Portuguese does not have "phrasal verbs" in the strict English sense — there is no put up with, get by, or run into where a bare particle radically rewrites a verb's meaning. Portuguese verbs take prepositions, not particles, and those prepositions tend to behave predictably. Yet the language is full of idiomatic verb + preposition combinations whose meaning you cannot reach by adding up the parts. Dar com does not mean "give with" — it means to run into, to come across. Pôr-se a does not mean "put oneself to" — it means to start (suddenly). These are Portugal's functional equivalents of phrasal verbs, and this page lists the ones you will hear every day.
The payoff for learning these is enormous. A learner who says encontrei-o na rua is understood; a learner who says dei com ele na rua sounds like someone who actually lives there. The constructions here are what separate textbook Portuguese from the Portuguese that native speakers produce without thinking. They reward pattern recognition: once you hear pôr-se a rir you can predict pôr-se a chorar and pôr-se a gritar.
How to read this page
Each entry gives you the verb+preposition pattern, its idiomatic meaning, an example sentence, and a brief note on the literal components. The literal parse is there so you can feel why the idiom evolved — not so you can translate word by word. When the idiom departs so far from the parts that the literal reading is misleading, the literal parse will say so.
I have grouped the entries by their core verb (dar, ficar, passar, meter, pôr, ir, vir, and a handful of others) because Portuguese speakers themselves feel these as families. The verb dar alone produces a dozen idioms; learning them together helps you internalize the pattern.
The dar family
Dar is the workhorse of Portuguese idioms. On its own it means to give, but combined with prepositions it generates meanings as varied as to run into, to get along, to be enough, to end up, and to face onto. This is the single most productive verb in Portuguese idiomatic usage, and every B2-level learner should recognize all of the entries below.
dar com — to run into, to come across, to find
You use dar com when you accidentally encounter a person, an object, or a realization. The subject is always the one doing the discovering.
Dei com o João no supermercado esta manhã.
I ran into João at the supermarket this morning.
Depois de procurar uma hora, dei com as chaves atrás do sofá.
After looking for an hour, I found the keys behind the sofa.
Literal parse: to give with. The preposition com (with) is doing the idiomatic work — think of it as "to meet with [something] by chance."
dar em — to turn into, to end up as, to come to nothing
Dar em describes the outcome of a process. It is almost always used when that outcome is disappointing, trivial, or unexpected. The famous fixed expression is dar em nada (to come to nothing).
Todos aqueles planos para abrir o restaurante deram em nada.
All those plans to open the restaurant came to nothing.
A discussão deu em zanga e ele saiu a bater a porta.
The argument turned into anger and he left slamming the door.
Literal parse: to give in(to). The preposition em marks the endpoint of a transformation.
dar para — to be enough for; to be possible; to face onto
This is a three-headed idiom that learners often confuse. All three senses share the underlying idea of sufficiency or suitability.
Sense 1 — to be enough (food, money, space):
Esta sopa dá para quatro pessoas.
This soup is enough for four people.
Sense 2 — to be possible, to be doable (impersonal):
Não dá para estacionar nesta rua depois das seis.
You can't park on this street after six.
Sense 3 — to face, to overlook (of windows, balconies, doors):
O quarto dá para o jardim.
The bedroom looks out onto the garden.
dar que + infinitive — to give cause for, to provoke (thinking, talking)
Not dar de — the standard EP idiom here uses que (the conjunction, not the interrogative) + bare infinitive. The two best-known fixed expressions are dar que pensar (to give food for thought, to be thought-provoking) and dar que falar (to get people talking, to cause a stir).
A decisão do tribunal deu muito que pensar.
The court's decision was really thought-provoking.
O novo filme está a dar que falar por toda a parte.
The new film is getting everyone talking.
dar-se bem com / dar-se mal com — to get along well / badly with
A pronominal construction built from dar-se (reflexive: to do, to fare) plus com.
Dou-me muito bem com os meus sogros, felizmente.
Fortunately, I get along very well with my in-laws.
Ela sempre se deu mal com o irmão mais velho.
She has always gotten along badly with her older brother.
You can extend the pattern to foods and climates: não me dou bem com mariscos (shellfish doesn't agree with me); dou-me mal com o calor (I don't do well in the heat).
The ficar family
Ficar means to stay, to remain, to become. It generates idiomatic combinations whose common thread is the idea of ending up in a state or keeping hold of something.
ficar com — to keep, to end up with, to take
Use ficar com when someone ends up holding an object, a role, or even an impression. It is the natural way to say "I'll take it" when shopping or "I'll keep it" when offered something.
Fico com este, obrigado — não preciso de ver mais.
I'll take this one, thanks — I don't need to see any more.
Depois do divórcio, ela ficou com a casa e ele ficou com o carro.
After the divorce, she got the house and he got the car.
Fiquei com a ideia de que ele não estava a dizer a verdade.
