Tentar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

tentar — to try — 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 try, and it is completely regular: tento, tentas, tenta, tentamos, tentais, tentam. It can take a noun or an infinitive — tento aprender português — and it is the verb for attempts of every kind. On this page you will find tentar 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 tentar conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the tentar present tense page.

Example sentences with tentar

In the present tense

  • “Eu tento aprender português todos os dias.” — “I try to learn Portuguese”
  • “Tu tentas aprender português todos os dias.” — “You try to learn Portuguese”
  • “Ele tenta aprender português todos os dias.” — “He tries to learn Portuguese”
  • “Nós tentamos aprender português todos os dias.” — “We try to learn Portuguese”
  • “Vós tentais aprender português todos os dias.” — “You try to learn Portuguese”
  • “Eles tentam aprender português todos os dias.” — “They try to learn Portuguese”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu tentei aprender português ontem.” — “I tried to learn Portuguese”
  • “Tu tentaste aprender português ontem.” — “You tried to learn Portuguese”
  • “Ele tentou aprender português ontem.” — “He tried to learn Portuguese”
  • “Nós tentámos aprender português ontem.” — “We tried to learn Portuguese”
  • “Vós tentastes aprender português ontem.” — “You tried to learn Portuguese”
  • “Eles tentaram aprender português ontem.” — “They tried to learn Portuguese”

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 tentava aprender português antigamente.” — “I used to try to learn Portuguese”
  • “Tu tentarás aprender português amanhã.” — “You will try to learn Portuguese”
  • “Ele tentaria aprender português um dia.” — “He would try to learn Portuguese”
  • “É importante que nós tentemos aprender português.” — “It is important that we try to learn Portuguese”
  • “Tenta aprender português!” — “Try to learn Portuguese!”

How tentar is used

The first thing to know about tentar is its core meaning: to try. It means to try, and it is completely regular: tento, tentas, tenta, tentamos, tentais, tentam. It can take a noun or an infinitive — tento aprender português — and it is the verb for attempts of every kind. 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 tentar keeps. The present eu form is tento, 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 tentado, 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 tentar does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need tento, never tentar. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho tentado, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle tentado is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Tentar in context

Eu tento aprender português todos os dias. Tu tentas aprender português todos os dias. Ele tenta aprender português todos os dias. Nós tentamos aprender português todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of tentar is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — tento, tentas, tenta, tentamos — while the meaning stays the same: to try. Eu tentei aprender português ontem. Tu tentaste aprender português ontem. Ele tentou aprender português ontem. Nós tentámos aprender português ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of tentar 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 try — 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 tentar aprender português.”

✓ Right: “Eu tento aprender português todos os dias.”

The infinitive tentar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form tento.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu tentas aprender português.”

✓ Right: “Eu tento aprender português todos os dias.”

tentas is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is tento — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu tento aprender português ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu tentei aprender português ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito tentei here, not the present tento.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou tentado aprender português.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho tentado aprender português esta semana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) tento
    • B) tentas
    • C) tenta
    • D) tentamos

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

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

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

    • A) tentavas
    • B) tentávamos
    • C) tentáveis
    • D) tentava

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

    • A) tentaremos
    • B) tentarei
    • C) tentarás
    • D) tentará

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

    • A) tentaria
    • B) tentarias
    • C) tentaríamos
    • D) tentaríeis

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

    • A) tentaras
    • B) tentáramos
    • C) tentara
    • D) tentáreis

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

    • A) tente
    • B) tentes
    • C) tenteis
    • D) tentemos

  8. What is the gerund of tentar?

    • A) tentando
    • B) tentado
    • C) tentar
    • D) tento

  9. What is the past participle of tentar?

    • A) tentando
    • B) tentado
    • C) tentar
    • D) tento

  10. What does tentar mean in English?

  • A) to be
  • B) to have
  • C) to try
  • D) —

Answer key

  1. B) tentas — the correct form is tentas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho tentado — the correct form is tenho tentado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) tentava — the correct form is tentava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) tentaremos — the correct form is tentaremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) tentarias — the correct form is tentarias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) tentara — the correct form is tentara. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) tentemos — the correct form is tentemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) tentando — the correct form is tentando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) tentado — the correct form is tentado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to try — the correct form is to try. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does tentar mean in English?

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

Is tentar regular or irregular?

tentar is regular. tentar 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 tentar?

The gerund is tentando and the past participle is tentado. The perfect tenses use ter + tentado.

Where can I see the full conjugation of tentar?

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

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