I’am busy studying the verb conjugations and making all the exercises. When I stick to one verb, it is no problem, but I keep confounding the verbs ir/ser and ver/vir.
Ir and ser have the same conjugation in the indicativo pretérito and in the conjuntivo imperfeito!!
And ver an vir have VERY similar forms in many timers!
I’m quite lost. Has anyone got an idea, where I can find exercises about the similarities and differences of these verbs?
@barbaraschenk As far as Practice Portuguese goes, I’d say that you’re already at the best place to dissect all the conjugations (the Verbs section). To see them used more in context, you can try some of the Learning Studio units. I’m thinking mainly of the units for Irregular -ER and Irregular -IR verbs, as well as the Simple Past unit, which is probably the most confusing tense to conjugate these verbs 
Of course, feel free to also ask more specific questions in this thread, or through the support channel.
Hi @barbaraschenk, I have the same problem. Not so much with ir and ser because it sort of makes it easier to only have to learn one conjugation for 2 verbs, but ver and vir are more difficult.
I’ve been learning Portuguese for 4 years now and I still can’t differentiate. I often think how daft the Portuguese are, in the development of their language, for not making them more distinguishable. I’m sure they could say a lot more, though, about the English language.
The only way I know how to learn them is by using them in context. Trying to rote learn them is hopeless.
I’m a huge fan of the group Madredeus and one song they sing is ‘vem’ the imperative form of vir.
Or then again it might be the imperative of ver?
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Hi Patrick, thanks for your answer. Yes, as a matter of fact ver/vir is the bigger problem. And it is true also that most languages can be surprisingly tricky to learn - in German, my mother tongue, we have words like lehren/ leeren/lernen (teach, empty, study) or Bauer (farmer or birdcage) …
I listened to the song Vem and I like it very much. I did not understand the lyrics entirely and looked them in Internet and them I understood it must mean „come“. Do you know Pedro Barroso? A wonderful singer/ songwriter with a clear pronunciation 
Any way, it is comforting I’m not alone struggling with the subtleties of Portuguese. I have been studying for three years and can understand most of daily language and express myself so that people can understand.
Ok, lets get back to study portuguese rather correspond in English. I wish you good luck amd health
Barbara
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Hi @barbaraschenk. First I must congratulate you on your excellent English and your ability to learn Portuguese through the medium of English.
I also listened to Pedro Barroso on youtube and I think he is very good and melodic.
Eu tenho tido/tive problemas com a idioma alemã também! Agora estou reformado mas antes trabalhei como profesor da engenharia para uma pequena universidade nos País de Gales onde tivemos estudantes europeus, muitos da Alemanhia.
Eles vieram (vir :)) por um semestre ou um ano e eu vinha na Alemania (e outros países) para recrutar-os.
As minhas primeiras vezes foram muito difíceis. Eu ia por duas semanas para visitar 5 ou 6 Universidades e Fachhochschulen, e em especial, viajar por o Ruhrgebiet sem GPS era horrível. Alem disso não soube falar uma palavra de alemão, mas os colegas alemões eram sempre muito acolhedores e descobrí que gostei muito o país.
Durante 10 anos visitei todas partes do país e fiz muitos amigos. Fiz cursos de alemão aqui na Inglaterra e também na Alemanhia. Nunca precisei falar alemão com os colegas mas gostei de conversar com as pessoas quando viajava.
Para mim há muitas dificuldades com a sua lingua, por exemplo -
colocar o verbo no final da frase - com longas frases esquecia o verbo
finais adjectivos - why bother? rot, rote, rotes, rotem, roten, etc. why not just have ‘rot’ or ‘red’ like we do?
I’ll finish in English.
Despite its difficulties I am very fond of the German language. My wife, who speaks no German, thinks I am fluent and that I speak it ‘wonderfully well’. For my part I would love to hear myself translated back into English because I think it would be hilarious.
I always used to read Mark Twain when in despair:
Hopefully @Joseph might look at my Portuguese. In particular we tend to mix preterite and imperfect past tenses in English, which might not be correct in Portuguese.
Keep safe, Patrick
Just wanted to let you all know (sorry for the repeat, Barbara!) that we just launched a new unit that covers these verbs, along with other irregular verbs, in the simple past tense (pretérito perfeito).
If you go to the main Units page, it’s the Simple Past 2 unit near the bottom of the list. The last few lessons cover, ver, vir, and then ver and vir together.
(For now, the verbs section is the best way to get practice with the other tenses.)
Thanks Molly. I am now working through this very challenging set of units.
I dont know which is worse. Lockdown, Simple past 2, or lockdown whilst studying Simple past 2 !!
Mas meu trabalho é mais fácil hoje. Acabou de chegar uma encomenda de dez garrafas de vinho tinto de Portugal e duas garrafas de Maciera entregues no Porto. Obrigado Portugal Vineyards. Havia apenas quatro dias em trânsito. Maravilhoso. Há setanta garaffas em estoque. Eu sou feliz.
I agree @mac.cummings , Simple Past 2 is brutal! All those irregular verbs together… I’ll admit I made a ton of mistakes while testing. For example, I always want to type dizemos (present tense) instead of dissemos (past tense). I forget to listen closely for the “z” / “ss” pronunciation distinction. I hope you’re enjoying all that wine! I should order some myself to make this isolation more tolerable.
Sim @Molly. Existem setenta garrafas na garagem !! O suficiente por alguns meses! E todos Portuguese!
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