English has four tenses connected to the present, plus the verb to be. Each one answers a different question: is it always like this? (simple), is it happening now? (continuous), has it happened, and does it matter now? (perfect) or has it been happening until now? (perfect continuous).O inglês tem quatro tempos ligados ao presente, além do verbo to be. Cada um responde a uma pergunta diferente: é sempre assim? (simple), está acontecendo agora? (continuous), já aconteceu e importa agora? (perfect) ou vem acontecendo até agora? (perfect continuous).
| Tense | Example | Main idea | Português |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | I work every day. | routine, fact | Eu trabalho todo dia. (rotina, fato) |
| Present Continuous | I‘m working now. | action in progress | Estou trabalhando agora. (ação em andamento) |
| Present Perfect | I‘ve worked here since 2020. | past linked to the present | Trabalho aqui desde 2020. (passado ligado ao presente) |
| Present Perfect Continuous | I‘ve been working all day. | duration until now | Passei o dia todo trabalhando. (duração até agora) |
A1 Verb to be and Present Simple
1. Verb to be
To be is the most important verb in English. In the present it has three forms: am, is and are. Questions simply swap the subject and the verb.To be é o verbo mais importante do inglês. No presente, ele tem três formas: am, is e are. Nas perguntas, basta inverter o sujeito e o verbo.
| Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|
| I am | I’m not | Am I? |
| you are | you aren’t | Are you? |
| he / she / it is | he / she / it isn’t | Is he / she / it? |
| we / they are | we / they aren’t | Are we / they? |
- I’m a teacher. (Eu sou professora.)
- She isn’t here today. (Ela não está aqui hoje.)
- Are you ready? (Você está pronto?)
- We’re from Brazil. (Nós somos do Brasil.)
Ser or estar
To be covers both Portuguese verbs: I am Brazilian (sou brasileira) and I am tired (estou cansada).To be cobre os dois verbos do português: I am Brazilian (sou brasileira) e I am tired (estou cansada).
2. Present Simple
| Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|
| I work | I don’t work | Do I work? |
| she works | she doesn’t work | Does she work? |
| they work | they don’t work | Do they work? |
Uses: routines and habits, facts and general truths, likes and opinions, fixed timetables (trains, classes).Usos: rotinas e hábitos, fatos e verdades gerais, gostos e opiniões, horários fixos (trens, aulas).
- I always drink coffee in the morning. (Eu sempre tomo café de manhã.)
- Water boils at 100°C. (A água ferve a 100 °C.)
- The class starts at 8. (A aula começa às 8.)
- My brother loves video games. (Meu irmão adora videogame.)
Signal words: always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never, every day, on Mondays, in the morning.Palavras-chave: always (sempre), usually (geralmente), often (com frequência), sometimes (às vezes), rarely (raramente), never (nunca), every day (todo dia), on Mondays (às segundas), in the morning (de manhã).
The third-person -s
he / she / it + -s: works, plays. Verbs ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, -o take -es: watches, goes, does. Consonant + y becomes -ies: study → studies. Have becomes has.he / she / it + -s: works, plays. Verbos terminados em -s, -sh, -ch, -x, -o levam -es: watches, goes, does. Consoante + y vira -ies: study → studies. Have vira has.
A2 Present Continuous
3. Present Continuous
| Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|
| I’m working | I’m not working | Am I working? |
| he’s working | he isn’t working | Is he working? |
| they’re working | they aren’t working | Are they working? |
Uses: actions happening now, temporary situations, changes and trends, and future plans that are already arranged.Usos: ações acontecendo agora, situações temporárias, mudanças e tendências, e planos para o futuro já combinados.
- I’m reading a great book at the moment. (Estou lendo um ótimo livro no momento.)
- She’s living with her parents this year. (Ela está morando com os pais este ano.)
- People are using social media more than ever. (As pessoas estão usando as redes sociais mais do que nunca.)
- We’re playing football next Friday. (Vamos jogar futebol na próxima sexta.)
Signal words: now, right now, at the moment, currently, today, this week, these days, look!, listen!Palavras-chave: now (agora), right now (agora mesmo), at the moment (no momento), currently (atualmente), today (hoje), this week (esta semana), these days (hoje em dia), look! (olha!), listen! (escuta!)
Stative verbs
State verbs (know, like, want, need, understand, believe, belong) don’t go into the continuous: I know the answer. ✗ I’m knowing the answer.Verbos de estado (know, like, want, need, understand, believe, belong) não vão para o continuous: I know the answer. ✗ I’m knowing the answer.
