Verb + Noun Collocations | Portuguese (Portugal) Grammar

If you master one thing in European Portuguese phraseology, make it this: the light verb + noun combinations. These are the chunks where a relatively colourless verb — fazer, ter, dar, pôr, tomar, prestar, apanhar, passar, ir — locks together with a specific noun to express something that English usually says with a single verb or a different light-verb pair. A learner who hand-picks the right verb for each noun sounds native; a learner who translates from English ("to make a decision" → fazer uma decisão) sounds foreign instantly, even when the grammar is flawless.

This page is organized by the carrier verb. For each verb we list the most useful noun-collocates, show them in a natural sentence, and flag the English-to-Portuguese traps. The list is not exhaustive — nobody's is — but it covers the combinations you actually need to survive and sound fluent in everyday PT-PT.

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Learn these as units, not as a verb plus a noun. When you study decisão, study it as tomar uma decisão. When you study férias, study it as ir de férias, passar férias, fazer férias. Your mental lexicon should store chunks, not isolated words — that is how native speakers actually retrieve language in real time.

Fazer + noun

Fazer ("to do / to make") is the workhorse light verb of Portuguese. Many of its collocations map to English "to make" or "to do", but several map to "to have", "to go on", "to take" — which is where English speakers get tripped up.

Collocation	Meaning	Note
fazer uma pergunta	to ask a question	NOT perguntar uma pergunta (redundant calque)
fazer compras	to go shopping	—
fazer anos	to have a birthday	lit. "to do years"
fazer a cama	to make the bed	—
fazer férias	to go on holiday	also ir de férias, passar férias
fazer um exame	to take an exam	the student does it; teacher dá um exame
fazer barulho	to make noise	—
fazer sentido	to make sense	—
fazer falta	to be needed, to be missed	indirect subject construction
fazer amor	to make love	—
fazer greve	to go on strike	—
fazer trânsito	to cause traffic, to be traffic	also haver trânsito
fazer as malas	to pack (one's bags)	—
fazer o jantar / o almoço	to cook dinner / lunch	—

Posso fazer-te uma pergunta um bocado pessoal?

Can I ask you a slightly personal question?

Vou fazer compras ao Continente depois do trabalho — precisas de alguma coisa?

I'm going shopping at Continente after work — do you need anything?

A minha filha faz anos no sábado — vamos fazer uma festa pequena lá em casa.

My daughter's birthday is on Saturday — we're going to throw a small party at our place.

Já fizeste a cama ou ainda está um caos?

Have you made the bed yet or is it still chaos?

Fazemos férias em agosto — alugámos uma casa em Vila Nova de Milfontes.

We're going on holiday in August — we rented a house in Vila Nova de Milfontes.

Amanhã faço o exame de condução, estou super nervosa.

Tomorrow I'm taking my driving test, I'm super nervous.

Não faças barulho, o bebé está a dormir.

Don't make noise, the baby is sleeping.

The fazer falta construction deserves special attention. It works like Spanish hacer falta: the thing needed is the grammatical subject, and the person who needs it is the indirect object.

Fazes-me falta, sabias?

I miss you / I need you, you know? (lit. 'You make lack to me')

Esta reunião não me faz falta nenhuma.

I don't need this meeting at all. (lit. 'This meeting makes me no lack')

Há muita gente que faz greve amanhã — vai haver caos nos transportes.

A lot of people are going on strike tomorrow — there's going to be chaos in transport.

Isto não faz sentido nenhum — explica-me outra vez.

This makes no sense at all — explain it to me again.

Ter + noun (state and sensation)

Ter ("to have") is where English and Portuguese part ways decisively. English says "I am hungry / cold / lucky / right"; Portuguese says "I have hunger / cold / luck / reason". The pattern is so pervasive that you must re-train your instincts.

