Portuguese and Spanish both have -ar, -er and -ir type verbs. In addition, Portuguese has a fourth type, -or, which is represented only by the irregular verb pôr (cf. Spanish poner) and its related compounds. Most Portuguese cognates are of the same type as their Spanish counterparts. However, watch out for the following common verbs which are -ir type in Spanish but -er type in Portuguese.
| Spanish | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| vivir | viver |
| escribir | escrever |
| batir | bater |
| recibir | receber |
| sufrir | sofrer |
| ocurrir | ocorrer |
| gemir | gemer |
| hervir | ferver |
| morir | morrer |
Portuguese regular verb forms are remarkably similar to Spanish regular verb forms. The chart below enables you to make a direct comparison of the major tense forms of three regular verbs: mandar, comer and abrir.¹ Do not be misled by exact duplication of spelling. Although some Portuguese and Spanish forms are spelled exactly alike, their pronunciation is always distinctively different.
¹ In both languages abrir is regular in all forms except the Past Participle:
Spanish abierto / Portuguese aberto.
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