Vim or vir? What is the correct way to use the verb?

Is vim or vir right? Do you know when to use each one and what the right form is?

The correct use of language and spelling is a fundamental aspect of effective communication and clear expression.

And often, like it or not, people can judge you by the way you speak or write, especially when you're not talking to colleagues on the internet.

If you're going to take the entrance exams, competitions or the ENEM that have tests and essays, you need to write without too many spelling mistakes and using the right words in the right places.

Many people who can't speak our language say that Portuguese grammar is one of the most difficult to understand.

That's why it's not uncommon for people to search for the correct usage of one word or another, especially when they are very similar to each other, and sometimes with the same meaning and only a slight difference when using them in sentences.

As in the case of vim or vir, the verbs that are the focus and center of our article today.

What's the difference between vim and vir?

Before you understand when and how to use them, it's important to know the difference between these two verbs and how they are conjugated.

Starting with "Vim", which is the conjugation of the verb vir in the 1st person singular, the I, of the past perfect tense.

The "Coming" is the verb in the infinitive, often used when the sentence is in the present tense, and often refers to the 2nd person singular, which is you or you, and the 3rd person plural, which is they and they.

It is from this that verbs such as "Vim" will be conjugated depending on the person and grammatical tense.

In short, "vir" is the infinitive form of the verb, while "vim" is the past perfect indicative form, which indicates an action completed in the past. Therefore, choose the appropriate form based on the tense and context of the sentence in which you are using the verb "vir".

When to use vim or vir?

As well as understanding the difference between vim and vir, you also need to know how they are used in sentences and clauses.

Using "Vim"

The verb vir conjugated in the past perfect tense becomes "vim", but do you know when it should be used?

This word is used to express a completed action that took place in the past, such as when someone has already come to a certain place. For example:

• I came here yesterday;
• He said he came to visit us last week;
• I came to the birthday party last Saturday;
• When I came into the office, you had already left.

Use of "Vir"

The word "vir" can be used in two different ways, in the first sense it can be used in the infinitive, without the verb conjugation. In these cases it is used to indicate the action of moving towards the place where the speaker is or towards another place.

The infinitive phrase can be used according to these examples:

• It's important to come prepared for the interview;
• You have to come early to get a seat;
• Can you come to the meeting tomorrow?
• It is necessary to bring identity documents.

The other way to use 'vir' is in the present tense. Sentences in this tense refer to something that is happening right now or that is planned for the future, for example:

• I'm coming to visit you;
• They're coming to the beach next summer;
• I'll come to your house later to pick up the book;
• She promised to come to the concert;
• He's coming to the party tomorrow.

But if we think about all the ways it can be used, the verb can be the conjugation of the verb "ver" in the 3rd person singular, future subjunctive. For example: 

• When you see the cat, feed it;
• When I see the result, I know I'm going to like it.

Tips for conjugating verbs

There are 11 grammatical tenses, and many people can't name them all, but they speak Portuguese perfectly. This is because with practice some information and knowledge ends up slipping our minds, making it so automatic that we don't need to remember exactly everything.

But for those who want to take exams, or have some difficulty conjugating verbs, understanding these tenses and how to conjugate them correctly is extremely important.

Learn the types of conjugations

Many verbs in our language follow conjugation patterns and sets according to their ending. There are three conjugations: verbs ending in -ar, verbs ending in -er and verbs ending in -ir.

Learn these patterns to make conjugation easier. For example, verbs ending in "-ar" generally follow a conjugation pattern, as do those ending in "-er" and "-ir."

Practice irregular verbs

Although there are some standards, when it comes to conjugating verbs there are irregular ones.

The irregular verbs do not follow patterns that can be predicted, such as the verbs "to be", "to have", "to do" and others.

Memorize the verb tenses

As we've mentioned, there are different types of verb tenses in Portuguese, such as the present, preterite perfect, imperfect, future and many others.

Each tense is used to express different types of actions at different times.

Understand the endings

Each of the conjugations mentioned, such as -ar, -er and -ir, has its own endings. These endings determine how verbs are conjugated in different tenses and moods.

For example, if these conjugations were in the present tense, the endings would be:

• "Air": -o, -as, -a, -amos, -ais, -am;
• "Er": -o, -es, -e, -emos, -eis, -em;
• "Go": -o, -es, -e, -imos, -is, -em.

These endings are fundamental to conjugating verbs correctly in Portuguese, and each one fits with the subject and the tense in which the verb is used.

Knowing the endings can help you a lot when conjugating verbs, writing essays and take tests.