Portuguese · Travel & Getting Around

"Car" in Portuguese: carro

o carro

Say it: KAH-hoomasculine · o carronoun/ˈka.ʁu/

Car in Portuguese is o carro, masculine. Say de carro for by car and meu carro for my car. Parking talk uses estacionar o carro.

Offering a ride

Eu levo você de carro, se quiser.
I'll take you by car if you want.
Practice Portuguese out loud

Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free

How to pronounce carro

Say it

KAH-hoo

/ˈka.ʁu/

KAH-hoo in much of Brazil, where rr sounds like h. Elsewhere you may hear a stronger r.

"Car" in Portuguese: quick reference

PortugueseEnglish
o carrocar

Default word.

de carroby car

Travel method.

meu carromy car

Possessive form.

dirigirto drive

Brazil; Portugal often uses conduzir.

estacionarto park

With o carro as object.

How to use carro in real life

  1. 1Offering a ride

    Eu levo você de carro, se quiser.

    I'll take you by car if you want.

    De carro marks the transport.

  2. 2Parking

    Não acho onde estacionar o carro nesta rua.

    I can't find where to park the car on this street.

    Estacionar o carro is the usual collocation.

  3. 3Asking for a lift

    Seu carro tem espaço para mais uma mala?

    Does your car have room for one more suitcase?

    Seu carro with você.

Mistakes English speakers make with carro

Incorrect: A carro é vermelho.

Correct: O carro é vermelho.

Carro is masculine: o carro.

Incorrect: Eu conduzo o carro todo dia (in Brazil)

Correct: Eu dirijo o carro todo dia.

Brazil usually says dirigir; conduzir is more Portugal.

Good to know

City traffic is a daily topic in Brazilian conversation. Apps like ride-hailing often replace owning a carro in dense centers, but weekend trips still mean pegar o carro and leave town.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Planning a beach day drive

  1. ChatPal

    A gente vai de carro ou de ônibus?

    Are we going by car or by bus?

  2. You

    De carro. Meu carro está com o tanque cheio.

    By car. My car has a full tank.

  3. ChatPal

    Ótimo. Eu posso dirigir na volta, se o carro cansar você.

    Great. I can drive on the way back if the car trip tires you.

  4. You

    Fechado. Coloca as cadeiras no porta-malas do carro.

    Deal. Put the chairs in the car trunk.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

Practice this conversation in ChatPal

"Car" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Car" in Portuguese

How do I say by car?

De carro. Example: Vamos de carro.

How do I say drive in Brazil?

Dirigir. In Portugal, conduzir is more common.

What is the trunk called?

Porta-malas in Brazil; bagageira in Portugal.

Is carro masculine?

Yes: o carro, um carro novo.

Learn a word, then use it out loud

  1. Step 1: See it in context
  2. Step 2: Say it out loud
  3. Step 3: Get feedback
  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

Keep reading

Ready to say it out loud?

ChatPal is a voice-first app for practicing real conversations in Portuguese. Try real scenarios and get personalized feedback on your speaking.

Start with 7 days free.