Tomar Conjugation in Portuguese
tomar means “to take” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Portuguese learners meet — it sits at number 15 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Portuguese verbs. 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. This page gives you the complete conjugation of tomar — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Eu tomo um café todos os dias.” — “I take a coffee.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: tomar
- English: to take
- Verb type: Regular -ar verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: tomando
- Present participle: —
- Past participle: tomado
- Auxiliary: ter (all perfect tenses are formed with ter + the past participle)
- Ending: -ar verbs; pattern ar in the verified tables
Pronunciation
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. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read tomar in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about tomar
- It is regular: every form follows the ordinary -ar pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions.
- The perfect tenses use ter: the pretérito perfeito composto is formed with ter in the present plus the past participle tomado. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The gerund is tomando and the past participle is tomado: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the gerund appears in progressive constructions and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. There is no present participle form listed for this verb in the verified tables. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for tomar. Learn the present tense first, then the pretérito perfeito and the pretérito imperfeito, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative (presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tomo |
| tu | tomas |
| ele/ela | toma |
| nós | tomamos |
| vós | tomais |
| eles/elas | tomam |
The present indicative (presente) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Eu tomo um café todos os dias.” — “I take a coffee”
Pretérito perfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tomei |
| tu | tomaste |
| ele/ela | tomou |
| nós | tomámos |
| vós | tomastes |
| eles/elas | tomaram |
The pretérito perfeito is used for completed actions in the past, especially one finished event. For example: “Eu tomei um café ontem.” — “I took a coffee”
Pretérito imperfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tomava |
| tu | tomavas |
| ele/ela | tomava |
| nós | tomávamos |
| vós | tomáveis |
| eles/elas | tomavam |
The pretérito imperfeito is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Eu tomava um café antigamente.” — “I used to take a coffee”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tomara |
| tu | tomaras |
| ele/ela | tomara |
| nós | tomáramos |
| vós | tomáreis |
| eles/elas | tomaram |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples is used for an action completed before another past action; in everyday speech the compound form with tinha is more common. For example: “Eu tomara um café antes do jantar.” — “I had taken a coffee”
Futuro do presente
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tomarei |
| tu | tomarás |
| ele/ela | tomará |
| nós | tomaremos |
| vós | tomareis |
| eles/elas | tomarão |
The futuro do presente is used for what will happen, for predictions and for promises. For example: “Eu tomarei um café amanhã.” — “I will take a coffee”
Futuro do pretérito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tomaria |
| tu | tomarias |
| ele/ela | tomaria |
| nós | tomaríamos |
| vós | tomaríeis |
| eles/elas | tomariam |
The futuro do pretérito is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Eu tomaria um café um dia.” — “I would take a coffee”
Pretérito perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenho tomado |
| tu | tens tomado |
| ele/ela | tem tomado |
| nós | temos tomado |
| vós | tendes tomado |
| eles/elas | têm tomado |
The pretérito perfeito composto is used for actions that started in the past and continue, or have been repeated, up to the present. For example: “Ele tem tomado um café esta semana.” — “He has taken a coffee”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tinha tomado |
| tu | tinhas tomado |
| ele/ela | tinha tomado |
| nós | tínhamos tomado |
| vós | tínheis tomado |
| eles/elas | tinham tomado |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Eu tinha tomado um café antes do jantar.” — “I had taken a coffee”
Futuro do presente composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | terei tomado |
| tu | terás tomado |
| ele/ela | terá tomado |
| nós | teremos tomado |
| vós | tereis tomado |
| eles/elas | terão tomado |
The futuro do presente composto is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Eu terei tomado um café até amanhã.” — “I will have taken a coffee”
Futuro do pretérito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | teria tomado |
| tu | terias tomado |
| ele/ela | teria tomado |
| nós | teríamos tomado |
| vós | teríeis tomado |
| eles/elas | teriam tomado |
The futuro do pretérito composto is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Eu teria tomado um café ontem.” — “I would have taken a coffee”
Presente do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tome |
| tu | tomes |
| ele/ela | tome |
| nós | tomemos |
| vós | tomeis |
| eles/elas | tomem |
The presente do subjuntivo is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “É importante que eu tome um café.” — “It is important that I take a coffee”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tomasse |
| tu | tomasses |
| ele/ela | tomasse |
| nós | tomássemos |
| vós | tomásseis |
| eles/elas | tomassem |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after que, and in se-clauses. For example: “Era importante que eu tomasse um café.” — “It was important that I take a coffee”
Futuro do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tomar |
| tu | tomares |
| ele/ela | tomar |
| nós | tomarmos |
| vós | tomardes |
| eles/elas | tomarem |
The futuro do subjuntivo is used after se and quando for a future possibility, where English would use the present. For example: “Se eu tomar um café, é bom.” — “If I take a coffee, that is good”
Imperativo (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | toma |
| ele/ela | tome |
| nós | tomemos |
| vós | tomai |
| eles/elas | tomem |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Toma um café!” — “Take a coffee!”
Imperativo (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | não tomes |
| ele/ela | não tome |
| nós | não tomemos |
| vós | não tomeis |
| eles/elas | não tomem |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Não tomes um café.” — “Do not take a coffee.”
