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Study Resource: Common expressions with ‘ter’ in Brazilian Portuguese

By: Fabiana Dametto Oliveira
Associated Articles

These activities are part of our Brazilian Portuguese Grammar series. The skills we are practicing here are covered in our article:

Expressions with ‘ter’ that are translated using “have” in English

Ter
Example

ter a oportunidade de

to have the opportunity to

Tive a oportunidade de viajar para a Europa no ano passado.

I had the opportunity to travel to Europe last year.

ter tempo de

to have time for

Não tenho tempo de fazer exercícios todos os dias.

I don’t have time to exercise every day.

ter o direito/dever de

to have the right/obligation (to)

Você tem o direito de perguntar sobre o assunto.

You have the right to ask about the subject.

ter bom senso

to have common sense

Por favor, tenha bom senso ao tomar essa decisão.

Please, have common sense when making that decision.

ter experiência de/com

to have experience

Eu tenho muita experiência em programação.

I have a lot of experience in programming.

ter um compromisso

to have a commitment

Desculpe, não posso sair hoje à noite, tenho um compromisso importante.

Sorry, I can't go out tonight, I have an important commitment.

ter jeito com/para

to have a knack

Roberta tem jeito para consertar as coisas.

Roberta has a knack for fixing things.

ter um dom

to have a talent/gift

Ele tem o dom de ser cozinheiro.

He has a talent for being a cook.

ter um argumento

to have an argument

Eu tenho vários argumentos que provam a minha teoria.

I have several arguments that prove my theory.

ter um bom coração

to have a good heart

Ele pode parecer rude às vezes, mas tem um bom coração.

He may seem rude at times, but he has a good heart.

ter o direito/dever de

to have the right/obligation (to)

Você tem o direito de perguntar sobre o assunto.

You have the right to ask about the subject.

ter carinho

to have affection

Quando viu a amiga chorando, ela teve muita simpatia e ofereceu ajuda.

When she saw her friend crying, she had a lot of sympathy and offered help.

ter respeito

to have respect

Devemos ter respeito pelo meio ambiente.

We should have respect for the environment.

ter habilidade

to have a skill

Ela tem muita habilidade para tocar piano e já se apresentou em vários concertos.

She has a lot of skill in playing the piano and has performed in several concerts.

ter sangue de barata

to have nerves of steel

Ela lida com situações estressantes com muita tranquilidade. Tem sangue de barata mesmo!

She deals with stressful situations with a lot of calmness. She really has nerves of steel!

ter prioridade

to have priority

A segurança dos nossos clientes tem prioridade máxima.

The safety of our clients has top priority.

Expressions with ‘ter’ that are not translated into English using “have”

Ter
Example

ter culpa de/por

to take the blame for /
to be blamed for

Eu não tive culpa naquele acidente de trânsito.

I was not at fault in that traffic accident.

ter em conta

to take into account

Temos que ter em conta que o orçamento para o projeto não é alto.

We have to take into account that the budget for the project is not high.

não ter jeito

there is no way

Não tem jeito de fazer o celular funcionar novamente.

There’s no way to get the phone working again.

ter sangue frio

to keep a cool head / to stay calm

lit. to keep in cold blood

Em situações de emergência, é importante ter sangue frio e manter a calma.

In emergency situations, it’s important to keep a cool head and stay calm.

ter êxito

to be successful (to succeed)

Eu espero que meu negócio tenha êxito.

I hope my business is successful.

ter razão

to be right about something

Você tinha razão quando disse que aquele hotel era maravilhoso!

You were right when you said that hotel was wonderful!

ter cuidado de/com

to be careful with

Tenha cuidado ao dirigir naquela estrada.

Be careful while driving on that road.

ter confiança

to be confident

Tenho confiança de que passarei nas provas finais.

I am confident that I will pass the final exams.

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