A2 Present Tense 1 min read سهل

Portuguese Imperative: Giving Commands with Regular Verbs (Fale! Coma! Abra!)

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

The imperative is used to give orders, advice, or instructions by modifying the present tense verb form.

  • For -AR verbs (você): take the 'eu' form, drop the 'o', add 'e'. (Falar -> Fale!)
  • For -ER/-IR verbs (você): take the 'eu' form, drop the 'o', add 'a'. (Comer -> Coma!)
  • Use the 'você' form for standard polite commands in Brazil and the 'tu' form for informal ones.
Verb(eu) - 'o' + (e/a) = Command!

نظرة عامة

The imperative mood is used to give commands, instructions, or make requests. For regular verbs, use the present subjunctive form: fale! (speak!), coma! (eat!), abra! (open!). For informal tu commands with -ar verbs, drop the -s: fala! For negative commands always use the subjunctive: não fale!

Imperative (Você) Formation

Infinitive Eu Present Imperative (Você)
Falar
Falo
Fale
Comer
Como
Coma
Abrir
Abro
Abra
Estudar
Estudo
Estude
Vender
Vendo
Venda
Partir
Parto
Parta

Meanings

The imperative mood is used to express commands, requests, advice, or invitations.

1

Direct Command

Giving a direct order to someone.

“Coma tudo!”

“Abra a porta!”

2

Polite Suggestion

Giving advice or a friendly suggestion.

“Leia este livro.”

“Beba mais água.”

3

Instructional

Giving step-by-step directions.

“Vire à direita.”

“Siga em frente.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Portuguese Imperative: Giving Commands with Regular Verbs (Fale! Coma! Abra!)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Verb - o + ending
Fale!
Negative
Não + Verb
Não fale!
Polite
Verb + por favor
Fale, por favor.
Instruction
Verb + object
Coma a fruta.
Advice
Verb + adverb
Estude muito.
Warning
Não + Verb
Não corra!

طيف الرسمية

رسمي
Coma a comida, por favor.

Coma a comida, por favor. (Dining)

محايد
Coma a comida.

Coma a comida. (Dining)

غير رسمي
Come a comida!

Come a comida! (Dining)

عامية
Manda ver na comida!

Manda ver na comida! (Dining)

Imperative Logic

Imperative

AR Verbs

  • Falar To speak

ER/IR Verbs

  • Comer To eat

Indicative vs Imperative

Indicative
Você fala You speak
Imperative
Fale! Speak!

Formation Flow

1

Is it -AR?

YES
Add -e
NO
Add -a

Usage Scenarios

🏠

Daily Life

  • • Cooking
  • • Cleaning
  • • Asking
💼

Work

  • • Delegating
  • • Signing
  • • Meeting
سجّل مجاناً لقراءة الشرح الكامل

أمثلة حسب المستوى

1

Fale comigo.

Talk to me.

2

Coma a maçã.

Eat the apple.

3

Abra a porta.

Open the door.

4

Estude agora.

Study now.

1

Por favor, fale devagar.

Please speak slowly.

2

Não coma isso.

Don't eat that.

3

Escreva seu nome aqui.

Write your name here.

4

Beba água.

Drink water.

1

Traga-me o café, por favor.

Bring me the coffee, please.

2

Não se esqueça de estudar.

Don't forget to study.

3

Siga as instruções cuidadosamente.

Follow the instructions carefully.

4

Vire à direita na esquina.

Turn right at the corner.

1

Diga-me o que você pensa.

Tell me what you think.

2

Faça o que for necessário.

Do whatever is necessary.

3

Não me interrompa agora.

Don't interrupt me now.

4

Ajude-nos a resolver isso.

Help us solve this.

1

Considere todas as opções antes de decidir.

Consider all options before deciding.

2

Não se precipite nas conclusões.

Don't jump to conclusions.

3

Mantenha a calma diante da crise.

Keep calm in the face of the crisis.

4

Analise os dados com rigor.

Analyze the data rigorously.

1

Perdoe-me pela franqueza, mas discordo.

Forgive me for the frankness, but I disagree.

2

Não subestime a complexidade da situação.

Do not underestimate the complexity of the situation.

3

Reflita sobre as consequências de seus atos.

Reflect on the consequences of your actions.

4

Aprecie a sutileza da obra.

Appreciate the subtlety of the work.

سهل الخلط

Portuguese Imperative: Giving Commands with Regular Verbs (Fale! Coma! Abra!) مقابل Indicative vs Imperative

Learners often use the indicative to give orders.

Portuguese Imperative: Giving Commands with Regular Verbs (Fale! Coma! Abra!) مقابل Tu vs Você

Mixing the two forms in one sentence.

Portuguese Imperative: Giving Commands with Regular Verbs (Fale! Coma! Abra!) مقابل Infinitive as Command

Using the infinitive as a shortcut.

أخطاء شائعة

✗

Falar!

✓

Fale!

Using the infinitive instead of the conjugated form.
✗

Comer!

✓

Coma!

Using the wrong vowel ending.
✗

Falo!

✓

Fale!

Using the 'eu' form instead of the imperative.
✗

Abro!

✓

Abra!

Using the 'eu' form.
✗

Não falar!

✓

Não fale!

Infinitive in negative command.
✗

Fale-o!

✓

Fale!

Adding unnecessary pronouns.
✗

Coma-o!

✓

Coma!

Over-complicating.
✗

Tu fale!

✓

Tu fala!

Mixing formal and informal forms.
✗

Não me diga isso.

✓

Não me digas isso.

Mixing registers.
✗

Vire-se à direita.

✓

Vire à direita.

Reflexive confusion.
✗

Seja falando.

