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