Introduction
Tomar means “to take”, and this page covers exactly one thing: tomar 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 tomar, 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 tomar in the present. It means to take, and it is completely regular: tomo, tomas, toma, tomamos, tomais, tomam. Its pretérito perfeito is tomei, tomaste, tomou, and its participle is tomado. It also means to drink, as in taking a coffee, and to take medicine. For example: “Ele toma um café todos os dias.” — “He takes a coffee.” Everything on this page uses the forms of tomar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.
Tomar in the Present — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tomo |
| tu | tomas |
| ele/ela | toma |
| nós | tomamos |
| vós | tomais |
| eles/elas | tomam |
| Gerund: tomando · Past participle: tomado | |
| The gerund is tomando, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Tomando um café, aprendo muito.” — “While taking a coffee, I learn a lot.” The past participle is tomado, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho tomado 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 tomar is used. | |
| Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for tomar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. |
How the present of tomar is formed
The present tense of tomar has six forms: eu tomo, tu tomas, ele toma, nós tomamos, vós tomais, eles tomam. Say them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. tomar 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 tomar 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 tomamos and tomais pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Portuguese uses where English would often use the continuous form, so tomo can mean both “I take” and “I am taking” — context tells the listener which one you mean.
Because tomar 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 tomar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use tomar 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 tomar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos os dias, sempre or todas as semanas to make the routine explicit. Example: “Eu tomo um café todos os dias.” — “I take a coffee.”
2. General truths
Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about tomar does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Ele toma um café todos os dias.” — “He takes a coffee.”
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 tomar 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 tomamos um café todos os dias.” — “We take a coffee.”
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 tomas um café todos os dias.” — “You take a coffee.”
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 tomar in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Eles tomam um café todos os dias.” — “They take a coffee.”
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 toma um café todos os dias.” — “He takes a coffee”
- Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele tomou um café ontem.” — “He took a coffee”
- 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 tomo um café todos os dias.” — “I take a coffee”
- Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu tomei um café ontem.” — “I took a coffee”
- 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 tomas um café todos os dias.” — “You take a coffee”
- Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu tomaste um café ontem.” — “You took a coffee”
- 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: tomar 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.
- “Eu tomo um café todos os dias.” — “I take a coffee”
- “Tu tomas um café todos os dias.” — “You take a coffee”
- “Ele toma um café todos os dias.” — “He takes a coffee”
- “Nós tomamos um café todos os dias.” — “We take a coffee”
- “Vós tomais um café todos os dias.” — “You take a coffee”
- “Eles tomam um café todos os dias.” — “They take a coffee”
- “Eu tomo um café todos os dias.” — “I take a coffee”
- “Ele toma um café todos os dias.” — “He takes a coffee”
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 tomas um café.” Right: “Eu tomo um café todos os dias.” Why: The eu form is tomo, not tomas. tomas is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
- Wrong: “Nós tomo um café.” Right: “Nós tomamos um café todos os dias.” Why: Nós needs the nós form tomamos. tomo belongs with eu only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
- Wrong: “Eu tomo um café todos os dias ontem.” Right: “Eu tomei um café ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito tomei for a finished action yesterday.
- Wrong: “Eu tomar um café.” Right: “Eu tomo um café todos os dias.” Why: The infinitive tomar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated form tomo.
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.
What is the eu form of tomar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) tomas
- B) tomo
- C) toma
- D) tomamos
What is the tu form of tomar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) tomo
- B) toma
- C) tomas
- D) tomamos
What is the ele/ela form of tomar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) tomo
- B) tomas
- C) tomamos
- D) toma
What is the nós form of tomar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) tomamos
- B) tomo
- C) tomas
- D) toma
What is the vós form of tomar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) tomo
- B) tomais
- C) tomas
- D) toma
What is the eles/elas form of tomar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) tomo
- B) tomas
- C) tomam
- D) toma
What is the eu form of tomar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) tomas
- B) toma
- C) tomamos
- D) tomo
What is the tu form of tomar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) tomas
- B) tomo
- C) toma
- D) tomamos
Answer key
- B) tomo — the correct form is tomo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) tomas — the correct form is tomas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) toma — the correct form is toma. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) tomamos — the correct form is tomamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) tomais — the correct form is tomais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) tomam — the correct form is tomam. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) tomo — the correct form is tomo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) tomas — the correct form is tomas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does tomar mean in English?
tomar means “to take”. It is a regular -ar verb.
How is the present tense of tomar formed?
The six present forms are: eu tomo, tu tomas, ele toma, nós tomamos, vós tomais, eles tomam. tomar 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 tomar?
The gerund is tomando and the past participle is tomado.
Related pages
- tomar conjugation — full tables
- tomar examples and quiz
- Portuguese present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Portuguese.
- Pagar conjugation — another Portuguese verb in this batch.
- Comprar conjugation — another Portuguese verb in this batch.
- Portuguese verbs — the full hub of Portuguese conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise tomar with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise tomar with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise tomar with the interactive tool.