Posts tagged with "verbs"

Pretender Vs. Fingir

Posted by Rachel 1 Comment
Aug 2 2010

Did you know that you can request posts about things you want to learn? It’s easy – just leave a comment or join our Facebook community and connect with us there. We received a request from a reader who wanted to know more about the verb pretender, so let’s take a look.

1. Pretender [to try, to intend]

The verb pretender is actually a false cognate for English speakers, because it does not mean pretend in the sense of faking or acting. In Portuguese, it means to try or to intend to.

Examples:

Eu pretendo estudar biologia. I intend to study biology.

Ele pretende mudar logo. He intends to move soon.

Pretendemos casar o ano que vem. We intend to get married next year.

2. Fingir [to pretend]

If the verb you were looking for is “to pretend,” this is the one you want. Fingir means to pretend to be or do something, in the sense of acting, faking, or feigning.

Examples:

Ela só está fingindo ser professora. She’s just pretending to be a teacher.

Eles fingiram chorar. They pretended they were crying.

Não quero fingir mais. I don’t want to pretend anymore.

3. Brincar [to pretend - child's play]

There’s a third verb you may want to know about when it comes to pretending. Brincar is to pretend in the sense of when children play make believe or pretend.

Brincar de pirata – pretend to be pirates

Brincar de princesa – pretend to be princesses

Brincar de super-herói – pretend to be a superhero

Provar Vs. Tentar

Posted by Rachel No Comments
Jun 23 2010

Today we’re going to look at two verbs that both mean to try, but in different contexts.

1. Provar =  to try (taste) / to try on / to prove       

Não quis provar o macarrão, mas resolvi comê-lo. I didn’t want to try the pasta, but I decided to eat it.

Ela provou o vestido e gostou muito. She tried on the dress and liked it a lot.

Querem provar que são corajosos. They want to prove that they’re brave.

2. Tentar = to try / to intend

Ela tentou lembrar a palavra. She tried to remember the word.

Sempre tentamos ser gentis. We always try to be polite.

Eu irei tentar ir na festa. I will try to go to the party.

Read more here for more verbs that mean “to try” and their uses.

Tocar vs. Brincar vs. Jogar

Posted by Rachel No Comments
May 25 2010

Sometimes, there’s more than one word for a single word in English. The three words tocar, brincar, and jogar are a perfect example, since they all translate as “to play” in English.

tocar = to play (instrument) or to ring

brincar = to play (children)

jogar = to play (game/sport)

Let’s take a look at some examples.

Quero aprender tocar o violão. I want to learn how to play the guitar.

Ele toca  piano todos os dias. He plays the piano every day.

Seu celular está tocando. Your cell phone is ringing.

As crianças estão brincando no quintal. The children are playing in the backyard.

A menina não gosta de brincar sozinha. The girl doesn’t like to play by herself.

Eles jogam Xbox ou Nintendo depois das aulas. They play Xbox or Nintendo after school.

Você gosta de jogar futebol? Do you like to play soccer?

And for extra credit. When you use the term “jogar muito,” it means someone plays very well.

Ele joga muito. He’s a really good player.

Levar vs. Trazer

Posted by Rachel 4 Comments
May 18 2010

Like those learning the equivalent English verbs to take and to bring, the verbs levar and trazer can sometimes be a little confusing, especially since we can translate levar as both to take and to bring in English. Here are some examples that will help you remember how to distinguish the two.

For the purposes of simplification, think of it this way:

levar = to take [a movement away from the speaker/place of origin]

Use with: lá/ali

trazer = to bring [a movement towards the speaker/place of origin]

Use with: aqui

Examples

Eu vou levar o computador lá. I’m going to take the computer there.

Ela vai trazer o celular aqui. She’s going to bring the cell phone here.

Levei o dinheiro lá para pagar a conta. I took the money there to pay the bill.

Foi ele que trouxe a roupa suja aqui. He was the one who brought the dirty clothes here.

Eu levei o bolo para a festa. I took a cake to the party.

Minha tia trouxe a feijoada para a minha festa. My aunt brought feijoada to my party.

Vou levar um presente para meu amigo no Brasil. Quando ele vier aos Estados Unidos, ele vai trazer um presente para mim. I’m going to take a present to my friend in Brazil. When he comes to the US, he’s going to bring me a present.

Can you think of any other examples?

Abafar and Desabafar

Posted by Rachel No Comments
Mar 12 2010

Two very handy verbs to learn in Portuguese are abafar and desabafar. Not only do they sound satisfying when spoken, but they are also useful in several contexts.

abafar = smother / repress, keep a secret / muffle / cover to retain heat

Examples:

A imprensa abafou o caso do politíco corrupto. The press stifled the story about the corrupt politician.

Abafamos a panela para manter a sopa quente. We covered the pot to keep the soup warm.

A menina abafou o som do rádio. The girl muffled the sound of the radio.

abafado = stuffy / muffled

Durante o verão, o quarto pequeno sempre fica quente e abafado. During the summer, the small room always gets hot and stuffy.

Fora da boate, o som da música parecia abafado. Outside of the club, the music sounded muffled.

desabafar = to relieve / divulge / to get something off your chest / catharsis

Depois de ficar calada por muito tempo, desabafei. After keeping quiet for a long time, I finally confessed.

Antes de pedir ajuda, ele explicou que precisava desabafar. Before asking for help, he explained he needed to get something off his chest.

desabafo = a relief / the act of getting something off your chest

Foi um desabafo admitir que ele queria embora. It was a relief to admit he wanted to leave.

Ela chorou muito durante o desabafo, mas ficou aliviada em se expressar. She cried a lot during the confession, but she felt relieved to express what she felt.

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