Terminar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

terminar — to end — 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 finish and to end, and it is completely regular: termino, terminas, termina, terminamos, terminais, terminam. It is the natural partner of começar, and it appears with a noun or an infinitive. On this page you will find terminar 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 terminar conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the terminar present tense page.

Example sentences with terminar

In the present tense

  • “Eu termino o trabalho todos os dias.” — “I finish the work”
  • “Tu terminas o trabalho todos os dias.” — “You finish the work”
  • “Ele termina o trabalho todos os dias.” — “He finishes the work”
  • “Nós terminamos o trabalho todos os dias.” — “We finish the work”
  • “Vós terminais o trabalho todos os dias.” — “You finish the work”
  • “Eles terminam o trabalho todos os dias.” — “They finish the work”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu terminei o trabalho ontem.” — “I finished the work”
  • “Tu terminaste o trabalho ontem.” — “You finished the work”
  • “Ele terminou o trabalho ontem.” — “He finished the work”
  • “Nós terminámos o trabalho ontem.” — “We finished the work”
  • “Vós terminastes o trabalho ontem.” — “You finished the work”
  • “Eles terminaram o trabalho ontem.” — “They finished the work”

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 terminava o trabalho antigamente.” — “I used to finish the work”
  • “Tu terminarás o trabalho amanhã.” — “You will finish the work”
  • “Ele terminaria o trabalho um dia.” — “He would finish the work”
  • “É importante que nós terminemos o trabalho.” — “It is important that we finish the work”
  • “Termina o trabalho!” — “Finish the work!”

How terminar is used

The first thing to know about terminar is its core meaning: to end. It means to finish and to end, and it is completely regular: termino, terminas, termina, terminamos, terminais, terminam. It is the natural partner of começar, and it appears with a noun or an infinitive. 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 terminar keeps. The present eu form is termino, 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 terminado, 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 terminar does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need termino, never terminar. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho terminado, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle terminado is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Terminar in context

Eu termino o trabalho todos os dias. Tu terminas o trabalho todos os dias. Ele termina o trabalho todos os dias. Nós terminamos o trabalho todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of terminar is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — termino, terminas, termina, terminamos — while the meaning stays the same: to end. Eu terminei o trabalho ontem. Tu terminaste o trabalho ontem. Ele terminou o trabalho ontem. Nós terminámos o trabalho ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of terminar 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 end — 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 terminar o trabalho.”

✓ Right: “Eu termino o trabalho todos os dias.”

The infinitive terminar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form termino.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu terminas o trabalho.”

✓ Right: “Eu termino o trabalho todos os dias.”

terminas is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is termino — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu termino o trabalho ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu terminei o trabalho ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito terminei here, not the present termino.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou terminado o trabalho.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho terminado o trabalho esta semana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) termino
    • B) terminas
    • C) termina
    • D) terminamos

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

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

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

    • A) terminavas
    • B) terminávamos
    • C) termináveis
    • D) terminava

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

    • A) terminaremos
    • B) terminarei
    • C) terminarás
    • D) terminará

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

    • A) terminaria
    • B) terminarias
    • C) terminaríamos
    • D) terminaríeis

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

    • A) terminaras
    • B) termináramos
    • C) terminara
    • D) termináreis

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

    • A) termine
    • B) termines
    • C) termineis
    • D) terminemos

  8. What is the gerund of terminar?

    • A) terminando
    • B) terminado
    • C) terminar
    • D) termino

  9. What is the past participle of terminar?

    • A) terminando
    • B) terminado
    • C) terminar
    • D) termino

  10. What does terminar mean in English?

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

Answer key

  1. B) terminas — the correct form is terminas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho terminado — the correct form is tenho terminado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) terminava — the correct form is terminava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) terminaremos — the correct form is terminaremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) terminarias — the correct form is terminarias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) terminara — the correct form is terminara. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) terminemos — the correct form is terminemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) terminando — the correct form is terminando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) terminado — the correct form is terminado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to end — the correct form is to end. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does terminar mean in English?

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

Is terminar regular or irregular?

terminar is regular. terminar 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 terminar?

The gerund is terminando and the past participle is terminado. The perfect tenses use ter + terminado.

Where can I see the full conjugation of terminar?

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

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