Ter Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

ter — to have — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a irregular -er verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It expresses possession, and it is also the verb Portuguese uses for age, hunger, thirst and many physical states, where English uses “to be”. It is the auxiliary verb for every compound tense in Portuguese, so learning its forms pays off in every perfect tense. Note the present: tenho, tens, tem, temos, tendes, têm — the ele form tem and the eles form têm differ only by the accent. On this page you will find ter 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 ter conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the ter pretérito perfeito tense page.

Example sentences with ter

In the present tense

  • “Eu tenho um livro todos os dias.” — “I have a book”
  • “Tu tens um livro todos os dias.” — “You have a book”
  • “Ele tem um livro todos os dias.” — “He has a book”
  • “Nós temos um livro todos os dias.” — “We have a book”
  • “Vós tendes um livro todos os dias.” — “You have a book”
  • “Eles têm um livro todos os dias.” — “They have a book”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu tive um livro ontem.” — “I had a book”
  • “Tu tiveste um livro ontem.” — “You had a book”
  • “Ele teve um livro ontem.” — “He had a book”
  • “Nós tivemos um livro ontem.” — “We had a book”
  • “Vós tivestes um livro ontem.” — “You had a book”
  • “Eles tiveram um livro ontem.” — “They had a book”

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 tinha um livro antigamente.” — “I used to have a book”
  • “Tu terás um livro amanhã.” — “You will have a book”
  • “Ele teria um livro um dia.” — “He would have a book”
  • “É importante que nós tenhamos um livro.” — “It is important that we have a book”
  • “Tem um livro!” — “Have a book!”

How ter is used

The first thing to know about ter is its core meaning: to have. It expresses possession, and it is also the verb Portuguese uses for age, hunger, thirst and many physical states, where English uses “to be”. It is the auxiliary verb for every compound tense in Portuguese, so learning its forms pays off in every perfect tense. Note the present: tenho, tens, tem, temos, tendes, têm — the ele form tem and the eles form têm differ only by the accent. 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 ter keeps. The present eu form is tenho, 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 tido, 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 ter does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need tenho, never ter. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho tido, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle tido is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Ter in context

Eu tenho um livro todos os dias. Tu tens um livro todos os dias. Ele tem um livro todos os dias. Nós temos um livro todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of ter is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — tenho, tens, tem, temos — while the meaning stays the same: to have. Eu tive um livro ontem. Tu tiveste um livro ontem. Ele teve um livro ontem. Nós tivemos um livro ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of ter 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 have — 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 ter um livro.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho um livro todos os dias.”

The infinitive ter never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form tenho.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu tens um livro.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho um livro todos os dias.”

tens is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is tenho — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu tenho um livro ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu tive um livro ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito tive here, not the present tenho.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou tido um livro.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho tido um livro esta semana.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

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

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

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

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

    • A) tinhas
    • B) tínhamos
    • C) tínheis
    • D) tinha

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

    • A) teremos
    • B) terei
    • C) terás
    • D) terá

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

    • A) teria
    • B) terias
    • C) teríamos
    • D) teríeis

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

    • A) tiveras
    • B) tivéramos
    • C) tivera
    • D) tivéreis

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

    • A) tenha
    • B) tenhas
    • C) tenhais
    • D) tenhamos

  8. What is the gerund of ter?

    • A) tendo
    • B) tido
    • C) ter
    • D) tenho

  9. What is the past participle of ter?

    • A) tendo
    • B) tido
    • C) ter
    • D) tenho

  10. What does ter mean in English?

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

Answer key

  1. B) tens — the correct form is tens. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho tido — the correct form is tenho tido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) tinha — the correct form is tinha. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) teremos — the correct form is teremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) terias — the correct form is terias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) tivera — the correct form is tivera. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) tenhamos — the correct form is tenhamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) tendo — the correct form is tendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) tido — the correct form is tido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to have — the correct form is to have. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does ter mean in English?

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

Is ter regular or irregular?

ter is irregular. ter is irregular in presente, pretérito perfeito, pretérito imperfeito, pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples, presente do subjuntivo, pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo, futuro do subjuntivo, imperativo afirmativo, imperativo negativo — learn those forms as a set.

What are the gerund and past participle of ter?

The gerund is tendo and the past participle is tido. The perfect tenses use ter + tido.

Where can I see the full conjugation of ter?

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

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