Introduction

Responder means “to answer”, and this page covers exactly one thing: responder 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 responder, 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 responder in the present. It means to answer, and it is completely regular: respondo, respondes, responde, respondemos, respondeis, respondem. Its pretérito perfeito is respondi, respondeste, respondeu, and its participle is respondido. It takes the question as its object, with a: respondo à pergunta. For example: “Ele responde à pergunta todos os dias.” — “He answers the question.” Everything on this page uses the forms of responder exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Responder in the Present — full table

Person Form
eu respondo
tu respondes
ele/ela responde
nós respondemos
vós respondeis
eles/elas respondem
Gerund: respondendo · Past participle: respondido
The gerund is respondendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Respondendo à pergunta, aprendo muito.” — “While answering the question, I learn a lot.” The past participle is respondido, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho respondido 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 responder is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for responder, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of responder is formed

The present tense of responder has six forms: eu respondo, tu respondes, ele responde, nós respondemos, vós respondeis, eles respondem. Say them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. responder is regular: every form follows the standard -er 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 responder 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 respondemos and respondeis pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Portuguese uses where English would often use the continuous form, so respondo can mean both “I answer” and “I am answering” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because responder is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -er endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er 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 responder

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use responder 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 responder is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos os dias, sempre or todas as semanas to make the routine explicit. Example: “Eu respondo à pergunta todos os dias.” — “I answer the question.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about responder does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Ele responde à pergunta todos os dias.” — “He answers the question.”

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 responder 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 respondemos à pergunta todos os dias.” — “We answer the question.”

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 respondes à pergunta todos os dias.” — “You answer the question.”

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 responder in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Eles respondem à pergunta todos os dias.” — “They answer the question.”

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 responde à pergunta todos os dias.” — “He answers the question”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele respondeu à pergunta ontem.” — “He answered the question”
  • 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 respondo à pergunta todos os dias.” — “I answer the question”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu respondi à pergunta ontem.” — “I answered the question”
  • 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 respondes à pergunta todos os dias.” — “You answer the question”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu respondeste à pergunta ontem.” — “You answered the question”
  • 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: responder 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 respondo à pergunta todos os dias.” — “I answer the question”
  2. “Tu respondes à pergunta todos os dias.” — “You answer the question”
  3. “Ele responde à pergunta todos os dias.” — “He answers the question”
  4. “Nós respondemos à pergunta todos os dias.” — “We answer the question”
  5. “Vós respondeis à pergunta todos os dias.” — “You answer the question”
  6. “Eles respondem à pergunta todos os dias.” — “They answer the question”
  7. “Eu respondo à pergunta todos os dias.” — “I answer the question”
  8. “Ele responde à pergunta todos os dias.” — “He answers the question”

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

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 responder in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) respondes
    • B) respondo
    • C) responde
    • D) respondemos

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

    • A) respondo
    • B) responde
    • C) respondes
    • D) respondemos

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

    • A) respondo
    • B) respondes
    • C) respondemos
    • D) responde

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

    • A) respondemos
    • B) respondo
    • C) respondes
    • D) responde

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

    • A) respondo
    • B) respondeis
    • C) respondes
    • D) responde

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

    • A) respondo
    • B) respondes
    • C) respondem
    • D) responde

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

    • A) respondes
    • B) responde
    • C) respondemos
    • D) respondo

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

    • A) respondes
    • B) respondo
    • C) responde
    • D) respondemos

Answer key

  1. B) respondo — the correct form is respondo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) respondes — the correct form is respondes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) responde — the correct form is responde. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) respondemos — the correct form is respondemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) respondeis — the correct form is respondeis. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) respondem — the correct form is respondem. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) respondo — the correct form is respondo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) respondes — the correct form is respondes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does responder mean in English?

responder means “to answer”. It is a regular -er verb.

How is the present tense of responder formed?

The six present forms are: eu respondo, tu respondes, ele responde, nós respondemos, vós respondeis, eles respondem. responder is regular: every form follows the standard -er 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 responder?

The gerund is respondendo and the past participle is respondido.

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