The Verb Dar in Portuguese: Usage and Common Expressions

The verb dar is one of the most frequently used and idiomatically rich verbs in Portuguese. While its basic meaning is “to give,” it extends far beyond that. From expressing possibility to describing outcomes, dar is an essential verb with multiple uses that every Portuguese learner should strive to master.

Here are a few common expressions and uses of dar in European Portuguese:

[possibility – dar para]
Dá para me ajudares a preparar o jantar?
Could you help me prepare dinner?

[outcome – dar certo/errado]
Os planos deram certo.
The plans were successful.

[to notice – dar conta]
Quando dei conta do que se passava já era tarde demais.
When I realized what was going on it was already too late.

Learning to use “Dar” in all its breadth will make your Portuguese sound more natural and fluent. Let’s explore its conjugations, meanings, and idiomatic expressions in depth. Read on.

How to Conjugate Dar

Here’s how we conjugate dar in the Present and Past tenses:

	Presente	Pretérito perfeito	Pretérito imperfeito
Eu	dou	dei	dava
Tu	dás	deste	davas
Ele, ela	dá	deu	dava
Nós	damos	demos	dávamos
Vocês	dão	deram	davam
Eles, elas	dão	deram	davam

How to Use Dar

Giving

As mentioned earlier, dar means ‘to give’ in Portuguese. Here are a few examples:

Eles deram um carro novo ao filho
They gave their son a brand-new car.

Dava a minha vida por ti.
I’d give my life for you.

Vais-me dar as notícias?
Will you give me the news?

Ela deu o seu melhor.
She gave her best.

Expressing Possibility

Dar is used to express possibility, meaning whether or not something is doable. In this context, dar is often followed by the preposition para. Here are a few examples:

Ela tem tempo livre amanhã e vai dar para visitar os seus pais.
She has time off tomorrow, so she can visit her parents.

O dinheiro que me deste não deu para comprar o bilhete.
The money you gave me wasn’t enough to buy the ticket.

Esta câmara também dá para filmar.
This camera can also be used for filming.

– Podes-me dar uma ajuda?
– Desculpa, hoje não vai dar (para te ajudar).
– Can you give me a hand?
– Sorry, that won’t be possible today.

Note: You can also use the modal verb poder (can) to express possibility. If you’d like to learn more, check out this article: Portuguese Equivalents of English Modal Verbs.

Leading to or Facing

The verb dar can also mean leading to or facing (in a directional sense). In these cases, it is typically followed by a preposition of place or movement. Here are some common examples:

Este corredor vai dar à sala de reuniões.
This hallway leads to the meeting room.

Esta estrada vai dar a Lisboa.
This road leads to Lisboa.

A janela do teu quarto dá para o parque.
The window of your bedroom faces the park.

Expressing Outcome

We use dar to indicate whether something will (or won’t) work out. The set phrase dar certo is commonly used in this context. Here are a few examples:

Não te preocupes, vai dar tudo certo.
Don’t you worry, everything will be fine.

– Falaste com a Sara?
– Sim, infelizmente não deu certo.
– Did you talk to Sara?
– I did, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out.

Não faças isso porque vai dar asneira.
Don’t do that, or it’ll cause trouble.

Isso não vai dar em nada.
That’s not going to lead to anything.

Figuring Out or Coming Across

We often say dar to indicate whether someone succeeds in figuring something out or finding something. It can also express coming across something unexpectedly, often with an element of surprise—such as catching someone in the act.

In these cases, dar is followed by the conjunction com (with). Here are some examples:

A Joana não conseguiu dar com a minha casa.
Joana couldn’t find my house.

Tanto procurei que dei com as chaves do carro.
I searched so much that I finally found the car keys

Já dei com ou problema.
I’ve already figured out what the problem is.

Ontem dei com o Manual a fumar.
Yesterday, I caught Manuel smoking.

Noticing or Realizing

The verb dar appears in phrases like dar conta, dar por ela, and dar por si to express noticing or realizing something. Here are some common examples:

Hoje dei conta que me faltava dinheiro.
Today I realized that some of my money was missing.

Quando dei por ela já era tarde.
By the time I noticed, it was already late.

– Alguém esteve aqui. Não deste conta de nada?
– Nao, não dei conta de nada.
– Someone was here. Didn’t you notice anything?
– No, I didn’t see a thing.

Quando dei por mim já passava da meia noite.
When I came to my senses, it was already past midnight.

Being in Vogue

The phrase estar a dar is used to say something is trendy, popular, or in vogue. Here are some examples:

O que está andar agora é comprar second-hand.
What’s trendy right now is buying second-hand.

– O que é que está na moda agora?
– O que está a dar é a dieta paleo.
– What’s in right now?
– The paleo diet is trending.

Getting Along or Feeling Settled

The verb dar is used to express whether people get along with each other or whether someone feels comfortable and happy in their current circumstances.