Presente do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenha tomado |
| tu | tenhas tomado |
| ele/ela | tenha tomado |
| nós | tenhamos tomado |
| vós | tenhais tomado |
| eles/elas | tenham tomado |
The presente do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a subordinate clause expressing doubt, wish or emotion. For example: “É importante que eu tenha tomado um café.” — “It is important that I have taken a coffee”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tivesse tomado |
| tu | tivesses tomado |
| ele/ela | tivesse tomado |
| nós | tivéssemos tomado |
| vós | tivésseis tomado |
| eles/elas | tivessem tomado |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a past subordinate clause. For example: “Era importante que eu tivesse tomado um café.” — “It was important that I had taken a coffee”
Futuro do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tiver tomado |
| tu | tiveres tomado |
| ele/ela | tiver tomado |
| nós | tivermos tomado |
| vós | tiverdes tomado |
| eles/elas | tiverem tomado |
The futuro do subjuntivo composto is used after se for a completed future possibility. For example: “Se eu tiver tomado um café, é bom.” — “If I have taken a coffee, that is good”
Gerund
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Gerund | tomando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with estar for the progressive. For example: “Tomando um café, aprendo muito.” — “While taking a coffee, I learn a lot.”
Past participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Past participle | tomado |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Eu tenho tomado um café esta semana.” — “I have taken a coffee.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with tomar, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Portuguese and try to produce it from the English.
- “Eu tomo um café todos os dias.” — “I take a coffee”
- “Tu tomaste um café ontem.” — “You took a coffee”
- “Ele tomava um café antigamente.” — “He used to take a coffee”
- “Eu tomarei um café amanhã.” — “I will take a coffee”
- “Tu tomarias um café um dia.” — “You would take a coffee”
- “Ele tem tomado um café esta semana.” — “He has taken a coffee”
- “Eu tinha tomado um café antes do jantar.” — “I had taken a coffee”
- “Tu terás tomado um café até amanhã.” — “You will have taken a coffee”
- “É importante que eu tome um café.” — “It is important that I take a coffee”
- “Toma um café!” — “Take a coffee!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Eu tomar um café.”
✓ Right: “Eu tomo um café todos os dias.”
The infinitive tomar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form tomo.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Eu tomas um café.”
✓ Right: “Eu tomo um café todos os dias.”
tomas is the tu form, not the eu form. Match the verb to the subject every time: eu goes with tomo.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Eu tomo um café ontem.”
✓ Right: “Eu tomei um café ontem.”
Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito tomei for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the pretérito perfeito composto
✗ Wrong: “Eu sou tomado um café.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho tomado um café esta semana.”
The pretérito perfeito composto of tomar is formed with ter plus the past participle tomado: the eu form is tenho tomado. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “É importante que eu tomo um café.”
✓ Right: “É importante que eu tome um café.”
After é importante que Portuguese needs the subjunctive, so use tome here, not the indicative tomo.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Eu tenho tomando um café.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho tomado um café esta semana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle tomado, not the gerund tomando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on tomar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the eu form of tomar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) tomas
- B) tomo
- C) toma
- D) tomamos
What is the ele/ela form of tomar in the Pretérito perfeito?
- A) tomei
- B) tomaste
- C) tomou
- D) tomámos
What is the nós form of tomar in the Pretérito imperfeito?
- A) tomava
- B) tomavas
- C) tomáveis
- D) tomávamos
What is the tu form of tomar in the Futuro do presente?
- A) tomarás
- B) tomarei
- C) tomará
- D) tomaremos
What is the eu form of tomar in the Futuro do pretérito?
- A) tomarias
- B) tomaria
- C) tomaríamos
- D) tomaríeis
What is the ele/ela form of tomar in the Pretérito perfeito composto?
- A) tenho tomado
- B) tens tomado
- C) tem tomado
- D) temos tomado
What is the ele/ela form of tomar in the Presente do subjuntivo?
- A) tomes
- B) tomemos
- C) tomeis
- D) tome
What is the eu form of tomar in the Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo?
- A) tomasse
- B) tomasses
- C) tomássemos
- D) tomásseis
What is the gerund of tomar?
- A) tomado
- B) tomando
- C) tomar
- D) tomo
What does tomar mean in English?
- A) to ask for
- B) to receive
- C) to take
- D) to pay
Answer key
- B) tomo — the correct form is tomo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) tomou — the correct form is tomou. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) tomávamos — the correct form is tomávamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) tomarás — the correct form is tomarás. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) tomaria — the correct form is tomaria. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) tem tomado — the correct form is tem tomado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) tome — the correct form is tome. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) tomasse — the correct form is tomasse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) tomando — the correct form is tomando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to take — the correct form is to take. 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 core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is tomar regular or irregular?
tomar is regular: it follows the ordinary -ar pattern in every tense. The gerund is tomando and the past participle is tomado.
What are the gerund and past participle of tomar?
The gerund is tomando — use it with estar for the progressive. The past participle is tomado — use it with ter for the perfect tenses, as in tenho tomado.
Which auxiliary does tomar take in the pretérito perfeito composto?
tomar takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto: the eu form is tenho tomado. All seven compound tenses on this page are built with ter plus the past participle tomado.
How do I say “I take” in Portuguese?
Say “Eu tomo um café todos os dias.” — “I take a coffee” The eu form of the present is tomo, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of tomar — every tense of tomar in one place.
- Tomar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Tomar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Portuguese present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Portuguese.
- Pagar conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Comprar conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Portuguese verbs — the full hub of Portuguese conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Verb Conjugator — practise tomar with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise tomar with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise tomar with the interactive tool.