Collocation	Meaning	Note
ter razão	to be right	NOT estar certo in this sense
ter sorte	to be lucky	—
ter azar	to be unlucky	—
ter medo (de)	to be afraid (of)	—
ter vontade de	to feel like	takes infinitive: ter vontade de sair
ter saudades de	to miss (a person, a place)	PT-PT; BR uses sentir saudades
ter calor / frio	to be hot / cold (person)	weather uses estar: está frio
ter fome / sede	to be hungry / thirsty	—
ter sono	to be sleepy	—
ter pressa	to be in a hurry	—
ter coragem (de)	to have the courage (to)	—
ter ciúmes (de)	to be jealous (of)	plural noun is the norm
ter cuidado	to be careful	imperative: tem cuidado!
ter paciência	to be patient, to have patience	often ter paciência! = "oh well"
ter pena (de)	to feel sorry (for); to regret	tenho pena = "I'm sorry / it's a pity"
ter razão de queixa	to have grounds to complain	—
ter piada	to be funny	of a joke, situation, person

Tens razão, desculpa — não devia ter falado assim contigo.

You're right, I'm sorry — I shouldn't have talked to you like that.

Tive muita sorte em encontrar este apartamento tão rápido.

I was really lucky to find this flat so fast.

Que azar, pá — foste a única pessoa que apanhou chuva.

What bad luck, mate — you were the only one who got caught in the rain.

Tenho imenso medo de voar, mas não tenho outra solução.

I'm really afraid of flying, but I don't have another option.

Não tenho vontade nenhuma de sair hoje — está um gelo lá fora.

I don't feel like going out at all today — it's freezing outside.

Tenho tantas saudades de ti que custa.

I miss you so much it hurts.

Abre a janela, se faz favor — tenho muito calor.

Open the window please — I'm really hot.

Tenho uma fome de lobo, não como desde o pequeno-almoço.

I'm ravenous, I haven't eaten since breakfast.

Tens pressa? Posso levar-te de carro.

Are you in a hurry? I can give you a lift.

Tem cuidado com o degrau, está escorregadio.

Watch out for the step, it's slippery.

Tem paciência, já chego daqui a dez minutos.

Be patient, I'll be there in ten minutes.

Tenho pena que não possas vir ao jantar.

I'm sorry you can't come to dinner.

Aquela tua tia tem imensa piada — gosto sempre de estar com ela.

That aunt of yours is really funny — I always enjoy being around her.

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English uses to be for most sensations and states; Portuguese uses ter. The exceptions matter: for weather, estar is right (está frio — it's cold). But for a person's feeling of cold, it's ter frio (tenho frio — I'm cold). Confusing these is the classic A1 slip that lingers into B1.

Dar + noun

Dar ("to give") is the most quietly productive light verb. Many of its collocations correspond to English "to take" (dar um passeio — to take a walk), "to throw" (dar uma festa — to throw a party), or "to wish" (dar os parabéns — to wish happy birthday).

Collocation	Meaning	Note
dar um passeio	to take a walk	NOT caminhar um passeio
dar uma vista de olhos	to take a look / glance over	also dar uma olhada (less common in PT-PT)
dar os parabéns	to wish happy birthday; to congratulate	always plural: parabéns
dar as boas-vindas	to welcome	—
dar uma aula	to teach a class	teacher's perspective
dar um exame	to give an exam	teacher; student faz um exame
dar jeito	to be useful, to come in handy	dá-me jeito — this suits me
dar trabalho	to be a hassle, to be demanding	of work, kids, tasks
dar pena	to make (one) feel sorry	dá-me pena — it saddens me
dar razão a alguém	to concede someone is right	—
dar um abraço / um beijo	to give a hug / a kiss	also dar beijinhos — cheek kisses
dar uma festa	to throw a party	NOT fazer uma festa in the sense of celebrating
dar um conselho	to give advice	—
dar uma mão	to lend a hand	also dar uma ajuda
dar conta (de)	to notice, realize	dei conta disso — I noticed that
dar um jeito (a)	to find a way; to sort out	—

Vamos dar um passeio pela marginal antes do jantar?

Shall we take a walk along the seafront before dinner?

Queres dar uma vista de olhos ao meu relatório antes de eu enviar?

Do you want to glance over my report before I send it?

Liguei à minha avó para lhe dar os parabéns — ela fez oitenta anos.

I called my grandmother to wish her happy birthday — she turned eighty.

Venham cá dar-lhes as boas-vindas, eles acabaram de chegar.

Come here and welcome them, they've just arrived.

A minha professora de Inglês dá aulas há quarenta anos.

My English teacher has been teaching for forty years.

Isso dá-me imenso jeito — obrigada!

That's really handy for me — thanks!

