Skip to content
fluentbyear

BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE VERB

sambar

to samba, to dance samba

  • Regular -ar verb
  • Gerund: sambando
  • Past participle: sambado

Conjugation

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

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Pretérito Perfeito · finished actions

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

Future

Futuro com ir · plans: “going to”

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

Imperfect

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

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

Conditional

Futuro do Pretérito · “would”

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

Present subjunctive

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

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

Past subjunctive

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

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

Future subjunctive

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

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

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders

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

How to use sambar

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

  1. Present

    Eu sambo mal, mas me divirto.

    I samba badly, but I have fun.

  2. Past

    A gente sambou a noite inteira no bloco.

    We danced samba all night in the street party.

  3. Future

    Vou sambar até o pé doer.

    I'm going to samba until my feet hurt.

  4. Imperfect

    Meu pai sambava melhor do que todo mundo na festa.

    My dad danced samba better than everyone at the party.

  5. Conditional

    Eu sambaria se tivesse tomado uma caipirinha antes.

    I'd samba if I'd had a caipirinha first.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Quero que você sambe comigo no Carnaval.

    I want you to samba with me at Carnival.

  7. Past subjunctive

    Se eu sambasse como ela, estaria na avenida.

    If I could samba like her, I'd be on the avenue.

  8. Future subjunctive

    Quando você sambar, solte os braços.

    When you samba, loosen your arms.

  9. Imperative

    Sambe sem vergonha, aqui ninguém julga!

    Samba without shame, nobody judges here!

Good to know

  • "Sambar" is also to beat someone easily: "sambou em cima do adversário".

Where you hear sambar

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

Brazilian Portuguese · Fluency Level 1

  • Todo mundo samba na Sapucaí. Everyone dances samba on the Sapucai.
  • Eu sambei setenta minutos sem parar. I danced samba for seventy minutes without stopping.
  • Se chover, você vai sambar mais rápido. If it rains, you're going to samba faster.

Verbs like this one

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