Levantar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

levantar — to lift — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a regular -ar verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to lift and to get up, and it is completely regular. As a daily-routine verb it usually appears with a time word — levanto cedo — and it is the natural partner of acordar, which means to wake up. On this page you will find levantar 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 levantar conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the levantar present tense page.

Example sentences with levantar

In the present tense

  • “Eu levanto cedo todos os dias.” — “I get up early”
  • “Tu levantas cedo todos os dias.” — “You get up early”
  • “Ele levanta cedo todos os dias.” — “He gets up early”
  • “Nós levantamos cedo todos os dias.” — “We get up early”
  • “Vós levantais cedo todos os dias.” — “You get up early”
  • “Eles levantam cedo todos os dias.” — “They get up early”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu levantei cedo ontem.” — “I got up early”
  • “Tu levantaste cedo ontem.” — “You got up early”
  • “Ele levantou cedo ontem.” — “He got up early”
  • “Nós levantámos cedo ontem.” — “We got up early”
  • “Vós levantastes cedo ontem.” — “You got up early”
  • “Eles levantaram cedo ontem.” — “They got up early”

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 levantava cedo antigamente.” — “I used to get up early”
  • “Tu levantarás cedo amanhã.” — “You will get up early”
  • “Ele levantaria cedo um dia.” — “He would get up early”
  • “É importante que nós levantemos cedo.” — “It is important that we get up early”
  • “Levanta cedo!” — “Get up early!”

How levantar is used

The first thing to know about levantar is its core meaning: to lift. It means to lift and to get up, and it is completely regular. As a daily-routine verb it usually appears with a time word — levanto cedo — and it is the natural partner of acordar, which means to wake up. 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 levantar keeps. The present eu form is levanto, 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 levantado, 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 levantar does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need levanto, never levantar. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho levantado, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle levantado is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Levantar in context

Eu levanto cedo todos os dias. Tu levantas cedo todos os dias. Ele levanta cedo todos os dias. Nós levantamos cedo todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of levantar is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — levanto, levantas, levanta, levantamos — while the meaning stays the same: to lift. Eu levantei cedo ontem. Tu levantaste cedo ontem. Ele levantou cedo ontem. Nós levantámos cedo ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of levantar 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 lift — 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 levantar cedo.”

✓ Right: “Eu levanto cedo todos os dias.”

The infinitive levantar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form levanto.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu levantas cedo.”

✓ Right: “Eu levanto cedo todos os dias.”

levantas is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is levanto — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu levanto cedo ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu levantei cedo ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito levantei here, not the present levanto.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou levantado cedo.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho levantado cedo esta semana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) levanto
    • B) levantas
    • C) levanta
    • D) levantamos

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

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

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

    • A) levantavas
    • B) levantávamos
    • C) levantáveis
    • D) levantava

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

    • A) levantaremos
    • B) levantarei
    • C) levantarás
    • D) levantará

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

    • A) levantaria
    • B) levantarias
    • C) levantaríamos
    • D) levantaríeis

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

    • A) levantaras
    • B) levantáramos
    • C) levantara
    • D) levantáreis

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

    • A) levante
    • B) levantes
    • C) levanteis
    • D) levantemos

  8. What is the gerund of levantar?

    • A) levantando
    • B) levantado
    • C) levantar
    • D) levanto

  9. What is the past participle of levantar?

    • A) levantando
    • B) levantado
    • C) levantar
    • D) levanto

  10. What does levantar mean in English?

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

Answer key

  1. B) levantas — the correct form is levantas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho levantado — the correct form is tenho levantado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) levantava — the correct form is levantava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) levantaremos — the correct form is levantaremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) levantarias — the correct form is levantarias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) levantara — the correct form is levantara. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) levantemos — the correct form is levantemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) levantando — the correct form is levantando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) levantado — the correct form is levantado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to lift — the correct form is to lift. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does levantar mean in English?

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

Is levantar regular or irregular?

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

What are the gerund and past participle of levantar?

The gerund is levantando and the past participle is levantado. The perfect tenses use ter + levantado.

Where can I see the full conjugation of levantar?

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

Related pages