Simple or continuous?
Some verbs can appear in both forms, but the meaning changes. The simple form shows something permanent or a state; the continuous shows something temporary or an action in progress.Alguns verbos aparecem nas duas formas, mas o sentido muda. A forma simple mostra algo permanente ou um estado; a continuous mostra algo temporário ou uma ação em andamento.
| Simple | Continuous | Difference | Português |
|---|---|---|---|
| She lives with her parents. | She‘s living with her parents. | permanent vs. temporary | permanente x temporário |
| He works in a bank. | He‘s working from home this week. | steady job vs. only this week | emprego fixo x só esta semana |
| I think you’re right. | I‘m thinking about the offer. | opinion vs. the act of thinking | opinião x ação de pensar |
| She is patient. | She‘s being very patient today. | personality vs. behaviour today | é paciente x está agindo assim hoje |
B1 Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous
4. Present Perfect
| Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|
| I’ve worked | I haven’t worked | Have I worked? |
| she’s worked | she hasn’t worked | Has she worked? |
Uses: life experiences, something that started in the past and continues, and a past action with a result now.Usos: experiências de vida, algo que começou no passado e continua, e ação passada com resultado agora.
- She has travelled to many countries. (Ela já viajou para muitos países.)
- They have lived in this city for ten years. (Eles moram nesta cidade há dez anos.)
- He hasn’t called me yet. (Ele ainda não me ligou.)
- I’ve lost my wallet. I can’t find it anywhere. (Perdi minha carteira. Não acho em lugar nenhum.)
Signal words: ever, never, just, already, yet, for, since, recently, so far.Palavras-chave: ever (alguma vez), never (nunca), just (acabou de), already (já), yet (ainda / já, em perguntas), for (há, durante), since (desde), recently (recentemente), so far (até agora).
for = duration
A period of time: how long.Um período de tempo: há quanto tempo.
I’ve lived here for five years. (Moro aqui há cinco anos.)
since = starting point
The moment it started.O momento em que começou.
I’ve lived here since 2020. (Moro aqui desde 2020.)
Want to go deeper?
Read the Present Perfect post here on the blog, with the difference from the Simple Past.Leia o post Present Perfect aqui no blog, com a diferença para o Simple Past.
5. Present Perfect Continuous
| Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|
| I’ve been working | I haven’t been working | Have I been working? |
| she’s been working | she hasn’t been working | Has she been working? |
Uses: an action that started in the past and continues (the focus is on duration), or a recent activity that explains the present.Usos: ação que começou no passado e continua (o foco está na duração), ou atividade recente que explica o presente.
- I’ve been studying for three hours. (Estou estudando há três horas.)
- She’s been working all day. (Ela passou o dia todo trabalhando.)
- I haven’t been sleeping well lately. (Não tenho dormido bem ultimamente.)
- Your eyes are red. Have you been crying? (Seus olhos estão vermelhos. Você estava chorando?)
Present Perfect
The focus is on the result or the quantity.O foco está no resultado ou na quantidade.
I’ve written three emails. (Escrevi três e-mails.)
Present Perfect Continuous
The focus is on the activity and its duration.O foco está na atividade e na duração.
I’ve been writing emails all morning. (Passei a manhã escrevendo e-mails.)
Common Mistakes
Avoid these
✗ She work in a bank. ✓ She works in a bank.Com he / she / it, o present simple leva -s.
✗ He doesn’t drinks coffee. ✓ He doesn’t drink coffee.Depois de doesn’t, o verbo fica na forma base.
✗ I’m knowing the answer. ✓ I know the answer.Know é verbo de estado e não vai para o continuous.
✗ I work here since 2020. ✓ I’ve worked here since 2020.Com since e for até agora, use o present perfect.
✗ I live here for five years. ✓ I’ve been living here for five years.“Moro aqui há cinco anos” pede present perfect (continuous).
Quick Summary
| Tense | Form | Example | Português |
|---|---|---|---|
| to be | am / is / are | I’m tired. | Estou cansada. |
| Present Simple | verb / verb + -s | She works every day. | Ela trabalha todo dia. |
| Present Continuous | am / is / are + -ing | She’s working now. | Ela está trabalhando agora. |
| Present Perfect | have / has + participle | She’s worked here since 2020. | Ela trabalha aqui desde 2020. |
| Present Perfect Continuous | have / has been + -ing | She’s been working all day. | Ela passou o dia todo trabalhando. |
Practice Time
Quiz