Os miúdos dão imenso trabalho nesta fase — é só chorar e não dormir.

Kids are really demanding at this stage — it's all crying and not sleeping.

Dá-me pena ver aquele cão sozinho na rua.

It makes me sad to see that dog alone on the street.

Tenho de te dar razão — o restaurante era mesmo caro.

I have to admit you were right — the restaurant really was expensive.

Anda cá, dá-me um abraço.

Come here, give me a hug.

Vão dar uma festa de despedida na sexta, vens?

They're throwing a goodbye party on Friday, are you coming?

Posso dar-te um conselho? Não assines esse contrato sem o leres.

Can I give you a piece of advice? Don't sign that contract without reading it.

Dás-me uma mão para levar estas caixas para cima?

Can you give me a hand to take these boxes upstairs?

Nem dei conta de que já eram onze horas.

I didn't even notice it was already eleven.

Pôr + noun

Pôr ("to put, to place") is an irregular verb and a highly productive one in collocations. Many combinations describe acts of preparation or positioning.

Collocation	Meaning	Note
pôr a mesa	to set the table	opposite: levantar a mesa
pôr o despertador	to set the alarm	—
pôr o lixo na rua	to take the trash out	typical Lisbon building practice
pôr a roupa a secar	to hang the laundry to dry	—
pôr em dúvida	to question, to cast doubt on	—
pôr-se em marcha	to set off, to get going	reflexive
pôr-se à vontade	to make oneself comfortable	põe-te à vontade — make yourself at home
pôr fim a	to put an end to	—
pôr em causa	to call into question	—
pôr à prova	to put to the test	—

Enquanto eu acabo a salada, podes pôr a mesa?

While I finish the salad, can you set the table?

Pus o despertador para as seis, mas não ouvi nada.

I set the alarm for six, but I didn't hear a thing.

Já puseste o lixo na rua? O camião passa às onze.

Have you put the trash out? The truck comes at eleven.

Hoje está sol, vou pôr a roupa a secar lá fora.

It's sunny today, I'm going to hang the laundry out to dry.

Ele pôs em dúvida tudo o que eu disse, foi um bocado irritante.

He questioned everything I said, which was a bit irritating.

Põe-te à vontade, já te trago um café.

Make yourself at home, I'll bring you a coffee in a sec.

Pusemo-nos em marcha às cinco da manhã para evitar o trânsito.

We set off at five in the morning to avoid the traffic.

Isto põe em causa tudo o que sabíamos sobre o caso.

This calls into question everything we knew about the case.

Tomar + noun

Tomar ("to take") has a heavy phraseological load in PT-PT. It covers drinks, baths, decisions, measures — areas where English uses several different verbs. The big trap: decisions are tomadas, not feitas.

Collocation	Meaning	Note
tomar banho	to take a bath / shower	the standard PT-PT verb
tomar um duche	to take a shower	more specific; banho is more generic
tomar café	to have coffee; drink coffee	also used as a mid-morning social event
tomar o pequeno-almoço	to have breakfast	PT-PT; BR uses tomar café da manhã
tomar uma decisão	to make a decision	NOT fazer uma decisão — classic calque
tomar uma medida	to take a measure / action	political, administrative register
tomar conta de	to take care of / look after	of children, the elderly, pets
tomar atenção a	to pay attention to	but prestar atenção is more common in PT-PT
tomar partido	to take a side	—
tomar conhecimento (de)	to take note of, to be informed of	formal / administrative
tomar nota	to take note, to write down	—

Vou tomar banho e já desço para jantar.

I'm going to take a shower and I'll come down for dinner.

Vens tomar um café connosco ali na esplanada?

Do you want to come have a coffee with us at the terrace over there?

Tomo sempre o pequeno-almoço antes de sair de casa — é sagrado.

I always have breakfast before leaving the house — it's sacred.

Temos de tomar uma decisão até ao fim da semana.

We have to make a decision by the end of the week.

O governo vai tomar medidas para controlar a inflação.

The government is going to take measures to control inflation.

A minha vizinha toma conta dos gatos quando viajo.

My neighbour looks after the cats when I travel.

Não quero tomar partido nesta discussão.

I don't want to take sides in this argument.

Fica já a tomar nota das datas importantes.

Write down the important dates right now.

Prestar + noun

A more formal register than dar, and the lexical choice for several specific collocations.

