Fala Gringo › Verbs › resolver
resolver — to solve, to sort out
Full conjugation of resolver in the tenses that matter for everyday speech, with pronunciation hints in the Rio (carioca) accent and example sentences the way Brazilians actually talk — not textbook European Portuguese.
How to use resolver in Brazilian Portuguese
Resolver is the Brazilian Portuguese verb for to solve, to sort out. It is a regular -er verb, so once you know the endings there are no surprises.
Three tenses do almost all the work in conversation. The presente covers the present and the near future: eu resolvo — I solve. The pretérito perfeito is the finished past, the English simple past: eu resolvi — I solved / resolved. The pretérito imperfeito is for habits, background and how things used to be: eu resolvia — I used to solve / resolve / was solving.
Said the Rio way, resolvo sounds like heh-ZOW-voo. The nós form resolvemos ends in the carioca “sh”, heh-zow-VEH-moosh — the most recognisable sound of the Rio accent, where São Paulo says a plain s.
Presente — present tense
| Person | Form | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| eu | resolvoI solve | heh-ZOW-voo | Eu resolvo esse problema agora. |
| você / ele / ela | resolveyou solve | heh-ZOW-vee | Você resolve essa questão com ele? |
| nós | resolvemoswe solve | heh-zow-VEH-moosh | Nós resolvemos tudo entre nós. |
| vocês / eles / elas | resolvemyou all solve | heh-ZOW-veng | Vocês resolvem isso hoje? |
Pretérito Perfeito — simple past
| Person | Form | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| eu | resolviI solved / resolved | heh-zow-VEE | Eu resolvi o problema rapidamente. |
| você / ele / ela | resolveuyou solved / resolved | heh-zow-VEH-oo | Você resolveu a questão com o banco? |
| nós | resolvemoswe solved / resolved | heh-zow-VEH-moosh | Nós resolvemos tudo antes de sair. |
| vocês / eles / elas | resolveramyou all solved / resolved | heh-zow-VEH-rahng | Vocês resolveram a situação? |
Pretérito Imperfeito — past habitual, “used to”
| Person | Form | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| eu | resolviaI used to solve / resolve / was solving | heh-zow-VEE-ah | Eu resolvia os problemas sozinha. |
| você / ele / ela | resolviayou used to solve / resolve / were solving | heh-zow-VEE-ah | Você resolvia tudo na base da conversa? |
| nós | resolvíamoswe used to solve / resolve / were solving | heh-zow-VEE-ah-moosh | Nós resolvíamos as questões em grupo. |
| vocês / eles / elas | resolviamyou all used to solve / resolve | heh-zow-VEE-ahng | Vocês resolviam os conflitos com calma? |