- B) canto — the correct form is canto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) cantas — the correct form is cantas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) canta — the correct form is canta. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) cantamos — the correct form is cantamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) cantais — the correct form is cantais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) cantam — the correct form is cantam. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) canto — the correct form is canto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) cantas — the correct form is cantas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does cantar mean in English?
cantar means “to sing”. It is a regular -ar verb.
How is the present tense of cantar formed?
The six present forms are: eu canto, tu cantas, ele canta, nós cantamos, vós cantais, eles cantam. cantar 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 cantar?
The gerund is cantando and the past participle is cantado.
Related pages
- cantar conjugation — full tables
- cantar examples and quiz
- Portuguese present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Portuguese.
- Pagar conjugation — another Portuguese verb in this batch.
- Comprar conjugation — another Portuguese verb in this batch.
- Portuguese verbs — the full hub of Portuguese conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise cantar with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise cantar with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise cantar with the interactive tool.