Portuguese Verb Ter: Meaning, Uses, and Conjugation

Olá! Vamos conversar. Ter is officially to have, but Brazilians stretch it across a surprising amount of daily life.

Possession is the obvious one

Eu tenho um carro. Ela tem dois irmãos. Same logic as English. Straightforward.

Tenho is the irregular first person form to memorize first.

Age, hunger, thirst, fear

Brazilians use ter where English uses to be. Tenho trinta anos. Tenho fome. Tenho sede. Tenho medo. Direct translations like sou trinta anos sound wrong.

Once you accept the swap, an entire family of expressions opens up.

Existence: tem instead of há

Tem um café aqui perto means there is a cafe nearby. Grammar books prefer há, but Brazilians use tem in conversation almost every time.

Let's practice together

Adriely, sua professora brasileira. Te vejo na próxima aula.