Portuguese · Real conversations
Clarify a meaning naturally in Portuguese
Clarification works best when you identify the unclear part. Ask about a word, check a possible interpretation, or request an example that makes the meaning concrete.
Three ways to say it
O que esta palavra significa?
What does this word mean?
Ask about one unfamiliar word.
Você quer dizer que devemos sair agora?
Do you mean that we should leave now?
Check whether you have understood the person's intended message.
Você poderia explicar isso com um exemplo?
Could you explain that with an example?
Ask for a concrete example when a definition is not enough.
Avoid translating word by word
English 'Do you mean ...?' asks about intended meaning, not an average or an unkind person. Keep the target-language construction for intention or meaning instead of translating the isolated word 'mean'.
See the difference in context
An unfamiliar word in a sentence
Há uma palavra nova nesta frase.
There's a new word in this sentence.
O que esta palavra significa?
What does this word mean?
Checking whether it is time to leave
Não temos muito tempo.
We don't have much time.
Você quer dizer que devemos sair agora?
Do you mean that we should leave now?
Your turn
You understand the words but not how the idea works. Ask for an explanation with an example.
Reveal a sample reply
Você poderia explicar isso com um exemplo?
Could you explain that with an example?
This speaking goal in other languages
A note on speaking Portuguese
These guides use Brazilian Portuguese. Você is a common everyday address; senhor or senhora may fit a more formal interaction. Eu gostaria and poderia can soften requests without making them complicated.
Keep the accents and nasal spellings, such as não and conexão. Portuguese in Portugal may use different everyday vocabulary or pronouns. The examples aim for broadly understandable Brazilian wording.
