Tentar Conjugation in Portuguese
tentar means “to try” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Portuguese learners meet — it sits at number 87 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Portuguese verbs. 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. This page gives you the complete conjugation of tentar — 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 tento aprender português todos os dias.” — “I try to learn Portuguese.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: tentar
- English: to try
- Verb type: Regular -ar verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: tentando
- Present participle: tentante
- Past participle: tentado
- 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 tentar, 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 tentar in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about tentar
- 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 tentado. 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 tentando, the present participle is tentante and the past participle is tentado: keep all three in mind as you read the tables, because the gerund appears in progressive constructions, the present participle appears as an adjective, and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those three 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 tentar. 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 | tento |
| tu | tentas |
| ele/ela | tenta |
| nós | tentamos |
| vós | tentais |
| eles/elas | tentam |
The present indicative (presente) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Eu tento aprender português todos os dias.” — “I try to learn Portuguese”
Pretérito perfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tentei |
| tu | tentaste |
| ele/ela | tentou |
| nós | tentámos |
| vós | tentastes |
| eles/elas | tentaram |
The pretérito perfeito is used for completed actions in the past, especially one finished event. For example: “Eu tentei aprender português ontem.” — “I tried to learn Portuguese”
Pretérito imperfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tentava |
| tu | tentavas |
| ele/ela | tentava |
| nós | tentávamos |
| vós | tentáveis |
| eles/elas | tentavam |
The pretérito imperfeito is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Eu tentava aprender português antigamente.” — “I used to try to learn Portuguese”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tentara |
| tu | tentaras |
| ele/ela | tentara |
| nós | tentáramos |
| vós | tentáreis |
| eles/elas | tentaram |
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 tentara aprender português antes do jantar.” — “I had tried to learn Portuguese”
Futuro do presente
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tentarei |
| tu | tentarás |
| ele/ela | tentará |
| nós | tentaremos |
| vós | tentareis |
| eles/elas | tentarão |
The futuro do presente is used for what will happen, for predictions and for promises. For example: “Eu tentarei aprender português amanhã.” — “I will try to learn Portuguese”
Futuro do pretérito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tentaria |
| tu | tentarias |
| ele/ela | tentaria |
| nós | tentaríamos |
| vós | tentaríeis |
| eles/elas | tentariam |
The futuro do pretérito is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Eu tentaria aprender português um dia.” — “I would try to learn Portuguese”
Pretérito perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenho tentado |
| tu | tens tentado |
| ele/ela | tem tentado |
| nós | temos tentado |
| vós | tendes tentado |
| eles/elas | têm tentado |
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 tentado aprender português esta semana.” — “He has tried to learn Portuguese”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tinha tentado |
| tu | tinhas tentado |
| ele/ela | tinha tentado |
| nós | tínhamos tentado |
| vós | tínheis tentado |
| eles/elas | tinham tentado |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Eu tinha tentado aprender português antes do jantar.” — “I had tried to learn Portuguese”
Futuro do presente composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | terei tentado |
| tu | terás tentado |
| ele/ela | terá tentado |
| nós | teremos tentado |
| vós | tereis tentado |
| eles/elas | terão tentado |
The futuro do presente composto is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Eu terei tentado aprender português até amanhã.” — “I will have tried to learn Portuguese”
Futuro do pretérito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | teria tentado |
| tu | terias tentado |
| ele/ela | teria tentado |
| nós | teríamos tentado |
| vós | teríeis tentado |
| eles/elas | teriam tentado |
The futuro do pretérito composto is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Eu teria tentado aprender português ontem.” — “I would have tried to learn Portuguese”
Presente do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tente |
| tu | tentes |
| ele/ela | tente |
| nós | tentemos |
| vós | tenteis |
| eles/elas | tentem |
The presente do subjuntivo is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “É importante que eu tente aprender português.” — “It is important that I try to learn Portuguese”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tentasse |
| tu | tentasses |
| ele/ela | tentasse |
| nós | tentássemos |
| vós | tentásseis |
| eles/elas | tentassem |
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 tentasse aprender português.” — “It was important that I try to learn Portuguese”
Futuro do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tentar |
| tu | tentares |
| ele/ela | tentar |
| nós | tentarmos |
| vós | tentardes |
| eles/elas | tentarem |
The futuro do subjuntivo is used after se and quando for a future possibility, where English would use the present. For example: “Se eu tentar aprender português, é bom.” — “If I try to learn Portuguese, that is good”
Imperativo (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | tenta |
| ele/ela | tente |
| nós | tentemos |
| vós | tentai |
| eles/elas | tentem |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Tenta aprender português!” — “Try to learn Portuguese!”
Imperativo (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | não tentes |
| ele/ela | não tente |
| nós | não tentemos |
| vós | não tenteis |
| eles/elas | não tentem |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Não tentes aprender português.” — “Do not try to learn Portuguese.”
