-ei/-ás/-á/-emos/-eis/-ão

Futuro Do Presente Regular

Level 3

The Futuro do Presente is the formal way to say 'will' in Portuguese. It is formed by adding endings like -ei, -ás, and -á directly to the full infinitive of the verb.

How It Works

The Futuro do Presente Regular is unique because you do not drop the verb ending (-ar, -er, -ir) before conjugating. You simply attach the future endings to the end of the infinitive.

1. Conjugation Pattern:
The endings are the same for all regular verbs:

  • Eu: -ei (falarei)
  • Tu: -ás (falarás)
  • Você/Ele/Ela: -á (falará)
  • Nós: -emos (falaremos)
  • Vós: -eis (falareis)
  • Vocês/Eles/Elas: -ão (falarão)

2. The Three Irregular Verbs:
Only three verbs in Portuguese are irregular in this tense: dizer (to say), fazer (to do/make), and trazer (to bring). They use the exact same endings as regular verbs but use shortened stems:

  • dir- (direi, dirás...)
  • far- (farei, farás...)
  • trar- (trarei, trarás...)

3. Usage and Register:
In Brazil, this tense sounds very formal. In daily life, Brazilians prefer vou falar. In Portugal, it is slightly more common but still formal. It is the standard for news, literature, and legal documents.

4. The 'Future of Probability':
A common use in all registers is to express uncertainty about the present. For example, 'Que horas serão?' doesn't mean 'What time will it be?' but rather 'I wonder what time it is [right now]?'

Examples (5)

  1. O governo anunciará as novas medidas amanhã.

    The government will announce the new measures tomorrow.

    Word by Word: The government announce-will the new measures tomorrow.

    A typical formal use of the future tense found in news or official reports.

  2. Onde estará o meu celular?

    Where could my phone be?

    Word by Word: Where be-will the my cellphone?

    This demonstrates the 'future of probability,' speculating about a current situation.

  3. Nós estudaremos para a prova no fim de semana.

    We will study for the exam over the weekend.

    Word by Word: We study-will for the exam in-the end of week.

    A formal way to express a future intention or plan.

  4. Eles viajarão para a Europa no próximo ano.

    They will travel to Europe next year.

    Word by Word: They travel-will to the Europe in-the next year.

    Note the -ão ending, which indicates a future action, distinct from the past -am.

  5. Não matarás.

    Thou shalt not kill.

    Word by Word: Not kill-will.

    In religious or legal contexts, the future tense functions as a solemn command.

Common Mistakes

  • Confusing the future (-ão) with the past (-am).

    Eles falarão com ele ontem.
    Eles falaram com ele ontem.

    The ending -ão is always stressed and refers to the future. The ending -am is unstressed and refers to the past.

  • Using the simple future in very casual conversation.

    Eu comerei uma pizza agora.
    Eu vou comer uma pizza agora.

    Using the simple future for immediate, casual actions sounds 'robotic' or overly formal to native speakers.

  • Forgetting the accent on the third-person singular.

    Ele falara amanhã.
    Ele falará amanhã.

    Without the accent on the 'á', the word becomes the 'Mais-Que-Perfeito' (pluperfect), which means 'he had spoken'—a completely different tense.

How It Connects

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-ei/-ás/-á/-emos/-eis/-ãoLevel 3Futuro Do Presente Regular

Learn This First

To learn the Futuro do Presente, learners must be comfortable with all subject pronouns (singular and plural) as the endings change based on the subject. Additionally, familiarity with the 'ir + infinitive' construction provides a conceptual foundation for expressing future actions in Portuguese.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

-ei-á-ão