One of the most confusing words for English speakers learning Portuguese is the verb “to get”.
Why? Because Portuguese doesn’t have a single equivalent verb.
In English, get can mean:
- receive
- buy
- obtain
- arrive
- catch
- become
- understand
…and many more things besides.
In Portuguese, each of these meanings uses a different verb. So instead of trying to translate get directly, think about what get actually means in the sentence.
In this lesson, you’ll learn the most common ways to translate “get” in European Portuguese, complete with examples and explanations.
Video Lesson
Next, will shall go over some of the main uses of “get” and later some less obvious ones.
| English meaning of “get” | Portuguese verb |
|---|---|
| get (receive) | receber |
| get (arrive) | chegar |
| get (buy) | comprar |
| get (obtain) | arranjar |
| get (catch) | apanhar |
| get (understand) | perceber |
| get (become) | ficar / tornar-se |
| get up | levantar-se |
| get in | entrar |
| get out | sair |
Main uses of “get” in Portuguese
Arranjar
Arranjar means to obtain, find, or sort something out – and to get something.
Examples:
“I have to get a car”
- Tenho de arranjar um carro. (I need to get hold of a car.)
- Tenho de comprar um carro. (I need to buy a car.)
“I have to get shoes”
- Tenho de arranjar sapatos. (I need to get hold of shoes.)
- Tenho de comprar sapatos. (I have to buy shoes.)
“Can you get some oranges?”
- Podes arranjar umas laranjas? (Can you get hold of some oranges?)
- Podes comprar umas laranjas? (Can you buy some oranges?)
Receber
Receber means to receive and is also used to mean “to get”.
Examples:
- Recebeu o meu email? (Did you get my email?)
- Recebi um carta esta manhã. (I got a letter this morning.)
Chegar
Chegar means to arrive and to get somewhere.
Examples:
- A que horas chegas a casa? (At what time do you get home?)
- Quando chegam lá? (When will you all get there?)
Apanhar
Get can be translated as apanhar in Portuguese when talking about transport or illnesses. Apanhar also means to catch.
Examples:
- Apanhei uma constipação. (I got a cold.)
- Apanhei o comboio. (I got the train.)
- Apanhei o autocarro para Lisboa. (I got the bus to Lisbon.)
- Apanhei a oportunidade de falar com ela. (I got the opportunity to speak with her.)
Buscar
Buscar means to collect, fetch, or pick someone or something up.
Examples:
- Vou buscá-los mais tarde. (I’ll get them later.)
- Podes buscar as crianças à escola? (Can you get the children from school?)
- Vou buscar o meu casaco. (I’m going to get my jacket.)
Perceber
Perceber means to understand or realise something.
Examples:
- Não percebi a piada. (I didn’t get the joke.)
- Percebes o que quero dizer? (Do you get what I mean?)
- Finalmente percebi. (I finally got it.)
Ficar / Tornar-se
When get means “to become”, Portuguese usually uses ficar or tornar-se.
Examples:
- Está a ficar frio. (It’s getting cold.)
- Está a tornar-se frio. (It’s getting cold.)
- Ele ficou doente. (He got sick.)
- Ela ficou zangada. (She got angry.)
- A situação está a ficar complicada. (The situation is getting complicated.)
Levantar-se
Levantar-se means to get up or rise from bed.
Examples:
- Levanto-me cedo todos os dias. (I get up early every day.)
- A que horas te levantas? (What time do you get up?)
Descer
When “get down” means to come down from somewhere, Portuguese uses descer.
Examples:
- Desce daí! (Get down from there!)
- O gato não desce da árvore. (The cat won’t get down from the tree.)
Ultrapassar
When “get over” means to recover from a difficult experience or move on from something, Portuguese often uses ultrapassar.
Examples:
- Estou a ultrapassar isso. (I’m getting over it.)
- Demorei muito tempo a ultrapassar o acidente. (It took me a long time to get over the accident.)
Dar-se com
Dar-se com means to get on with someone or have a good relationship with them.
Examples:
- Como se dá com o seu chefe? (How do you get on with your boss?)
- Dou-me bem com os meus vizinhos. (I get on well with my neighbours.)
Continuar / Avançar
When “get on with” means to continue a task, Portuguese usually uses continuar or avançar.
Examples:
- Quero continuar com o trabalho. (I want to get on with the work.)
- Quero avançar com o trabalho. (I want to get on with the work.)
- Vamos continuar. (Let’s get on with it.)
- Vamos avançar. (Let’s get on with it.)
Entrar
Entrar means to get in or enter.
Examples:
- Vou entrar no carro. (I’m getting in the car.)
- Entra! (Get in!)
Sair
Sair means to get out, going out or leave.
Examples:
- Vou sair do carro. (I’m getting out of the car.)
- Sai daqui! (Get out of here!/get away from here!)
Melhorar / Ficar Melhor
When something gets better/improves Portuguese often uses melhorar or ficar melhor.
Examples:
- Estou a melhorar. (I’m getting better/improving.)
- Estou a ficar melhor. (I’m getting better/improving.)
- O tempo está a melhorar. (The weather is getting better/improving.)
- O tempo está a ficar melhor. (The weather is getting better/improving.)
Piorar / Ficar Pior
When something gets worse, Portuguese often uses piorar or ficar pior.
Examples:
- A situação está a piorar. (The situation is getting worse.)
- A situação está a ficar pior. (The situation is getting worse.)
- A saúde dele está a piorar. (His health is getting worse.)
- A saúde dele está a ficar pior. (His health is getting worse.)
Common Mistake
❌ Como é que eu digo “get” em português?
This question doesn’t really have one answer because Portuguese doesn’t have a direct equivalent of the English verb to get.
Instead, ask yourself:
“What does get mean in this sentence?”
Then choose the appropriate Portuguese verb:
- get = receive → receber
- get = arrive → chegar
- get = become → ficar
- get = catch → apanhar
- get = understand → perceber
The meaning comes first. The translation comes second.