What are modal verbs in Brazilian Portuguese?

The modal verb poder in Brazilian Portuguese can be used to describe possibility, availability, and permission. Depending on the context, it can be translated as “can,” “could,” “must,” or “might.”

• Possibility:

  Poder can express the possibility of something happening. In this case, it is usually translated into English as “may” or “could.”

  É melhor levar um mapa, ou você pode se perder.

  It's better to bring a map, or you could get lost.

• Requests:

  We also use poder in requests, usually to ask for something or to make an order.

  Você pode trazer o cardápio, por favor?

  Can you bring the menu, please?

  In the example above, poder is conjugated in the present tense to mean “can,” but we can also conjugate it in the present conditional tense to give a more polite tone. In this case, poder is equivalent to the modal English “could.”

  Você poderia trazer o cardápio, por favor?

  Could you bring the menu, please?

• Permission and prohibition:

  Poder also expresses permission, conveying that someone has the right to do something. In this case, it’s equivalent to “may” or “can” in English.

  Eu posso te fazer uma pergunta? Posso estacionar aqui?

  May I ask you a question? Can I park here?

  We can also use poder in the negative in order to express prohibition.

  Não, infelizmente você não pode estacionar o carro nessa rua.

  No, unfortunately you can't park your car on this street.

  In everyday language, it’s common to use poder as an impersonal verb always conjugated in the third person singular ele, ela(he, she). This expresses general permission or prohibition:

  Pode usar o celular aqui?

  Is it okay to use the mobile here?

  lit. lit: Can (one) use the mobile here?

• Availability:

  Related to the above use, we use poder in cases where someone is theoretically capable of doing something, but is not available or free to do so at the moment:.

  Eu não posso falar agora porque estou no trabalho.

  I can't talk right now because I’m at work.

The modal verb conseguir in Brazilian Portuguese is used to express that someone has accomplished a goal or achieved something, usually through effort or determination. It can be translated into English as “can,” “to manage,” or “be able to.”

• Bárbara conseguiu passar na entrevista de emprego.

  Barbara managed to pass the job interview.

• Você conseguiu terminar o relatório?

  Were you able to finish the report?

• Eu não consigo carregar essa mala porque está muito pesada.

  I can’t carry this suitcase because it’s too heavy.

Saber is used to express knowledge of a skill or the ability to perform some action. It’s translated into English as “to know” or “can,” and we use it to say that we have information about something or we know how to do something.

Note that saber can also be used to mean “to know (a fact)” as in:

In the first example, saber refers to a certain knowledge, something that you know. The second example with saber refers to an ability, something that you know how to do.

The modal verb querer means “to want,” and it’s used to express a desire, intention, or wish for something.

The verb desejar(to wish) also refers to a desire, but it’s only used in very formal situations.

In day-to-day conversations, we generally use querer instead.

In Brazilian Portuguese, ter que is used to express obligation or necessity, and it's equivalent to “have to” or “must” in English.

The modal verb ter que has also an idiomatic usage, and it's used when you highly recommend something to someone.

Dever in Brazilian Portuguese is used to make a supposition, give advice, or state an obligation. In general, it can mean “must,” “ought to,” or “should” in English.

• It’s often used to make a supposition. In this case, it is often in the present tense and can be translated into English as “should,” “to be expected to,” or “to be due to.”

  Este ônibus deve passar daqui a cinco minutos.

  This bus should pass in five minutes.

• Dever is also commonly used to give advice, and in this case it's similar to “should” or “ought to.” When it refers to this idea, it is used in the preterite (more informally) and in the conditional (more formally) to give a more friendly tone.

  ✅ Você devia conversar com seu chefe sobre esse problema.
  ✅ Você deveria conversar com seu chefe sobre esse problema.

  You should talk to your boss about this issue.

  Tip

  When using dever to talk about something someone should have done in the past, we use the conditional of dever followed by the perfect infinitive (ter + participle):

  Você deveria ter assinado o documento naquele dia.

  You should have signed the document that day.

• Much like ter que, dever can be used to talk about obligation. It refers to a moral obligation or to a responsibility in a general sense, and has similar meaning to “must” in English.

  Vocês devem apresentar o passaporte no embarque.

  You must present the passport upon boarding.

  The present conditional and the imperfect indicative tenses of dever can also be used when there is an expectation or requirement for something to be done.

  O metrô deveria/devia funcionar durante toda a noite.

  The subway should run all night.

Much like “to need to” in English, the modal verb precisar is used with an action that is necessary in order to fulfill a certain goal.

The imperfect form precisava, followed by the infinitive ter(to have), is an idiomatic usage, and it expresses a missed opportunity in the past.