Collocation	Meaning	Note
prestar atenção (a)	to pay attention (to)	the standard PT-PT chunk, NOT pagar atenção
prestar contas	to be accountable, to give an account	—
prestar um serviço	to render / provide a service	—
prestar homenagem	to pay tribute	—
prestar juramento	to take an oath	formal / legal
prestar declarações	to give a statement	legal / press

Presta atenção ao que te vou dizer — é importante.

Pay attention to what I'm going to tell you — it's important.

O primeiro-ministro vai prestar contas ao parlamento na quarta-feira.

The prime minister will be accountable to parliament on Wednesday.

A cerimónia vai prestar homenagem aos antigos combatentes.

The ceremony will pay tribute to the former combatants.

O ministro prestou declarações à imprensa esta manhã.

The minister gave a statement to the press this morning.

Apanhar + noun

The classic PT-PT verb for taking public transport, catching illnesses, and getting fright or sun. This is a major lexical difference from Brazilian Portuguese, where pegar does most of this work.

Collocation	Meaning	Note
apanhar o autocarro	to take the bus	PT-PT; BR pegar o ônibus
apanhar o comboio	to take the train	PT-PT; BR pegar o trem
apanhar um táxi	to take a taxi	PT-PT; BR pegar um táxi
apanhar sol	to sunbathe, to get some sun	—
apanhar uma constipação	to catch a cold	PT-PT constipação, NOT BR resfriado
apanhar chuva	to get caught in the rain	—
apanhar um susto	to get a fright	—
apanhar uma bebedeira	to get drunk	colloquial
apanhar a onda	to catch the wave; to get the gist	literal and figurative

Vou apanhar o autocarro das oito e vinte para chegar a horas.

I'm going to take the eight-twenty bus to get there on time.

Apanhei o comboio errado e acabei em Cascais em vez de Sintra.

I took the wrong train and ended up in Cascais instead of Sintra.

Vamos apanhar um táxi, já é tarde para o metro.

Let's grab a taxi, it's too late for the metro.

No domingo fui à praia apanhar sol, fiquei com queimaduras.

On Sunday I went to the beach to sunbathe, and I got sunburnt.

Não te vistas mal, vais apanhar uma constipação.

Don't dress poorly, you'll catch a cold.

Apanhei uma chuva medonha a caminho de casa.

I got caught in a horrible rainstorm on the way home.

Apanhei um susto de morte quando vi aquela aranha.

I got the fright of my life when I saw that spider.

Passar + noun

Passar attaches mainly to time-related nouns and a handful of idiomatic expressions.

Collocation	Meaning	Note
passar férias	to spend the holidays	—
passar tempo	to spend time	—
passar vergonha	to be embarrassed / humiliated	passive sense
passar a ferro	to iron (clothes)	lit. "to pass with iron"
passar fome	to go hungry	stronger than ter fome
passar a noite	to spend the night	—
passar despercebido	to go unnoticed	—

Passei as férias todas na casa dos meus avós no Alentejo.

I spent all my holidays at my grandparents' house in Alentejo.

Passo muito tempo a ler quando estou de férias.

I spend a lot of time reading when I'm on holiday.

Passei uma vergonha enorme na reunião — caiu-me café em cima da camisa.

I was massively embarrassed at the meeting — I spilled coffee on my shirt.

Odeio passar a ferro mais do que qualquer outra coisa doméstica.

I hate ironing more than any other household chore.

Passámos a noite a conversar na esplanada, foi uma maravilha.

We spent the night chatting on the terrace, it was wonderful.

Ir + noun

The go-to verb for many destination-type chunks. Watch the preposition — ir a, ir para, ir de, ir à all have distinct senses (covered in depth on the prepositional collocations page).

Collocation	Meaning	Note
ir de férias	to go on holiday	also fazer férias, passar férias
ir à casa de banho	to go to the bathroom	PT-PT; BR ir ao banheiro
ir às compras	to go shopping	also fazer compras
ir-se embora	to leave, go away	reflexive
ir buscar	to go pick up / fetch	PT-PT; BR ir pegar
ir ter com	to go meet (somebody)	classic PT-PT construction

Vamos de férias para a Madeira em setembro.

We're going on holiday to Madeira in September.

