Introduction

Trabalhar means “to work”, and this page covers exactly one thing: trabalhar 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 trabalhar, 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 trabalhar in the present. It is the verb of working, used for jobs, for working in a place and for working on a task. It is completely regular, and it is one of the most frequent verbs in everyday Portuguese. For example: “Ele trabalha no escritório todos os dias.” — “He works in the office.” Everything on this page uses the forms of trabalhar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Trabalhar in the Present — full table

Person Form
eu trabalho
tu trabalhas
ele/ela trabalha
nós trabalhamos
vós trabalhais
eles/elas trabalham
Gerund: trabalhando · Past participle: trabalhado
The gerund is trabalhando, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Trabalhando no escritório, aprendo muito.” — “While working in the office, I learn a lot.” The past participle is trabalhado, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho trabalhado 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 trabalhar is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for trabalhar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of trabalhar is formed

The present tense of trabalhar has six forms: eu trabalho, tu trabalhas, ele trabalha, nós trabalhamos, vós trabalhais, eles trabalham. Say them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. trabalhar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar 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 trabalhar 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 trabalhamos and trabalhais pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Portuguese uses where English would often use the continuous form, so trabalho can mean both “I work” and “I am working” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because trabalhar is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -ar endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar 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 trabalhar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use trabalhar 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 trabalhar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos os dias, sempre or todas as semanas to make the routine explicit. Example: “Eu trabalho no escritório todos os dias.” — “I work in the office.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about trabalhar does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Ele trabalha no escritório todos os dias.” — “He works in the office.”

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 trabalhar 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 trabalhamos no escritório todos os dias.” — “We work in the office.”

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 trabalhas no escritório todos os dias.” — “You work in the office.”

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 trabalhar in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Eles trabalham no escritório todos os dias.” — “They work in the office.”

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 trabalha no escritório todos os dias.” — “He works in the office”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele trabalhou no escritório ontem.” — “He worked in the office”
  • 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 trabalho no escritório todos os dias.” — “I work in the office”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu trabalhei no escritório ontem.” — “I worked in the office”
  • 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 trabalhas no escritório todos os dias.” — “You work in the office”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu trabalhaste no escritório ontem.” — “You worked in the office”
  • 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: trabalhar 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.

  1. “Eu trabalho no escritório todos os dias.” — “I work in the office”
  2. “Tu trabalhas no escritório todos os dias.” — “You work in the office”
  3. “Ele trabalha no escritório todos os dias.” — “He works in the office”
  4. “Nós trabalhamos no escritório todos os dias.” — “We work in the office”
  5. “Vós trabalhais no escritório todos os dias.” — “You work in the office”
  6. “Eles trabalham no escritório todos os dias.” — “They work in the office”
  7. “Eu trabalho no escritório todos os dias.” — “I work in the office”
  8. “Ele trabalha no escritório todos os dias.” — “He works in the office”

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 trabalhas no escritório.” Right: “Eu trabalho no escritório todos os dias.” Why: The eu form is trabalho, not trabalhas. trabalhas is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Nós trabalho no escritório.” Right: “Nós trabalhamos no escritório todos os dias.” Why: Nós needs the nós form trabalhamos. trabalho belongs with eu only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Eu trabalho no escritório todos os dias ontem.” Right: “Eu trabalhei no escritório ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito trabalhei for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Eu trabalhar no escritório.” Right: “Eu trabalho no escritório todos os dias.” Why: The infinitive trabalhar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated form trabalho.

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.

  1. What is the eu form of trabalhar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) trabalhas
    • B) trabalho
    • C) trabalha
    • D) trabalhamos

  2. What is the tu form of trabalhar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) trabalho
    • B) trabalha
    • C) trabalhas
    • D) trabalhamos

  3. What is the ele/ela form of trabalhar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) trabalho
    • B) trabalhas
    • C) trabalhamos
    • D) trabalha

  4. What is the nós form of trabalhar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) trabalhamos
    • B) trabalho
    • C) trabalhas
    • D) trabalha

  5. What is the vós form of trabalhar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) trabalho
    • B) trabalhais
    • C) trabalhas
    • D) trabalha

  6. What is the eles/elas form of trabalhar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) trabalho
    • B) trabalhas
    • C) trabalham
    • D) trabalha

  7. What is the eu form of trabalhar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) trabalhas
    • B) trabalha
    • C) trabalhamos
    • D) trabalho

  8. What is the tu form of trabalhar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) trabalhas
    • B) trabalho
    • C) trabalha
    • D) trabalhamos

Answer key

  1. B) trabalho — the correct form is trabalho. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) trabalhas — the correct form is trabalhas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) trabalha — the correct form is trabalha. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) trabalhamos — the correct form is trabalhamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) trabalhais — the correct form is trabalhais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) trabalham — the correct form is trabalham. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) trabalho — the correct form is trabalho. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) trabalhas — the correct form is trabalhas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does trabalhar mean in English?

trabalhar means “to work”. It is a regular -ar verb.

How is the present tense of trabalhar formed?

The six present forms are: eu trabalho, tu trabalhas, ele trabalha, nós trabalhamos, vós trabalhais, eles trabalham. trabalhar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar 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 trabalhar?

The gerund is trabalhando and the past participle is trabalhado.

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