VERB TO BE (ESTAR)

In Portuguese, we use the verb “Estar” to make temporary descriptions, for example, 1 – Eu estou triste (I am sad today, but tomorrow I will be happy); 2 – Tu estás cansado (You are tired today, but tomorrow you will be full of energy again). In Portuguese, we have two verbs for the verb “To be” in English. We use the verb “Estar” for temporary descriptions, and we use the verb “Ser” for permanent descriptions. This is the basic guideline for using these two verbs, but it is important to emphasize that in many cases, these guidelines do not apply. Those who learn languages know that there are always exceptions (and sometimes many) to the rules.

PRO TIP: The verb “Estar” (to be) is one of the four irregular verbs that all students must know how to conjugate perfectly in the present tense (the other three verbs being: Ser – to be (permanent descriptions), Ter – to have, and Ir – to go).

To listen to the AUDIO in Portuguese, go to OPTIONS and switch the AUDIO to ON. To turn on the AUDIO, go to FLASHCARDS and click on the COG WHEEL (top right).

To learn and consolidate this list, you should follow the following STUDY METHOD:

1-FLASH CARDS

2-LEARN

3-SPELL

4-ASSESS

5-COMBINE