✓

Fale.

Using gerunds for commands.
✗

Que você fale.

✓

Fale.

Using subjunctive clauses for direct commands.
✗

Falar-se-á.

✓

Fale.

Using future passive for commands.
✗

Diga-me-o.

✓

Diga-me.

Clunky pronoun stacking.

أنماط الجُمل

___ (verb) o/a ___ (object).

Não ___ (verb) agora.

___ (verb), por favor.

___ (verb) e ___ (verb).

Real World Usage

Cooking very common

Corte a cebola.

Navigation constant

Vire à esquerda.

Texting very common

Me mande a foto.

Work common

Assine o contrato.

Travel common

Pegue o trem.

Health common

Beba muita água.

سجّل مجاناً لرؤية جميع الأمثلة
💡

Vowel Swap

Remember: -AR verbs swap to 'e', others to 'a'.
⚠️

Don't use Infinitive

Never use the infinitive for commands.
🎯

Politeness

Always add 'por favor' to soften commands.
💬

Regionalism

Note that 'tu' vs 'você' changes the imperative form.

Smart Tips

Use the imperative for clarity.

Você pode falar. → Fale!

Always add 'por favor'.

Fale. → Fale, por favor.

Use the imperative to show care.

Você deve comer. → Coma bem.

Use the imperative for directions.

Você vira à direita. → Vire à direita.

النطق

FA-le, CO-ma

Stress

The stress remains on the same syllable as the present tense.

Fale! ↘

Intonation

Commands usually have a falling intonation.

Command

Fale! ↘

Direct and firm.

Request

Fale, por favor? ↗

Polite and questioning.

احفظها

وسيلة تذكّر

AR verbs end in E, ER/IR verbs end in A. Remember: 'A'R goes to 'E', 'E'R goes to 'A'.

ربط بصري

Imagine a traffic light. Green for -AR (E for 'Go') and Red for -ER (A for 'Stop').

Rhyme

AR turns to E, ER turns to A, use the imperative to command the day!

Story

Maria is a chef. She tells her assistant: 'Fale com o cliente' (Speak to the client), 'Coma o molho' (Taste the sauce), and 'Abra o vinho' (Open the wine). Her assistant follows every command perfectly.

Word Web

FaleComaAbraEstudeTragaVireSiga

تحدٍّ

Write 5 commands you would give to a robot in your house.

ملاحظات ثقافية

The 'você' form is dominant, even in many informal settings.

The 'tu' form is much more common for informal commands.

Using 'por favor' is mandatory for professional commands.

The Portuguese imperative is derived directly from the Latin imperative mood.

بدايات محادثة

“

O que devo fazer hoje?

“

Como chego ao centro?

“

O que você me recomenda comer?

“

Como posso melhorar meu português?

مواضيع للكتابة اليومية

Write a list of 5 things you tell yourself to do every morning.
Write a recipe for your favorite dish using commands.
Write a set of instructions for a new employee.
Write a persuasive letter using commands to influence someone.

أخطاء شائعة

Incorrect

صحيح

Incorrect

صحيح

Incorrect

صحيح

Incorrect

صحيح

Sign up free to see all tips

Test Yourself

Conjugate the verb in the imperative.

___ (Falar) comigo!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Fale
AR verbs take -e.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Comer a maçã!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Coma a maçã!
ER verbs take -a.
Which is the correct imperative? اختيار متعدد

___ (Abrir) a porta.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Abra
IR verbs take -a.
Order the words. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Abra a porta, por favor.
Standard order.
Translate to Portuguese. الترجمة

Speak slowly.

Answer starts with: Fal...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Fale devagar.
Imperative form.
Conjugate 'Estudar'. Conjugation Drill

___ (Estudar) mais.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Estude
AR verb.
Match the verb to its imperative. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Fale
Correct conjugation.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Estou com fome. B: ___ (Comer) algo.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Coma
Imperative for advice.

Score: /8

تمارين تطبيقية

8 exercises
Conjugate the verb in the imperative.

___ (Falar) comigo!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Fale
AR verbs take -e.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Comer a maçã!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Coma a maçã!
ER verbs take -a.
Which is the correct imperative? اختيار متعدد

___ (Abrir) a porta.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Abra
IR verbs take -a.
Order the words. Sentence Reorder

por favor / a porta / Abra

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Abra a porta, por favor.
Standard order.
Translate to Portuguese. الترجمة

Speak slowly.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Fale devagar.
Imperative form.
Conjugate 'Estudar'. Conjugation Drill

___ (Estudar) mais.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Estude
AR verb.
Match the verb to its imperative. Match Pairs

Falar -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Fale
Correct conjugation.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Estou com fome. B: ___ (Comer) algo.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Coma
Imperative for advice.

Score: /8

الأسئلة الشائعة (8)

It's the rule to create the stem for the imperative.

In Brazil, yes. In Portugal, 'tu' is common.

Yes, but be careful with the register.

They have their own forms, but regular ones follow this rule.

Not if you add 'por favor'.

No, you don't command yourself.

Use the subjunctive or 'gostaria de'.

No, the endings are different.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

سجّل مجاناً للتدريب

In Other Languages

Spanish high

Imperativo

Spanish uses 'a' for -AR and 'e' for -ER.

French moderate

Impératif

French doesn't change the vowel.

German low

Imperativ

German is much more irregular.

Japanese low

Meireikei

Japanese is agglutinative.

Arabic low

Amr

Arabic is root-based.

Chinese none

Imperative

Chinese has no conjugation.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Portuguese Diminutives: Making Things Cute (-inho/-inha)
Next
The Verb Ficar: Becoming, Staying & Locations

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