The Possession of Life: A Comprehensive Guide to the Conjugation of the Portuguese Verb 'Ter'

In the tapestry of the Portuguese language, the verb “ter” (to have) holds a prominent position as a cornerstone of communication. “Ter” allows us to express possession, existence, relationships, and much more. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the conjugation of “ter” across various tenses and moods, accompanied by example sentences to illustrate their practical use. By mastering the conjugations of “ter,” you will unlock the ability to express ownership, relationships, and states of being in Portuguese.

• Present Indicative Tense
• Imperfect Indicative Tense
• Preterite Indicative Tense
• Future Indicative Tense
• Conditional Mood
• Subjunctive Mood
  • Present Subjunctive Tense
  • Imperfect Subjunctive Tense
• Imperative Mood
• Conclusion

Present Indicative Tense

1. Eu tenho - I have
   • Eu tenho um carro novo. (I have a new car.)
2. Tu tens - You have (informal singular)
   • Tu tens uma bela voz. (You have a beautiful voice.)
3. Ele/Ela/Você tem - He/She/You have (formal singular)
   • Ele tem um cachorro de estimação. (He has a pet dog.)
4. Nós temos - We have
   • Nós temos uma casa espaçosa. (We have a spacious house.)
5. Vós tendes - You have (informal plural - rarely used)
   • Vós tendes uma grande responsabilidade. (You have a great responsibility.)
6. Eles/Elas/Vocês têm - They/You have (plural)
   • Eles têm muitos amigos. (They have many friends.)

Imperfect Indicative Tense

1. Eu tinha - I had
   • Eu tinha um sonho quando era criança. (I had a dream when I was a child.)
2. Tu tinhas - You had (informal singular)
   • Tu tinhas uma bicicleta vermelha. (You had a red bicycle.)
3. Ele/Ela/Você tinha - He/She/You had (formal singular)
   • Ele tinha uma coleção de selos. (He had a stamp collection.)
4. Nós tínhamos - We had
   • Nós tínhamos um jardim bonito. (We had a beautiful garden.)
5. Vós tínheis - You had (informal plural - rarely used)
   • Vós tínheis muitas perguntas naquela época. (You had many questions back then.)
6. Eles/Elas/Vocês tinham - They/You had (plural)
   • Eles tinham uma casa na praia. (They had a house at the beach.)

Preterite Indicative Tense

1. Eu tive - I had
   • Eu tive a oportunidade de viajar para o exterior. (I had the opportunity to travel abroad.)
2. Tu tiveste - You had (informal singular)
   • Tu tiveste uma infância feliz. (You had a happy childhood.)
3. Ele/Ela/Você teve - He/She/You had (formal singular)
   • Ele teve sucesso em seu empreendimento. (He had success in his venture.)
4. Nós tivemos - We had
   • Nós tivemos um encontro memorável. (We had a memorable encounter.)
5. Vós tivestes - You had (informal plural - rarely used)
   • Vós tivestes a chance de conhecer pessoas incríveis. (You had the chance to meet incredible people.)
6. Eles/Elas/Vocês tiveram - They/You had (plural)
   • Eles tiveram uma grande festa de aniversário. (They had a big birthday party.)

Future Indicative Tense

1. Eu terei - I will have
   • Eu terei um novo emprego em breve. (I will have a new job soon.)
2. Tu terás - You will have (informal singular)
   • Tu terás a oportunidade de viajar pelo mundo. (You will have the opportunity to travel the world.)
3. Ele/Ela/Você terá - He/She/You will have (formal singular)
   • Ele terá uma vida cheia de realizações. (He will have a life full of achievements.)
4. Nós teremos - We will have
   • Nós teremos uma família feliz. (We will have a happy family.)
5. Vós tereis - You will have (informal plural - rarely used)
   • Vós tereis sucesso em vossos projetos. (You will have success in your projects.)
6. Eles/Elas/Vocês terão - They/You will have (plural)
   • Eles terão um futuro brilhante pela frente. (They will have a bright future ahead.)

