Portuguese · Everyday Verbs

"to wake up" in Portuguese: acordar

acordar

Say it: ah-kor-DAHR / ah-kor-DAYverb/a.koʁ.ˈdaʁ/

To wake up in Portuguese is acordar. Eu acordei is unmistakably the verb; eu acordo also works, though o acordo means agreement as a noun.

Hotel morning

Eu acordei às seis com o barulho da rua.
I woke up at six to the street noise.
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How to pronounce acordar

Say it

ah-kor-DAHR / ah-kor-DAY

/a.koʁ.ˈdaʁ/

ah-kor-DAHR. Acordei is ah-kor-DAY.

"to wake up" in Portuguese: quick reference

PortugueseEnglish
acordarto wake up

Dictionary form.

eu acordeiI woke up

Clear past verb.

eu acordoI wake up

Present habit.

acordar cedoto wake up early

Routine phrase.

me acordawake me up

Request.

How to use acordar in real life

  1. 1Hotel morning

    Eu acordei às seis com o barulho da rua.

    I woke up at six to the street noise.

    Acordei is clearly the verb.

  2. 2Routine

    Nos dias de semana eu acordo cedo.

    On weekdays I wake up early.

    Acordo as verb.

  3. 3Ask a roommate

    Me acorda às sete, por favor.

    Wake me up at seven, please.

    Causative wake someone.

Mistakes English speakers make with acordar

Incorrect: Eu acordar tarde.

Correct: Eu acordo tarde. / Eu acordei tarde.

Conjugate the verb.

Incorrect: O acordo (meaning I wake).

Correct: Eu acordo / eu acordei.

O acordo is the noun agreement.

Good to know

Brazilian mornings often start with café and a quick bom dia. Asking someone me acorda is normal among roommates; hotels offer serviço de despertar.

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Catching an early bus

  1. ChatPal

    A que horas você acordou hoje?

    What time did you wake up today?

  2. You

    Eu acordei às cinco e meia.

    I woke up at five thirty.

  3. ChatPal

    Duro. Quer mais café?

    Tough. Want more coffee?

  4. You

    Quero sim, obrigada.

    Yes please, thanks.

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"to wake up" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "to wake up" in Portuguese

I woke up?

Eu acordei.

I wake up at…?

Eu acordo às…

Wake me up?

Me acorda / pode me acordar?

Agreement noun?

O acordo—different word; prefer acordei when teaching the verb.

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