Portuguese · Everyday Verbs

"to give" in Portuguese: dar

dar

Say it: dahr / doh / dahverb/ˈdaʁ/

To give in Portuguese is dar. Useful forms are eu dou, você dá, and eu dei in the past. Dar um presente means to give a gift.

Gift

Eu dou flores para ela no aniversário.
I give her flowers on her birthday.
Practice Portuguese out loud

Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free

How to pronounce dar

Say it

dahr / doh / dah

/ˈdaʁ/

dahr. Eu dou is doh; você dá is dah.

"to give" in Portuguese: quick reference

PortugueseEnglish
darto give

Dictionary form.

eu douI give

Present.

você dáyou give

Present.

eu deiI gave

Past.

dar um jeitoto find a workaround

Idiom.

How to use dar in real life

  1. 1Gift

    Eu dou flores para ela no aniversário.

    I give her flowers on her birthday.

    Eu dou.

  2. 2Directions ask

    Você uma informação, por favor?

    Can you give me some information, please?

    Você dá…

  3. 3Past favor

    Ontem eu dei meu lugar no ônibus para um idoso.

    Yesterday I gave my bus seat to an elderly person.

    Eu dei.

Mistakes English speakers make with dar

Incorrect: Eu dar um presente.

Correct: Eu dou um presente. / Eu dei um presente.

Conjugate dar: dou / deu / dei…

Incorrect: Eu te doy (Spanish).

Correct: Eu te dou.

Portuguese is dou, not Spanish doy.

Good to know

Dar is a workhorse verb with many idioms: dar certo (to work out), dar um jeito (to figure something out), me dá… for hand me…. In shops, Me dá um café is blunt-friendly Brazilian ordering.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Passing things at the table

  1. ChatPal

    Você me o sal, por favor?

    Can you give me the salt, please?

  2. You

    Dou sim. Quer que eu a pimenta também?

    I will. Want me to give the pepper too?

  3. ChatPal

    sim. Depois eu dou um pedaço do pão.

    Yes, give it. Then I'll give you a piece of bread.

  4. You

    Combinado. Eu dou o restante da salada.

    Deal. I'll give the rest of the salad.

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

Practice this conversation in ChatPal

"to give" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "to give" in Portuguese

Key present forms?

Eu dou, você dá, ele/ela dá.

How do I say I gave?

Eu dei.

Hand me…?

Me dá…

What does dar certo mean?

To work out / go right.

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.