I got the impression that he wasn't telling the truth.
ficar para — to be left for, to be saved for (later)
Ficar para frames something as being postponed or reserved. You often hear the fixed expression fica para a próxima (let's leave it for next time).
Essa conversa fica para amanhã — estou exausta.
That conversation is for tomorrow — I'm exhausted.
Não te preocupes, fica para a próxima.
Don't worry, we'll do it next time.
The passar family
passar por — to pass through; to be taken for; to undergo
Three senses, all unified by the image of passing through some kind of filter or territory.
Sense 1 — to go through (a place):
No caminho para o trabalho passo sempre pelo mercado.
On my way to work I always go through the market.
Sense 2 — to be mistaken for:
Com esse sotaque ele passa facilmente por português.
With that accent he easily passes for Portuguese.
Sense 3 — to undergo, to experience:
A minha avó passou por coisas terríveis durante a guerra.
My grandmother went through terrible things during the war.
passar a — to start (doing something), to become
A shift-of-state idiom. Passar a + infinitive marks the moment someone adopts a new habit, role, or way of being.
Depois de se reformar, passou a dormir a sesta todos os dias.
After he retired, he started taking a nap every day.
Ela passou a ser a diretora no ano seguinte.
She became the director the following year.
The puxar family
puxar a / puxar para — to take after (resemble a relative)
A lovely idiom, perfectly untranslatable. When a child looks or behaves like a parent or grandparent, Portuguese says the child pulls toward them. You can use a or para — both are common; a is slightly more traditional.
O Tomás puxou ao pai — os olhos, o sorriso, tudo.
Tomás takes after his father — the eyes, the smile, everything.
Ela puxou para a avó, até no feitio.
She takes after her grandmother, even in personality.
Literal parse: to pull toward. The metaphor is visual: the child is pulled in the direction of the relative they resemble.
The pegar family (European Portuguese specific)
pegar em — to pick up, to grab hold of
Here is an important regional split. In European Portuguese, when you pick up an object, you pegar em. In Brazilian Portuguese, bare pegar (without a preposition) is normal for the same meaning. Using Brazilian-style pegar without em will sound foreign to a Portuguese ear.
Pega no telemóvel e liga à tua mãe, se faz favor.
Pick up the phone and call your mother, please.
Peguei no casaco e saí a correr.
I grabbed my coat and ran out.
Literal parse: to grab on. The em adds the sense of making contact.
The levar family
levar a — to lead (someone) to (do something)
Causation idiom. X levar Y a + infinitive means X drives Y to do something. It is extremely common in both everyday and journalistic registers.
O desgaste levou-o a desistir da carreira aos cinquenta anos.
The wear and tear led him to give up his career at fifty.
Foi essa conversa que me levou a mudar de ideias.
It was that conversation that led me to change my mind.
trazer de volta — to bring back
This one is almost transparent but worth noting because the preposition de is obligatory and English speakers often drop it.
Trouxe-te de volta o livro que me emprestaste.
I brought back the book you lent me.
A música dos anos oitenta traz de volta tantas memórias.
Eighties music brings back so many memories.
The meter family
meter-se com — to meddle with, to mess with, to tease
Meter-se is reflexive and slightly aggressive in tone. It implies getting involved in something one should not.
Não te metas com ele, está de mau humor.
Don't mess with him, he's in a bad mood.
Os colegas metiam-se com ela por causa do sotaque.
Her classmates teased her because of her accent.
meter-se em — to get into, to get involved in (trouble, politics, business)
The em version is neutral-to-negative. You can meter-se em sarilhos (get into trouble), meter-se em política (get into politics), or meter-se na vida dos outros (stick your nose in other people's business).
Lá se meteu em sarilhos outra vez.
There he goes getting himself into trouble again.
Não te metas na vida dos outros.
Don't stick your nose in other people's business.
The pôr family
pôr-se a — to start (doing something) suddenly
One of the most characteristic European Portuguese idioms. Pôr-se a + infinitive marks a sudden, often unexpected onset of an action, especially emotional ones: laughing, crying, shouting, running.
Quando ouviu a notícia, pôs-se a chorar e não parou durante uma hora.
When she heard the news, she started crying and didn't stop for an hour.
Os miúdos puseram-se a correr pelo jardim como loucos.
The kids started running around the garden like crazy.
The andar family
andar a + infinitive — to be (currently, habitually) doing
This is one of the signature European Portuguese constructions. While Brazilian Portuguese uses estar + gerúndio (estou estudando), European Portuguese uses estar a + infinitivo for progressive aspect and andar a + infinitivo for ongoing, extended, or habitual activity. Andar a has a feeling of these days, recently, lately.
Ando a estudar chinês há seis meses e está a custar-me horrores.
I've been studying Chinese for six months and it's killing me.
Tens andado a trabalhar demais, precisas de descansar.
You've been working too much, you need to rest.
See andar a + infinitive for a deeper treatment of this construction.
