Introduction

Entrar means “to enter”, and this page covers exactly one thing: entrar 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 entrar, 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 entrar in the present. It means to enter and to go in, and it is completely regular. It is the natural opposite of sair, and it is the verb for entering a house, a room or a city. For example: “Ele entra em casa todos os dias.” — “He enters the house.” Everything on this page uses the forms of entrar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Entrar in the Present — full table

Person Form
eu entro
tu entras
ele/ela entra
nós entramos
vós entrais
eles/elas entram
Gerund: entrando · Past participle: entrado
The gerund is entrando, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Entrando em casa, aprendo muito.” — “While entering the house, I learn a lot.” The past participle is entrado, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho entrado 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 entrar is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for entrar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of entrar is formed

The present tense of entrar has six forms: eu entro, tu entras, ele entra, nós entramos, vós entrais, eles entram. Say them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. entrar 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 entrar 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 entramos and entrais pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Portuguese uses where English would often use the continuous form, so entro can mean both “I enter” and “I am entering” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because entrar 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 entrar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use entrar 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 entrar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos os dias, sempre or todas as semanas to make the routine explicit. Example: “Eu entro em casa todos os dias.” — “I enter the house.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about entrar does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Ele entra em casa todos os dias.” — “He enters the house.”

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 entrar 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 entramos em casa todos os dias.” — “We enter the house.”

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 entras em casa todos os dias.” — “You enter the house.”

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 entrar in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Eles entram em casa todos os dias.” — “They enter the house.”

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 entra em casa todos os dias.” — “He enters the house”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele entrou em casa ontem.” — “He entered the house”
  • 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 entro em casa todos os dias.” — “I enter the house”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu entrei em casa ontem.” — “I entered the house”
  • 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 entras em casa todos os dias.” — “You enter the house”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu entraste em casa ontem.” — “You entered the house”
  • 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: entrar 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 entro em casa todos os dias.” — “I enter the house”
  2. “Tu entras em casa todos os dias.” — “You enter the house”
  3. “Ele entra em casa todos os dias.” — “He enters the house”
  4. “Nós entramos em casa todos os dias.” — “We enter the house”
  5. “Vós entrais em casa todos os dias.” — “You enter the house”
  6. “Eles entram em casa todos os dias.” — “They enter the house”
  7. “Eu entro em casa todos os dias.” — “I enter the house”
  8. “Ele entra em casa todos os dias.” — “He enters the house”

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

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 entrar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) entras
    • B) entro
    • C) entra
    • D) entramos

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

    • A) entro
    • B) entra
    • C) entras
    • D) entramos

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

    • A) entro
    • B) entras
    • C) entramos
    • D) entra

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

    • A) entramos
    • B) entro
    • C) entras
    • D) entra

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

    • A) entro
    • B) entrais
    • C) entras
    • D) entra

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

    • A) entro
    • B) entras
    • C) entram
    • D) entra

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

    • A) entras
    • B) entra
    • C) entramos
    • D) entro

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

    • A) entras
    • B) entro
    • C) entra
    • D) entramos

Answer key

  1. B) entro — the correct form is entro. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) entras — the correct form is entras. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) entra — the correct form is entra. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) entramos — the correct form is entramos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) entrais — the correct form is entrais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) entram — the correct form is entram. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) entro — the correct form is entro. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) entras — the correct form is entras. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does entrar mean in English?

entrar means “to enter”. It is a regular -ar verb.

How is the present tense of entrar formed?

The six present forms are: eu entro, tu entras, ele entra, nós entramos, vós entrais, eles entram. entrar 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 entrar?

The gerund is entrando and the past participle is entrado.

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