Precisar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

precisar — to need — 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 need, and it usually takes de before its object: preciso de ajuda. It is completely regular: preciso, precisas, precisa, precisamos, precisais, precisam. On this page you will find precisar 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 precisar conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the precisar present tense page.

Example sentences with precisar

In the present tense

  • “Eu preciso de ajuda todos os dias.” — “I need help”
  • “Tu precisas de ajuda todos os dias.” — “You need help”
  • “Ele precisa de ajuda todos os dias.” — “He needs help”
  • “Nós precisamos de ajuda todos os dias.” — “We need help”
  • “Vós precisais de ajuda todos os dias.” — “You need help”
  • “Eles precisam de ajuda todos os dias.” — “They need help”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu precisei de ajuda ontem.” — “I needed help”
  • “Tu precisaste de ajuda ontem.” — “You needed help”
  • “Ele precisou de ajuda ontem.” — “He needed help”
  • “Nós precisámos de ajuda ontem.” — “We needed help”
  • “Vós precisastes de ajuda ontem.” — “You needed help”
  • “Eles precisaram de ajuda ontem.” — “They needed help”

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 precisava de ajuda antigamente.” — “I used to need help”
  • “Tu precisarás de ajuda amanhã.” — “You will need help”
  • “Ele precisaria de ajuda um dia.” — “He would need help”
  • “É importante que nós precisemos de ajuda.” — “It is important that we need help”
  • “Precisa de ajuda!” — “Need help!”

How precisar is used

The first thing to know about precisar is its core meaning: to need. It means to need, and it usually takes de before its object: preciso de ajuda. It is completely regular: preciso, precisas, precisa, precisamos, precisais, precisam. 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 precisar keeps. The present eu form is preciso, 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 precisado, 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 precisar does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need preciso, never precisar. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho precisado, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle precisado is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Precisar in context

Eu preciso de ajuda todos os dias. Tu precisas de ajuda todos os dias. Ele precisa de ajuda todos os dias. Nós precisamos de ajuda todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of precisar is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — preciso, precisas, precisa, precisamos — while the meaning stays the same: to need. Eu precisei de ajuda ontem. Tu precisaste de ajuda ontem. Ele precisou de ajuda ontem. Nós precisámos de ajuda ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of precisar 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 need — 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 precisar de ajuda.”

✓ Right: “Eu preciso de ajuda todos os dias.”

The infinitive precisar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form preciso.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu precisas de ajuda.”

✓ Right: “Eu preciso de ajuda todos os dias.”

precisas is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is preciso — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu preciso de ajuda ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu precisei de ajuda ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito precisei here, not the present preciso.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou precisado de ajuda.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho precisado de ajuda esta semana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) preciso
    • B) precisas
    • C) precisa
    • D) precisamos

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

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

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

    • A) precisavas
    • B) precisávamos
    • C) precisáveis
    • D) precisava

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

    • A) precisaremos
    • B) precisarei
    • C) precisarás
    • D) precisará

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

    • A) precisaria
    • B) precisarias
    • C) precisaríamos
    • D) precisaríeis

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

    • A) precisaras
    • B) precisáramos
    • C) precisara
    • D) precisáreis

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

    • A) precise
    • B) precises
    • C) preciseis
    • D) precisemos

  8. What is the gerund of precisar?

    • A) precisando
    • B) precisado
    • C) precisar
    • D) preciso

  9. What is the past participle of precisar?

    • A) precisando
    • B) precisado
    • C) precisar
    • D) preciso

  10. What does precisar mean in English?

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

Answer key

  1. B) precisas — the correct form is precisas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho precisado — the correct form is tenho precisado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) precisava — the correct form is precisava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) precisaremos — the correct form is precisaremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) precisarias — the correct form is precisarias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) precisara — the correct form is precisara. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) precisemos — the correct form is precisemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) precisando — the correct form is precisando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) precisado — the correct form is precisado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to need — the correct form is to need. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does precisar mean in English?

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

Is precisar regular or irregular?

precisar is regular. precisar 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 precisar?

The gerund is precisando and the past participle is precisado. The perfect tenses use ter + precisado.

Where can I see the full conjugation of precisar?

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

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