The vir family
vir a — to end up (doing, being)
A subtle idiom. Vir a + infinitive frames an action as the eventual outcome of a process, often one that the speaker could not have predicted. It carries a literary, slightly narrative flavor — you see it in newspaper writing and well-crafted speech.
Só mais tarde vim a saber que tínhamos estado na mesma escola.
It was only later that I came to know we had been at the same school.
A cantora veio a ser uma das mais famosas da sua geração.
The singer went on to become one of the most famous of her generation.
Literal parse: to come to. The verb vir supplies the sense of arrival at a state or realization.
The ir family
ir-se embora — to leave, to go away
The canonical way to say to leave a place in European Portuguese. The reflexive ir-se emphasizes the subject's departure; embora (away) seals the meaning. It is not optional — without embora the reflexive ir-se sounds incomplete.
Já é tarde, vou-me embora.
It's late, I'm heading off.
Ela foi-se embora sem dizer uma palavra.
She left without saying a word.
Quick reference table
| Pattern | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|
| dar com | to run into, to find | neutral |
| dar que + inf. | to give cause for (thinking, talking) | neutral |
| dar em | to turn into, to come to | neutral |
| dar para | to be enough / possible / face onto | neutral |
| dar-se bem/mal com | to get along well/badly with | neutral |
| ficar com | to keep, to take | neutral |
| ficar para | to be left for, saved for | neutral |
| passar por | to pass through; to be taken for | neutral |
| passar a + inf. | to start, to become | neutral / (formal) |
| puxar a / para | to take after (a relative) | (informal) |
| pegar em | to pick up (an object) | neutral — EP only |
| levar a | to lead to, to cause | neutral |
| trazer de volta | to bring back | neutral |
| meter-se com | to meddle with, to tease | (informal) |
| meter-se em | to get into (trouble, etc.) | neutral |
| pôr-se a + inf. | to start (suddenly) | neutral |
| andar a + inf. | to be (habitually) doing | neutral — EP only |
| vir a + inf. | to end up, to come to | neutral / (literary) |
| ir-se embora | to leave, to go away | neutral |
Common mistakes
English speakers consistently make these errors when reaching for idiomatic Portuguese. Each one comes from thinking in English patterns.
❌ Encontrei-o por acaso na rua.
Grammatical but flat; sounds like a textbook. A native speaker would use dar com.
✅ Dei com ele na rua.
I ran into him on the street.
❌ É possível comer bem aqui por dez euros?
Grammatical but stiff.
✅ Dá para comer bem aqui por dez euros?
Can you eat well here for ten euros?
❌ Ele pegou o telemóvel.
Incorrect in European Portuguese — this is the Brazilian pattern.
✅ Ele pegou no telemóvel.
He picked up the phone.
❌ Ela começou a chorar de repente.
Grammatical but misses the suddenness idiom; a native speaker would likely use pôr-se a.
✅ Ela pôs-se a chorar de repente.
She suddenly started crying.
❌ Estou estudando chinês há seis meses.
Brazilian structure. In EP, use estar a + infinitive for progressive, or andar a for ongoing habit.
✅ Ando a estudar chinês há seis meses.
I've been studying Chinese for six months.
❌ Ela foi sem dizer nada.
Understandable but incomplete — sounds like the sentence was cut off.
✅ Ela foi-se embora sem dizer nada.
She left without saying anything.
Key takeaways
- Portuguese idiomatic verb+preposition pairs behave like English phrasal verbs, but the preposition is fixed and cannot be moved, dropped, or swapped.
- The verbs dar, ficar, passar, meter-se, pôr-se, andar, vir, ir are the major idiom-generators. Learn them as families.
- Dá para + infinitive and andar a + infinitive are signature European Portuguese constructions that have no Brazilian equivalent.
- Pegar in EP requires em before an object; dropping em sounds Brazilian.
- When in doubt between começar a and pôr-se a, use começar a for neutral starts and pôr-se a for sudden or emotional starts.
Related Topics
- Verbs + Preposition ListB1 — Portuguese verb-preposition combinations organized by preposition
- Verbs and Their PrepositionsB1 — A reference list of which Portuguese verbs require which prepositions before their complement — the lexical pairings that determine whether your sentence is grammatical.
- Periphrastic Verb Constructions: OverviewA2 — A map of the productive verb + preposition + infinitive (and verb + gerund) constructions of European Portuguese — the compact machinery that adds aspect, phase, and modality to any verb.
- Andar a + Infinitive (Extended Progressive)B1 — The habitual / extended progressive andar a + infinitive: how European Portuguese says 'have been doing lately' with iteration across recent time, and how it differs from estar a.
- Acabar de + Infinitive (Immediate Past)A2 — How European Portuguese says 'I just did it' -- the acabar de + infinitive periphrasis, its tense variations, and the tricky ambiguity between 'just V-ed' and 'finished V-ing'
- Direct Translation Errors (Calques)A2 — The most common word-for-word mistranslations from English into European Portuguese — and the natural expressions that replace them.