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BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE VERB

acender

to light, to switch on

  • #223 most used
  • Regular -er verb
  • Gerund: acendendo
  • Past participle: acendido

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. eu I light
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente you light
  3. nós we light
  4. vocês, eles, elas you all light

Past

Pretérito Perfeito · finished actions

  1. eu I lit
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente you lit
  3. nós we lit
  4. vocês, eles, elas you all lit

Future

Futuro com ir · plans: “going to”

  1. eu I am going to light
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente you are going to light
  3. nós we are going to light
  4. vocês, eles, elas you all are going to light

Imperfect

Pretérito Imperfeito · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. eu I used to light
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente you used to light
  3. nós we used to light
  4. vocês, eles, elas you all used to light

Conditional

Futuro do Pretérito · “would”

  1. eu I would light
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente you would light
  3. nós we would light
  4. vocês, eles, elas you all would light

Present subjunctive

Presente do Subjuntivo · wishes, doubts, “que …”

  1. eu (that) I light
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente (that) you light
  3. nós (that) we light
  4. vocês, eles, elas (that) you all light

Past subjunctive

Imperfeito do Subjuntivo · “if I were”, “se …”

  1. eu (if) I lit
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente (if) you lit
  3. nós (if) we lit
  4. vocês, eles, elas (if) you all lit

Future subjunctive

Futuro do Subjuntivo · “when” and “if” about the future

  1. eu (when) I light
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente (when) you light
  3. nós (when) we light
  4. vocês, eles, elas (when) you all light

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders

  1. você light!
  2. vocês light! (all of you)

How to use acender

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Eu acendo a luz da varanda quando escurece.

    I turn on the balcony light when it gets dark.

  2. Past

    Ele acendeu uma vela para o jantar.

    He lit a candle for dinner.

  3. Future

    Vou acender o fogão para esquentar o leite.

    I'm going to light the stove to heat the milk.

  4. Imperfect

    Meu avô acendia a lareira toda noite de inverno.

    My grandfather used to light the fireplace every winter night.

  5. Conditional

    Eu acenderia uma vela, a luz acabou.

    I'd light a candle, the power's out.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Deixe que eu acenda as velas do bolo.

    Let me light the candles on the cake.

  7. Past subjunctive

    Se você acendesse a luz, enxergaria melhor.

    If you turned on the light, you'd see better.

  8. Future subjunctive

    Quando acender o forno, me avise.

    When you turn on the oven, let me know.

  9. Imperative

    Acenda a luz, não estou vendo nada.

    Turn on the light, I can't see anything.

Good to know

  • With "estar", a light is "acesa", not "acendida": "a luz está acesa".

Where you hear acender

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Brazilian Portuguese · Intermediate Level 2

  • Eu acendo uma vela na capela todo domingo. I light a candle in the chapel every Sunday.
  • Eu acendi o fogão às cinco da manhã. I lit the stove at five in the morning.
  • Hoje à noite, a gente vai acender as luzes nas árvores. Tonight we're going to switch on the lights in the trees.

Brazilian Portuguese · Intermediate Level 3

  • Todo ano, eu acendo a fogueira da festa junina. Every year, I light the bonfire at the June party.
  • O Daniel acendeu as velas do bolo. Daniel lit the candles on the cake.
  • Hoje à noite, eu vou acender a churrasqueira. Tonight, I'm going to light the barbecue.
24
It's a Good Sign

Intermediate Level 2 · acende

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I'd Barely Lain Down

Intermediate Level 3 · acendeu

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -er verb.