Conditional Mood

1. Eu teria - I would have
   • Eu teria mais tempo se pudesse gerenciar melhor meu cronograma. (I would have more time if I could manage my schedule better.)
2. Tu terias - You would have (informal singular)
   • Tu terias mais oportunidades se arriscasses um pouco mais. (You would have more opportunities if you took more risks.)
3. Ele/Ela/Você teria - He/She/You would have (formal singular)
   • Ele teria uma vida mais tranquila se soubesse relaxar. (He would have a more peaceful life if he knew how to relax.)
4. Nós teríamos - We would have
   • Nós teríamos uma casa de praia se ganhássemos na loteria. (We would have a beach house if we won the lottery.)
5. Vós teríeis - You would have (informal plural - rarely used)
   • Vós teríeis mais liberdade se seguissem vossos corações. (You would have more freedom if you followed your hearts.)
6. Eles/Elas/Vocês teriam - They/You would have (plural)
   • Eles teriam mais sucesso se aproveitassem melhor as oportunidades. (They would have more success if they made better use of the opportunities.)

Subjunctive Mood

Present Subjunctive Tense

1. Que eu tenha - That I have
   • É importante que eu tenha paciência com as dificuldades. (It is important that I have patience with difficulties.)
2. Que tu tenhas - That you have (informal singular)
   • Espero que tu tenhas sucesso em teus empreendimentos. (I hope you have success in your ventures.)
3. Que ele/ela/você tenha - That he/she/you have (formal singular)
   • É fundamental que ele tenha confiança em si mesmo. (It is crucial that he has confidence in himself.)
4. Que nós tenhamos - That we have
   • É necessário que nós tenhamos coragem para enfrentar os desafios. (It is necessary that we have courage to face the challenges.)
5. Que vós tenhais - That you have (informal plural - rarely used)
   • Não é justo que vós tenhais tantas preocupações sem apoio. (It is not fair that you have so many worries without support.)
6. Que eles/elas/vocês tenham - That they/you have (plural)
   • É recomendável que eles tenham uma atitude positiva perante as adversidades. (It is advisable that they have a positive attitude towards adversity.)

Imperfect Subjunctive Tense

1. Que eu tivesse - That I had
   • Eu gostaria que eu tivesse mais tempo para me dedicar às minhas paixões. (I wish I had more time to dedicate to my passions.)
2. Que tu tivesses - That you had (informal singular)
   • Seria bom que tu tivesses mais compreensão com as dificuldades alheias. (It would be good if you had more understanding of others’ difficulties.)
3. Que ele/ela/você tivesse - That he/she/you had (formal singular)
   • Era importante que ele tivesse mais empatia com os outros. (It was important that he had more empathy for others.)
4. Que nós tivéssemos - That we had
   • Eu preferiria que nós tivéssemos mais recursos para ajudar quem precisa. (I would prefer if we had more resources to help those in need.)
5. Que vós tivésseis - That you had (informal plural - rarely used)
   • Eu desejava que vós tivésseis mais tempo para aproveitar a vida. (I wished that you had more time to enjoy life.)
6. Que eles/elas/vocês tivessem - That they/you had (plural)
   • Seria bom que eles tivessem mais oportunidades para se desenvolverem. (It would be good if they had more opportunities to develop themselves.)

Imperative Mood

1. Tem - Have (informal singular)
   • Tem confiança em ti mesmo. (Have confidence in yourself.)
2. Tenha - Have (formal singular)
   • Tenha paciência e tudo se resolverá. (Have patience, and everything will be resolved.)
3. Tenhamos - Let’s have
   • Tenhamos coragem de perseguir nossos sonhos. (Let’s have the courage to pursue our dreams.)
4. Tende - Have (informal plural - rarely used)
   • Tende compaixão pelos menos afortunados. (Have compassion for the less fortunate.)
5. Tenham - Have (formal plural)
   • Tenham gratidão por todas as bênçãos da vida. (Have gratitude for all the blessings of life.)

Conclusion

Mastering the conjugations of the verb “ter” is fundamental for expressing possession, existence, relationships, and more in Portuguese. Through its versatile range of conjugations across various tenses and moods, “ter” allows us to communicate ownership, states of being, and connections with others. By understanding and practicing the conjugations provided in this guide, you will gain the ability to express ownership, relationships, and states of being with confidence in the Portuguese language. Embrace the power of “ter” and let it guide you in expressing the richness of life in the enchanting world of Portuguese communication.