Usar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

usar — to use — 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 use, and it is completely regular: uso, usas, usa, usamos, usais, usam. Its pretérito perfeito is usei, usaste, usou, and its participle is usado. It is the verb for using anything, from a computer to a word. On this page you will find usar 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 usar conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the usar present tense page.

Example sentences with usar

In the present tense

  • “Eu uso um computador todos os dias.” — “I use a computer”
  • “Tu usas um computador todos os dias.” — “You use a computer”
  • “Ele usa um computador todos os dias.” — “He uses a computer”
  • “Nós usamos um computador todos os dias.” — “We use a computer”
  • “Vós usais um computador todos os dias.” — “You use a computer”
  • “Eles usam um computador todos os dias.” — “They use a computer”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu usei um computador ontem.” — “I used a computer”
  • “Tu usaste um computador ontem.” — “You used a computer”
  • “Ele usou um computador ontem.” — “He used a computer”
  • “Nós usámos um computador ontem.” — “We used a computer”
  • “Vós usastes um computador ontem.” — “You used a computer”
  • “Eles usaram um computador ontem.” — “They used a computer”

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 usava um computador antigamente.” — “I used to use a computer”
  • “Tu usarás um computador amanhã.” — “You will use a computer”
  • “Ele usaria um computador um dia.” — “He would use a computer”
  • “É importante que nós usemos um computador.” — “It is important that we use a computer”
  • “Usa um computador!” — “Use a computer!”

How usar is used

The first thing to know about usar is its core meaning: to use. It means to use, and it is completely regular: uso, usas, usa, usamos, usais, usam. Its pretérito perfeito is usei, usaste, usou, and its participle is usado. It is the verb for using anything, from a computer to a word. 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 usar keeps. The present eu form is uso, 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 usado, 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 usar does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need uso, never usar. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho usado, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle usado is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Usar in context

Eu uso um computador todos os dias. Tu usas um computador todos os dias. Ele usa um computador todos os dias. Nós usamos um computador todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of usar is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — uso, usas, usa, usamos — while the meaning stays the same: to use. Eu usei um computador ontem. Tu usaste um computador ontem. Ele usou um computador ontem. Nós usámos um computador ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of usar 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 use — 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 usar um computador.”

✓ Right: “Eu uso um computador todos os dias.”

The infinitive usar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form uso.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu usas um computador.”

✓ Right: “Eu uso um computador todos os dias.”

usas is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is uso — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu uso um computador ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu usei um computador ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito usei here, not the present uso.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou usado um computador.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho usado um computador esta semana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) uso
    • B) usas
    • C) usa
    • D) usamos

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

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

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

    • A) usavas
    • B) usávamos
    • C) usáveis
    • D) usava

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

    • A) usaremos
    • B) usarei
    • C) usarás
    • D) usará

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

    • A) usaria
    • B) usarias
    • C) usaríamos
    • D) usaríeis

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

    • A) usaras
    • B) usáramos
    • C) usara
    • D) usáreis

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

    • A) use
    • B) uses
    • C) useis
    • D) usemos

  8. What is the gerund of usar?

    • A) usando
    • B) usado
    • C) usar
    • D) uso

  9. What is the past participle of usar?

    • A) usando
    • B) usado
    • C) usar
    • D) uso

  10. What does usar mean in English?

  • A) to ask for
  • B) to receive
  • C) to use
  • D) to pay

Answer key

  1. B) usas — the correct form is usas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho usado — the correct form is tenho usado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) usava — the correct form is usava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) usaremos — the correct form is usaremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) usarias — the correct form is usarias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) usara — the correct form is usara. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) usemos — the correct form is usemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) usando — the correct form is usando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) usado — the correct form is usado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to use — the correct form is to use. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does usar mean in English?

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

Is usar regular or irregular?

usar is regular. usar 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 usar?

The gerund is usando and the past participle is usado. The perfect tenses use ter + usado.

Where can I see the full conjugation of usar?

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

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