Mission—Team—FAQ—Privacy—Terms—Sponsors—Grammar—Typing Course—Donate

© 2026 Elon Automation B.V.

Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): Podemos reutilizar a garrafa. - We can reuse the bottle.

Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil)
/Sorting household recycling
/Podemos reutilizar a garrafa.

Podemos reutilizar a garrafa.

Word

Podemos reutilizar a garrafa.

Meaning

We can reuse the bottle.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil)

Lesson

Sorting household recycling

Breakdown of Podemos reutilizar a garrafa.

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Portuguese grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Portuguese now

Questions & Answers about Podemos reutilizar a garrafa.

What exactly is podemos here?

Podemos is the 1st person plural form of the verb poder in the present tense.

So it means we can or we are able to.

The full subject would be nós podemos, but Portuguese often leaves nós out because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Why is reutilizar in the infinitive?

After poder, Portuguese normally uses another verb in the infinitive.

So the pattern is:

poder + infinitive

Examples:

Podemos reutilizar a garrafa.
Posso sair agora.
Eles podem ajudar.

This is similar to English can + base verb:

We can reuse the bottle.

Can I say Nós podemos reutilizar a garrafa too?

Yes. Nós podemos reutilizar a garrafa is completely correct.

But in Portuguese, subject pronouns are often omitted when they are not needed. Since podemos already clearly means we can, saying just Podemos reutilizar a garrafa sounds natural.

Adding nós can be useful for:

emphasis
contrast
clarity

For example:

Nós podemos reutilizar a garrafa, mas eles não podem.

Why is it a garrafa and not uma garrafa?

A garrafa means the bottle, while uma garrafa means a bottle.

So the sentence uses the definite article a because it refers to a specific bottle, or at least to a bottle that is understood in the context.

Compare:

Podemos reutilizar a garrafa. = We can reuse the bottle.
Podemos reutilizar uma garrafa. = We can reuse a bottle.

Why is the article a used before garrafa?

Because garrafa is a feminine singular noun.

In Portuguese, articles must agree with the noun:

o = masculine singular
a = feminine singular
os = masculine plural
as = feminine plural

Since garrafa is feminine, it takes a:

a garrafa
as garrafas

Is reutilizar the same as reciclar?

No, they are related but not the same.

reutilizar = to reuse, to use again
reciclar = to recycle

So:

Podemos reutilizar a garrafa means the bottle can be used again in its current form.
Podemos reciclar a garrafa means the bottle can be processed and turned into recycled material.

A learner might also hear usar de novo, which is a more everyday way to say use again.

Does reutilizar need a preposition before a garrafa?

No. Reutilizar is a direct transitive verb, so it takes a direct object with no preposition.

That is why you say:

reutilizar a garrafa
reutilizar o material
reutilizar isso

Not:

reutilizar à garrafa
reutilizar para a garrafa

Can podemos mean both we can and we may?

Yes, depending on context, podemos can express:

ability: we can
possibility: we can / it is possible for us
permission: we may

In this sentence, the most natural reading is probably we can reuse the bottle.

If you wanted to make permission more obvious, context would usually do that:

Podemos reutilizar a garrafa? = May we reuse the bottle? / Can we reuse the bottle?

How natural is reutilizar in Brazilian Portuguese?

It is natural and correct, especially in:

environmental contexts
instructions
formal or semi-formal speech
educational materials

In everyday conversation, Brazilians might also say:

usar de novo
aproveitar de novo in some contexts

So reutilizar is not strange at all, but it can sound a bit more formal or technical than simple everyday phrasing.

Can the word order change?

Yes, but Podemos reutilizar a garrafa is the most neutral and natural order.

Portuguese usually follows this pattern:

verb + infinitive + object

You might change the order for emphasis, but that is less neutral:

A garrafa, podemos reutilizar.

That version emphasizes the bottle. In normal speech, the original sentence is better.

How do I make this negative?

Put não before the conjugated verb:

Não podemos reutilizar a garrafa.

This means We cannot / can’t reuse the bottle.

A very important rule: in Portuguese, não normally goes before the main conjugated verb, not before the infinitive.

So:

Não podemos reutilizar a garrafa. = correct
Podemos não reutilizar a garrafa. = also possible, but it means something different, closer to We may choose not to reuse the bottle

How do I turn this into a question?

In Brazilian Portuguese, you can usually keep the same word order and just use question intonation:

Podemos reutilizar a garrafa?

This is very common in speech.

In writing, the question mark shows it clearly. Portuguese does not usually need an extra helping verb like English do.

How is podemos pronounced in Brazilian Portuguese?

A rough pronunciation guide is:

po-DE-mos re-u-ti-li-ZAR a ga-RRA-fa

A few helpful notes:

podemos has stress on de
reutilizar has stress on the last syllable zar
garrafa has stress on rra
the rr in garrafa is pronounced like a strong guttural h sound in most of Brazil

A rough English-friendly approximation might be:

poh-DEH-moos heh-oo-chee-lee-ZAR ah gah-HAH-fah

But pronunciation varies by region, so this is only approximate.

Why isn’t Portuguese using something like conseguir here?

Because poder is the normal verb for can / to be able to in a broad sense.

Conseguir usually means:

to manage to
to succeed in
to obtain

Compare:

Podemos reutilizar a garrafa. = We can reuse the bottle.
Conseguimos reutilizar a garrafa. = We managed to reuse the bottle.

So poder expresses possibility or ability more generally, while conseguir often suggests successful achievement.

Would A gente pode reutilizar a garrafa also work?

Yes, and it is very common in Brazilian Portuguese.

nós podemos = we can
a gente pode = literally the people, but in Brazil it very often means we

So these are both natural:

Podemos reutilizar a garrafa.
A gente pode reutilizar a garrafa.

In everyday spoken Brazilian Portuguese, a gente pode is often more common than nós podemos.

Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io