Dás-me licença? Tenho de ir à casa de banho.

Excuse me? I have to go to the bathroom.

Vou-me embora, já é muito tarde.

I'm off, it's really late.

Podes ir-me buscar à estação às sete?

Can you come pick me up at the station at seven?

Vou ter contigo ao café em dez minutos.

I'll meet you at the café in ten minutes.

Meals: a special note

English uses "have" for all meals (have breakfast, have lunch, have dinner). PT-PT has a specific verb for each — and crucially, not ter.

Meal	PT-PT verb	Note
pequeno-almoço	tomar o pequeno-almoço	NOT ter pequeno-almoço
almoço	almoçar	dedicated verb
lanche	lanchar	dedicated verb (afternoon snack)
jantar	jantar	dedicated verb
ceia	cear	dedicated verb (late supper, Christmas Eve)

A que horas tomaste o pequeno-almoço? Tenho uma fome!

What time did you have breakfast? I'm starving!

Vamos almoçar àquele restaurante novo ali ao pé do rio.

Let's have lunch at that new restaurant by the river.

Vens lanchar lá a casa? Fiz um bolo de chocolate.

Do you want to come over for a snack? I made a chocolate cake.

Jantámos tarde ontem, só às dez.

We had dinner late last night, only at ten.

Common mistakes

❌ Vou fazer uma decisão amanhã.

*Fazer uma decisão* is an English calque. The PT-PT collocation is *tomar uma decisão*.

✅ Vou tomar uma decisão amanhã.

I'll make a decision tomorrow.

❌ Eu sou frio.

*Ser frio* means 'to be a cold person' (character). For physical sensation, use *ter frio*.

✅ Tenho frio — fecha a janela, se faz favor.

I'm cold — close the window, please.

❌ Pago atenção quando o professor fala.

*Pagar atenção* is a direct calque of English. PT-PT uses *prestar atenção*.

✅ Presto atenção quando o professor fala.

I pay attention when the teacher speaks.

❌ Tenho um pequeno-almoço às oito.

*Ter um pequeno-almoço* sounds like you possess a breakfast. The correct chunk is *tomar o pequeno-almoço* (often with the article, unlike the overview might suggest — usage varies, but *tomar* is the verb).

✅ Tomo o pequeno-almoço às oito.

I have breakfast at eight.

❌ Vou pegar o autocarro.

*Pegar* for transport is Brazilian. PT-PT uses *apanhar*.

✅ Vou apanhar o autocarro.

I'm going to take the bus.

❌ Perguntei uma pergunta difícil.

Even though it looks fine, the light-verb chunk is *fazer uma pergunta*. Native speakers do not normally say *perguntar uma pergunta* — they use *perguntar* with a direct object: *perguntei uma coisa difícil*, or *fiz uma pergunta difícil*.

✅ Fiz uma pergunta difícil.

I asked a difficult question.

❌ Caminhei um passeio pela praia.

*Caminhar* doesn't take *um passeio* as object. The chunk is *dar um passeio*.

✅ Dei um passeio pela praia.

I took a walk along the beach.

❌ Sinto saudades dos meus pais.

*Sentir saudades* is Brazilian. PT-PT prefers *ter saudades*.

✅ Tenho saudades dos meus pais.

I miss my parents.

Key takeaways

Light verb + noun chunks are the backbone of fluent PT-PT. Learn them as units, not as verb plus noun.
Fazer covers "to do / to make" but also birthdays (fazer anos), holidays (fazer férias), and existential fazer falta.
Ter — not ser or estar — carries physical sensations and states in Portuguese: ter fome, ter frio, ter sorte, ter razão.
Dar produces chunks that English expresses with varied verbs: dar um passeio (take), dar uma festa (throw), dar os parabéns (wish).
Tomar is the verb for decisões (not fazer), for baths, for coffee, and for the PT-PT pequeno-almoço.
Prestar replaces dar in formal chunks: prestar atenção, prestar homenagem, prestar contas.
Apanhar is the PT-PT verb for public transport, colds, sun, and frights — where Brazilian uses pegar.
Meals have their own dedicated verbs: almoçar, lanchar, jantar, cear — do not use ter.
When in doubt, look up the noun in a collocation dictionary (Priberam, Léxico Multifuncional) and note which verb it travels with.