Decidir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

decidir — to decide — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a regular -ir verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to decide, and it is completely regular: decido, decides, decide, decidimos, decidis, decidem. Its pretérito perfeito is decidi, decidiste, decidiu, and its participle is decidido. It can take an infinitive after it — decido ficar — or a noun. On this page you will find decidir 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 decidir conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the decidir present tense page.

Example sentences with decidir

In the present tense

  • “Eu decido ficar todos os dias.” — “I decide to stay”
  • “Tu decides ficar todos os dias.” — “You decide to stay”
  • “Ele decide ficar todos os dias.” — “He decides to stay”
  • “Nós decidimos ficar todos os dias.” — “We decide to stay”
  • “Vós decidis ficar todos os dias.” — “You decide to stay”
  • “Eles decidem ficar todos os dias.” — “They decide to stay”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu decidi ficar ontem.” — “I decided to stay”
  • “Tu decidiste ficar ontem.” — “You decided to stay”
  • “Ele decidiu ficar ontem.” — “He decided to stay”
  • “Nós decidimos ficar ontem.” — “We decided to stay”
  • “Vós decidistes ficar ontem.” — “You decided to stay”
  • “Eles decidiram ficar ontem.” — “They decided to stay”

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 decidia ficar antigamente.” — “I used to decide to stay”
  • “Tu decidirás ficar amanhã.” — “You will decide to stay”
  • “Ele decidiria ficar um dia.” — “He would decide to stay”
  • “É importante que nós decidamos ficar.” — “It is important that we decide to stay”
  • “Decide ficar!” — “Decide to stay!”

How decidir is used

The first thing to know about decidir is its core meaning: to decide. It means to decide, and it is completely regular: decido, decides, decide, decidimos, decidis, decidem. Its pretérito perfeito is decidi, decidiste, decidiu, and its participle is decidido. It can take an infinitive after it — decido ficar — or a noun. 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 decidir keeps. The present eu form is decido, 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 decidido, 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 decidir does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need decido, never decidir. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho decidido, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle decidido is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Decidir in context

Eu decido ficar todos os dias. Tu decides ficar todos os dias. Ele decide ficar todos os dias. Nós decidimos ficar todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of decidir is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — decido, decides, decide, decidimos — while the meaning stays the same: to decide. Eu decidi ficar ontem. Tu decidiste ficar ontem. Ele decidiu ficar ontem. Nós decidimos ficar ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of decidir 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 decide — 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 decidir ficar.”

✓ Right: “Eu decido ficar todos os dias.”

The infinitive decidir never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form decido.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu decides ficar.”

✓ Right: “Eu decido ficar todos os dias.”

decides is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is decido — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu decido ficar ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu decidi ficar ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito decidi here, not the present decido.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou decidido ficar.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho decidido ficar esta semana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) decido
    • B) decides
    • C) decide
    • D) decidimos

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

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

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

    • A) decidias
    • B) decidíamos
    • C) decidíeis
    • D) decidia

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

    • A) decidiremos
    • B) decidirei
    • C) decidirás
    • D) decidirá

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

    • A) decidiria
    • B) decidirias
    • C) decidiríamos
    • D) decidiríeis

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

    • A) decidiras
    • B) decidíramos
    • C) decidira
    • D) decidíreis

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

    • A) decida
    • B) decidas
    • C) decidais
    • D) decidamos

  8. What is the gerund of decidir?

    • A) decidindo
    • B) decidido
    • C) decidir
    • D) decido

  9. What is the past participle of decidir?

    • A) decidindo
    • B) decidido
    • C) decidir
    • D) decido

  10. What does decidir mean in English?

  • A) to ask for
  • B) to receive
  • C) to decide
  • D) to pay

Answer key

  1. B) decides — the correct form is decides. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho decidido — the correct form is tenho decidido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) decidia — the correct form is decidia. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) decidiremos — the correct form is decidiremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) decidirias — the correct form is decidirias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) decidira — the correct form is decidira. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) decidamos — the correct form is decidamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) decidindo — the correct form is decidindo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) decidido — the correct form is decidido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to decide — the correct form is to decide. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does decidir mean in English?

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

Is decidir regular or irregular?

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

What are the gerund and past participle of decidir?

The gerund is decidindo and the past participle is decidido. The perfect tenses use ter + decidido.

Where can I see the full conjugation of decidir?

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

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