Presente do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenha tentado |
| tu | tenhas tentado |
| ele/ela | tenha tentado |
| nós | tenhamos tentado |
| vós | tenhais tentado |
| eles/elas | tenham tentado |
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 tentado aprender português.” — “It is important that I have tried to learn Portuguese”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tivesse tentado |
| tu | tivesses tentado |
| ele/ela | tivesse tentado |
| nós | tivéssemos tentado |
| vós | tivésseis tentado |
| eles/elas | tivessem tentado |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a past subordinate clause. For example: “Era importante que eu tivesse tentado aprender português.” — “It was important that I had tried to learn Portuguese”
Futuro do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tiver tentado |
| tu | tiveres tentado |
| ele/ela | tiver tentado |
| nós | tivermos tentado |
| vós | tiverdes tentado |
| eles/elas | tiverem tentado |
The futuro do subjuntivo composto is used after se for a completed future possibility. For example: “Se eu tiver tentado aprender português, é bom.” — “If I have tried to learn Portuguese, that is good”
Gerund
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Gerund | tentando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with estar for the progressive. For example: “Tentando aprender português, aprendo muito.” — “While trying to learn Portuguese, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Present participle | tentante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle tentante is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective. You will meet tentante more often as an adjective or a noun than as a verb form, so learn it as a word in its own right.
Past participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Past participle | tentado |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Eu tenho tentado aprender português esta semana.” — “I have tried to learn Portuguese.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with tentar, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Portuguese and try to produce it from the English.
- “Eu tento aprender português todos os dias.” — “I try to learn Portuguese”
- “Tu tentaste aprender português ontem.” — “You tried to learn Portuguese”
- “Ele tentava aprender português antigamente.” — “He used to try to learn Portuguese”
- “Eu tentarei aprender português amanhã.” — “I will try to learn Portuguese”
- “Tu tentarias aprender português um dia.” — “You would try to learn Portuguese”
- “Ele tem tentado aprender português esta semana.” — “He has tried to learn Portuguese”
- “Eu tinha tentado aprender português antes do jantar.” — “I had tried to learn Portuguese”
- “Tu terás tentado aprender português até amanhã.” — “You will have tried to learn Portuguese”
- “É importante que eu tente aprender português.” — “It is important that I try to learn Portuguese”
- “Tenta aprender português!” — “Try to learn Portuguese!”
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’s form
✗ Wrong: “Eu tentas aprender português.”
✓ Right: “Eu tento aprender português todos os dias.”
tentas is the tu form, not the eu form. Match the verb to the subject every time: eu goes with tento.
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 the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito tentei for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the pretérito perfeito composto
✗ Wrong: “Eu sou tentado aprender português.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho tentado aprender português esta semana.”
The pretérito perfeito composto of tentar is formed with ter plus the past participle tentado: the eu form is tenho tentado. 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 tento aprender português.”
✓ Right: “É importante que eu tente aprender português.”
After é importante que Portuguese needs the subjunctive, so use tente here, not the indicative tento.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Eu tenho tentando aprender português.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho tentado aprender português esta semana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle tentado, not the gerund tentando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on tentar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the eu form of tentar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) tentas
- B) tento
- C) tenta
- D) tentamos
What is the ele/ela form of tentar in the Pretérito perfeito?
- A) tentei
- B) tentaste
- C) tentou
- D) tentámos
What is the nós form of tentar in the Pretérito imperfeito?
- A) tentava
- B) tentavas
- C) tentáveis
- D) tentávamos
What is the tu form of tentar in the Futuro do presente?
- A) tentarás
- B) tentarei
- C) tentará
- D) tentaremos
What is the eu form of tentar in the Futuro do pretérito?
- A) tentarias
- B) tentaria
- C) tentaríamos
- D) tentaríeis
What is the ele/ela form of tentar in the Pretérito perfeito composto?
- A) tenho tentado
- B) tens tentado
- C) tem tentado
- D) temos tentado
What is the ele/ela form of tentar in the Presente do subjuntivo?
- A) tentes
- B) tentemos
- C) tenteis
- D) tente
What is the eu form of tentar in the Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo?
- A) tentasse
- B) tentasses
- C) tentássemos
- D) tentásseis
What is the gerund of tentar?
- A) tentado
- B) tentando
- C) tentar
- D) tento
What does tentar mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to have
- C) to try
- D) —
Answer key
- B) tento — the correct form is tento. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) tentou — the correct form is tentou. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) tentávamos — the correct form is tentávamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) tentarás — the correct form is tentarás. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) tentaria — the correct form is tentaria. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) tem tentado — the correct form is tem tentado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) tente — the correct form is tente. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) tentasse — the correct form is tentasse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) tentando — the correct form is tentando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- 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”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is tentar regular or irregular?
tentar is regular: it follows the ordinary -ar pattern in every tense. The gerund is tentando and the past participle is tentado.
What are the gerund and past participle of tentar?
The gerund is tentando — use it with estar for the progressive. The past participle is tentado — use it with ter for the perfect tenses, as in tenho tentado.
Which auxiliary does tentar take in the pretérito perfeito composto?
tentar takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto: the eu form is tenho tentado. All seven compound tenses on this page are built with ter plus the past participle tentado.
How do I say “I try” in Portuguese?
Say “Eu tento aprender português todos os dias.” — “I try to learn Portuguese” The eu form of the present is tento, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of tentar — every tense of tentar in one place.
- Tentar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Tentar 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.
- Estar conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Dar 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 tentar with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise tentar with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise tentar with the interactive tool.