Eu quero trocar o casaco pelo carro.

I want to trade the coat for the car.

Breakdown of Eu quero trocar o casaco pelo carro.

• eu: I
• o: the
• querer: to want
• trocar: to trade
• casaco: coat
• carro: car

Questions & Answers about Eu quero trocar o casaco pelo carro.

Why is the word pelo used here instead of para o?

Pelo is a contraction of por + o, and it translates roughly to for or in exchange for in this context. Saying para o carro would imply a direction or destination (like toward the car), which changes the meaning of the sentence. Here, pelo specifically indicates an exchange transaction: swapping one thing (the coat) for another (the car).

Can I use trocar with other prepositions, or is pelo always required?

Trocar can be followed by different prepositions depending on the meaning. When you want to say you’re exchanging something for something else, you often use por (or the contracted forms: pelo, pela, etc.). If you want to say you’re swapping one thing with another person, you might also see trocar com. The important point is to match the preposition to the sense of exchange or interaction you’re expressing.

Does the sentence literally mean I want to trade my coat for the car?

Yes, in this sentence, the implication is that the speaker wants to offer their coat and, in return, receive the car. Although it might sound unusual in everyday situations, grammatically it’s correct and shows how trocar can be used to indicate bartering or swapping items.

Could I say Eu quero trocar meu casaco pelo seu carro and would it mean the same?

Adding meu (my) and seu (your) just makes the ownership explicit, but the action remains the same: you’re still exchanging the coat for the car. The core structure still works: Eu quero trocar (algo) por (algo) or in contracted form pelo/pela.

What if I want to talk about exchanging something in a store?

In a store context, for instance if you received a wrong size and want to swap it, you can still say Eu quero trocar esta camisa. However, you’d likely specify Eu quero trocar esta camisa por outra, meaning I want to exchange this shirt for another. The idea of exchanging still depends on trocar plus por (or pelo/pela).