What this is about
Ter = to have. It is irregular, it is everywhere, and Brazil stretches it far beyond possession: age, hunger, and even "there is" all run on ter. It is probably the third verb you'll use most, after ser and estar.
TER — present (irregular)
When you'll use it
| possession | Eu tenho um cachorro. · Você tem filhos? |
| age (not "to be"!) | Eu tenho trinta anos. — lit. "I have thirty years" |
| states (Lição 12) | Estou com fome / Tenho fome. — hunger, thirst, fear |
| "there is / there are" | Tem um mercado aqui perto? — spoken Brazil uses tem, not há |
Exceptions & details
1 · tem vs têm: the circumflex is the ONLY difference between "he has" and "they have": ele tem · eles têm. Same sound, different hat.
2 · Negative possession drops the article: Não temos carro (we don't have A car) — more natural than "não temos um carro".
3 · ter que + verb = to have to (Lição 16): Tenho que trabalhar.
Practise this chapter
1 pool questions plus generated ones — 20 fresh practice questions, reshuffled every visit, inside the grammar library.
Practise TER — 20 questions →This chapter is taught in Lição 2 of the course — free, no account needed. Rumo is a complete Brazilian Portuguese course, A1 to B2; level A1 is free.