Portuguese grammar · Beginner (A1)

Ter and haver: have, there is, ago

Ter for “have” and, in speech, for “there is”; há in writing; há and faz for “ago” and “for”; and estar com for how you feel.

Ter: to have

means “to have”. It's irregular. The plural has a circumflex to tell it apart from , but in Brazil the two sound the same.

is also used for age, (I'm 30, literally “I have 30 years”), and with for “have to”: (I have to work.)

Person		Example	Meaning
			I have two children.
			Do you have time?
/ /			How old is she?
			We have a meeting at ten.
/ /			Do you have children?

There is, there are: tem and há

In everyday Brazilian speech, “there is” and “there are” is : (Is there a pharmacy near here?) In writing and in formal speech, use , from the verb . Both have only one form for singular and plural: , .

means “there isn't any” or “we don't have any”, which you'll often hear in shops and restaurants:

Time	Writing	English
present		there is, there are
past (description)		there was, there were
past (event)		there was (a party, an accident)
future	,	there will be

Tem um banco na praça.There's a bank in the square.
Há muitos turistas na cidade em julho.There are a lot of tourists in the city in July. · written style
Ontem teve uma festa no prédio.Yesterday there was a party in the building.
Vai ter show na praia no domingo.There's going to be a concert on the beach on Sunday.

Ago and for: há and faz

or + a period of time + a past tense means “ago”: or (I arrived two days ago). is more common in speech. You'll also hear .

With the present tense, the same words mean “for” or “since”, about something that is still going on. English uses “have been” here, but Portuguese uses the present: (I've lived here for five years). To ask how long: or

Don't confuse with for the future: (in two days' time).

Conheci o Marcelo há três anos.I met Marcelo three years ago.
Faz uma semana que ela viajou.She went away a week ago.
Trabalho nesta empresa há dois anos.I've worked at this company for two years.
Há quanto tempo você mora em Belém?How long have you lived in Belém?

Estar com: feelings and illness

Where English says “I'm hungry” or “I have a headache”, Brazilian Portuguese usually says + a noun: , literally “I'm with hunger”. is also possible (), but is more common for how you feel now.

The same pattern describes illness: (I have a temperature), (she has a sore throat).

Portuguese	English
	to be hungry
	to be thirsty
	to be cold
	to be hot
	to be sleepy
	to be in a hurry
	to be afraid
	to have a headache
	to have a temperature
	to have a cough

Você está com fome? — Estou, sim.Are you hungry? — Yes, I am.
Estou com dor de cabeça desde ontem.I've had a headache since yesterday.