Good news: in English, the verb changes much less than in Portuguese. There are only a few places where it has to agree with the subject: am / is / are, was / were, has / have, does / do and the -s of he, she and it. Learn these few places well and you will stop making the mistakes that people notice first, like “she work” or “he don’t”.Boa notícia: em inglês, o verbo muda muito menos do que em português. São poucos os lugares em que ele precisa concordar com o sujeito: am / is / are, was / were, has / have, does / do e o -s de he, she e it. Aprenda bem esses poucos casos e você para de cometer os erros que as pessoas percebem primeiro, como “she work” ou “he don’t”.
A2 Where agreement shows in English
In Portuguese, almost every verb changes with the person: eu trabalho, ele trabalha, nós trabalhamos. In English, the verb only changes in the forms in this table. The column that matters most is he / she / it.Em português, quase todo verbo muda conforme a pessoa: eu trabalho, ele trabalha, nós trabalhamos. Em inglês, o verbo só muda nas formas desta tabela. A coluna mais importante é a de he / she / it.
| Verb | he / she / it | I | you / we / they |
|---|---|---|---|
| be (present) | She is tired. | I am tired. | They are tired. |
| be (past) | He was at home. | I was at home. | We were at home. |
| have | It has a garden. | I have a garden. | You have a garden. |
| present simple | She works here. | I work here. | They work here. |
| negative | He doesn’t smoke. | I don’t smoke. | We don’t smoke. |
| question | Does she drive? | Do I need a visa? | Do they drive? |
Everything else stays the same
Modal verbs (can, will, should, must) and the past simple never change: I worked, she worked, they worked; I can swim, she can swim. So never add -s after a modal: ✗ She cans. ✗ He wills.Os verbos modais (can, will, should, must) e o passado simples nunca mudam: I worked, she worked, they worked; I can swim, she can swim. Por isso, nunca coloque -s depois de um modal: ✗ She cans. ✗ He wills.
He, she, it: add -s
In the present simple, the verb takes -s with he, she, it and any singular subject (my mother, the school, Brazil). The spelling changes a little with some endings.No presente simples, o verbo ganha -s com he, she, it e com qualquer sujeito no singular (my mother, the school, Brazil). A grafia muda um pouco com algumas terminações.
| Rule | Examples | Português |
|---|---|---|
| most verbs: + s | works, plays, reads, buys | trabalha, joga, lê, compra |
| -ch, -sh, -s, -x, -o: + es | watches, washes, misses, fixes, goes, does | assiste, lava, sente falta, conserta, vai, faz |
| consonant + y: y becomes ies | studies, tries, carries, cries | estuda, tenta, carrega, chora |
| irregular | have → has | tem |
- My mother teaches maths at a public school. (Minha mãe dá aula de matemática numa escola pública.)
- The bakery opens at six in the morning. (A padaria abre às seis da manhã.)
- My brother studies at night and works during the day. (Meu irmão estuda à noite e trabalha durante o dia.)
- It rains a lot in São Paulo in January. (Chove muito em São Paulo em janeiro.)
A2 Negatives and questions: does does the work
In negatives and questions with he, she and it, the -s moves to the auxiliary: does or doesn’t. The main verb goes back to its basic form, with no -s. Think of it like this: the -s can only appear once.Nas negativas e perguntas com he, she e it, o -s passa para o auxiliar: does ou doesn’t. O verbo principal volta para a forma básica, sem -s. Pense assim: o -s só pode aparecer uma vez.
Negative: doesn’t + base verb
The -s goes to doesn’t, not to the main verb.O -s vai para o doesn’t, e não para o verbo principal.
She doesn’t eat meat. (Ela não come carne.)
Question: does + base verb
The -s goes to does, at the start of the question.O -s vai para o does, no começo da pergunta.
Does he speak Spanish? (Ele fala espanhol?)
- My dad doesn’t like spicy food. (Meu pai não gosta de comida apimentada.)
- Does your sister live with you? (Sua irmã mora com você?)
- What time does the class start? (Que horas a aula começa?)
- This bus doesn’t go to the airport. (Este ônibus não vai para o aeroporto.)
Only one -s
✗ She doesn’t works. ✓ She doesn’t work. ✗ Does he likes it? ✓ Does he like it?Quando o does ou o doesn’t aparece, o verbo principal fica sem -s.
