Sorrir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

sorrir — to smile — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a irregular -ir verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to smile, and it is irregular in the present and the subjunctive: the present is sorrio, sorris, sorri, sorrimos, sorrides, sorriem, and the pretérito perfeito is regular — sorri, sorriste, sorriu, sorrimos, sorristes, sorriram. Its participle is sorrido and its gerund is sorrindo. Do not confuse it with rir, which means to laugh. On this page you will find sorrir 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 sorrir conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the sorrir pretérito perfeito tense page.

Example sentences with sorrir

In the present tense

  • “Eu sorrio para a Maria todos os dias.” — “I smile at Maria”
  • “Tu sorris para a Maria todos os dias.” — “You smile at Maria”
  • “Ele sorri para a Maria todos os dias.” — “He smiles at Maria”
  • “Nós sorrimos para a Maria todos os dias.” — “We smile at Maria”
  • “Vós sorrides para a Maria todos os dias.” — “You smile at Maria”
  • “Eles sorriem para a Maria todos os dias.” — “They smile at Maria”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu sorri para a Maria ontem.” — “I smiled at Maria”
  • “Tu sorriste para a Maria ontem.” — “You smiled at Maria”
  • “Ele sorriu para a Maria ontem.” — “He smiled at Maria”
  • “Nós sorrimos para a Maria ontem.” — “We smiled at Maria”
  • “Vós sorristes para a Maria ontem.” — “You smiled at Maria”
  • “Eles sorriram para a Maria ontem.” — “They smiled at Maria”

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 sorria para a Maria antigamente.” — “I used to smile at Maria”
  • “Tu sorrirás para a Maria amanhã.” — “You will smile at Maria”
  • “Ele sorriria para a Maria um dia.” — “He would smile at Maria”
  • “É importante que nós sorriamos para a Maria.” — “It is important that we smile at Maria”
  • “Sorri para a Maria!” — “Smile at Maria!”

How sorrir is used

The first thing to know about sorrir is its core meaning: to smile. It means to smile, and it is irregular in the present and the subjunctive: the present is sorrio, sorris, sorri, sorrimos, sorrides, sorriem, and the pretérito perfeito is regular — sorri, sorriste, sorriu, sorrimos, sorristes, sorriram. Its participle is sorrido and its gerund is sorrindo. Do not confuse it with rir, which means to laugh. 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 sorrir keeps. The present eu form is sorrio, 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 sorrido, 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 sorrir does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need sorrio, never sorrir. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho sorrido, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle sorrido is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Sorrir in context

Eu sorrio para a Maria todos os dias. Tu sorris para a Maria todos os dias. Ele sorri para a Maria todos os dias. Nós sorrimos para a Maria todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of sorrir is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — sorrio, sorris, sorri, sorrimos — while the meaning stays the same: to smile. Eu sorri para a Maria ontem. Tu sorriste para a Maria ontem. Ele sorriu para a Maria ontem. Nós sorrimos para a Maria ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of sorrir 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 smile — 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 sorrir para a Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu sorrio para a Maria todos os dias.”

The infinitive sorrir never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form sorrio.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu sorris para a Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu sorrio para a Maria todos os dias.”

sorris is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is sorrio — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu sorrio para a Maria ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu sorri para a Maria ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito sorri here, not the present sorrio.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou sorrido para a Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho sorrido para a Maria esta semana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) sorrio
    • B) sorris
    • C) sorri
    • D) sorrimos

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

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

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

    • A) sorrias
    • B) sorríamos
    • C) sorríeis
    • D) sorria

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

    • A) sorriremos
    • B) sorrirei
    • C) sorrirás
    • D) sorrirá

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

    • A) sorriria
    • B) sorririas
    • C) sorriríamos
    • D) sorriríeis

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

    • A) sorriras
    • B) sorríramos
    • C) sorrira
    • D) sorríreis

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

    • A) sorria
    • B) sorrias
    • C) sorriais
    • D) sorriamos

  8. What is the gerund of sorrir?

    • A) sorrindo
    • B) sorrido
    • C) sorrir
    • D) sorrio

  9. What is the past participle of sorrir?

    • A) sorrindo
    • B) sorrido
    • C) sorrir
    • D) sorrio

  10. What does sorrir mean in English?

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

Answer key

  1. B) sorris — the correct form is sorris. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho sorrido — the correct form is tenho sorrido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) sorria — the correct form is sorria. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) sorriremos — the correct form is sorriremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) sorririas — the correct form is sorririas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) sorrira — the correct form is sorrira. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) sorriamos — the correct form is sorriamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) sorrindo — the correct form is sorrindo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) sorrido — the correct form is sorrido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to smile — the correct form is to smile. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does sorrir mean in English?

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

Is sorrir regular or irregular?

sorrir is irregular. sorrir is irregular in presente, presente do subjuntivo, imperativo afirmativo, imperativo negativo — learn those forms as a set.

What are the gerund and past participle of sorrir?

The gerund is sorrindo and the past participle is sorrido. The perfect tenses use ter + sorrido.

Where can I see the full conjugation of sorrir?

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

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