A2 Who is the subject?
To choose the right form, ask yourself: can I replace the subject with he, she or it (singular) or with we or they (plural)? Two people joined by and are always plural.Para escolher a forma certa, pergunte a si mesmo: posso trocar o sujeito por he, she ou it (singular) ou por we ou they (plural)? Duas pessoas ligadas por and são sempre plural.
| Subject | Works like | Example | Português |
|---|---|---|---|
| my best friend | he / she | My best friend lives in Recife. | Meu melhor amigo mora em Recife. |
| the school | it | The school has a big library. | A escola tem uma biblioteca grande. |
| my sister and I | we | My sister and I are twins. | Minha irmã e eu somos gêmeas. |
| Leo and his dad | they | Leo and his dad play tennis. | O Leo e o pai jogam tênis. |
| my parents | they | My parents were at work. | Meus pais estavam no trabalho. |
| everybody | singular | Everybody likes pizza. | Todo mundo gosta de pizza. |
My friend and I
When you are part of the subject, the verb is plural: My friend and I are in the same class, never “my friend and I am”. In polite English, put the other person first and yourself last: my friend and I.Quando você faz parte do sujeito, o verbo fica no plural: My friend and I are in the same class (Meu amigo e eu estamos na mesma turma), nunca “my friend and I am”. No inglês educado, coloque a outra pessoa primeiro e você por último: my friend and I.
There is or there are?
With there, look at the noun that comes after the verb: singular noun, there is; plural noun, there are. In the past: there was and there were.Com there, olhe para o substantivo que vem depois do verbo: substantivo no singular, there is; no plural, there are. No passado: there was e there were.
There is + singular
One thing, or something you can’t count.Uma coisa só, ou algo que não se conta.
There is a pharmacy near my house. (Tem uma farmácia perto da minha casa.)
There are + plural
Two or more things.Duas ou mais coisas.
There are two pharmacies near my house. (Tem duas farmácias perto da minha casa.)
A2 Agreement in the past and the present perfect
In the past, only be changes: was for I, he, she and it; were for you, we and they. In the present perfect, the auxiliary agrees: has for he, she and it; have for the others.No passado, só o be muda: was para I, he, she e it; were para you, we e they. No presente perfeito, quem concorda é o auxiliar: has para he, she e it; have para os outros.
- The test was easy, but the questions were long. (A prova foi fácil, mas as questões eram longas.)
- Were your grandparents born in Italy? (Seus avós nasceram na Itália?)
- My cousin has never been to the beach. (Minha prima nunca foi à praia.)
- We have already finished the project. (Nós já terminamos o projeto.)
Teacher’s tip
When the subject is long, replace it with a pronoun in your head: “My brother’s best friend [= he] lives in Canada.” “The students in my class [= they] are very friendly.” The pronoun tells you which form to use.Quando o sujeito for longo, troque-o por um pronome na sua cabeça: “My brother’s best friend [= he] lives in Canada.” “The students in my class [= they] are very friendly.” O pronome mostra qual forma usar.
Common Mistakes
Avoid these
✗ She work in a hospital. ✓ She works in a hospital.No presente simples, he, she e it pedem -s no verbo.
✗ He don’t like coffee. ✓ He doesn’t like coffee.Com he, she e it, a negativa é doesn’t.
✗ Does she likes music? ✓ Does she like music?Depois de does, o verbo fica sem -s.
✗ My parents is teachers. ✓ My parents are teachers.My parents é plural, como they.
✗ She have two kids. ✓ She has two kids.Com he, she e it, have vira has.
✗ There is many people here. ✓ There are many people here.Antes de substantivo no plural, use there are.
Quick Summary
| Rule | Example | Português |
|---|---|---|
| he, she, it: verb + s | She plays the guitar. | Ela toca violão. |
| doesn’t / does + base verb | Does he play? He doesn’t play. | Ele toca? Ele não toca. |
| am / is / are | I am, she is, they are. | Eu sou, ela é, eles são. |
| was / were | He was late. We were late. | Ele se atrasou. Nós nos atrasamos. |
| has / have | She has finished. They have finished. | Ela terminou. Eles terminaram. |
| A and B: plural | My friend and I are hungry. | Meu amigo e eu estamos com fome. |
Practice Time
Quiz