In both cases, dar is used in its reflexive form, meaning it is followed by a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se). Here are some examples:

A Joana dá-se bem com o Pedro.
Joana gets along well with Pedro.

A Júlia e a Flávia dão-se mal.
Júlia and Flávia don’t get along.

Eu estou a viver em Itália e dou-me bem aqui.
I’m living in Italy, and I feel good here.

O António não se dá a viver em Londres.
António isn’t happy living in London.

Matching or Compatibility

The verb dar is also used to express whether things match aesthetically or go well together, or to indicate the opposite when negated. In this context, dar is often followed by the adverb bem. Here are a few examples:

Essa carteira azul não dá bem com a tua saia verde.
That blue purse doesn’t match your green skirt.

As paredes brancas e lisas dão bem com o vosso estilo minimalista.
The plain white walls complement your minimalist style.

Undergoing Something Undesirable

Dar is used to express that someone falls prey to something undesirable, often in the context of health issues. In these cases, dar is conjugated pronominally, meaning it’s followed by personal object pronouns such as me, te, lhe. Here are a few examples:

Ontem deu-me uma dor de cabeça fortíssima.
Yesterday, I got an intense headache.

Está-me a dar um ataque de pânico. Ajuda-me!
I’m having a panic attack. Please, help!

Sabes a Sofia? Deu-lhe algo ruim e agora está internada no hospital.
Do you know Sofia? Something bad happened to her and she is now in the hospital.

Se ele continuar a comer assim vai-lhe dar um ataque de coração.
If he keeps eating like that, he’ll have a heart attack.

Expressions with Dar

The verb dar appears in many Portuguese expressions with meanings that go beyond its literal translation. Here’s a list of common expressions and how to use them in context.

Dar uma mão – Lend a hand
Podes dar-me uma mão?
(Can you give me a hand?)

Dar um jeito – Do a favor
Podes-me dar um jeito?
(Will you do me a favor?)

Dar jeito – Be handy, useful
Dava-me jeito ter um carro.
(It would be handy to have a car.)

Dar aulas – Teach
Amanhã vou dar aulas.
(Tomorrow I will be teaching.)

Dar em maluco – Go crazy
Estou a dar em maluco com tanto barulho.
(I am going crazy with all this noise.)

Dar conta do recado – Manage a situation
Achas que eles dão conta do recado?
(Do you think they will live up to the challenge?)

Dar os parabéns – Congratulate
Queria dar-te os parabéns.
(I’d like to congratulate you.)

Dar atenção – Pay attention
Por que não me dás mais atenção?
(Why don’t you listen to me?)

Dá-lhe! – Do it! / Go for it!
De que estás à espera? Dá-lhe!
(What are you waiting for? Go for it!)

Dar início – Begin
Vamos então dar início à reunião.
(Let’s begin the meeting then.)

Dar andamento – Keep something going
Temos de dar andamento ao projeto.
(We’ve got to keep the project going.)

Dá cá mais cinco! – Give me five!
Boa, dá cá mais cinco!
(Well done, give me five!)

Dar à língua – Chit-chat, gossip
Aqueles passam o dia a dar à língua.
(They spend the day small talking.)

Dar que falar – Generate talk, controversy
Ui! isso vai dar que falar …
(Gosh! That will make people want to talk …)

Dar de si – Give in
Ele esteve cinco meses sob pressão e começou a dar de si.
(He’d been under pressure for five months and eventually started to give in.)

Dar igual – All the same, doesn’t matter
– Queres branco ou tinto?
– Dá-me igual.
(Will you drink white or red wine?)
(It doesn’t matter.)

Dar contas – Be accountable, report back
Tens que me dar contas das tuas ações e planos.
(You ought to keep me informed about your actions and plans.)

Dar com o gato – Find out the problem
Já dei com o gato. Resolvido.
(I’ve already found out what the problem was. Done.)

Dar com a língua nos dentes – Blow the whistle, spill the beans
A Sara deu com a língua nos dentes. Não posso confiar mais nela.
(Sara started talking. I can no longer trust her.)

Dar à sola – Run away
Eles ficaram com medo e deram à sola.
(They got scared and ran away.)

Não se dar por achado – Play dumb
A Carolina não se dá por achada.
(Carolina keeps pretending she doesn’t understand.)

Dar à luz – Give birth
A Isabel deu à luz um belo menino.
(Isabel gave birth to a beautiful boy.)

Dar o nó – Get married
Eles deram o nó em 2008 e separaram-se em 2020.
(They got married in 2008 and divorced in 2020.)

Dar em nada – End up being a fiasco
As ideias do Joel nunca dão em nada.
(Joel’s ideas never work.)

Dar no duro – Work hard
Aqueles gajos estão a dar no duro.
(Those guys are working hard.)

Dar cabo de – Destroy, harm
Se não deixas de comer tantos doces dás cabo da tua saúde.
(If you don’t stop eating that many sweets, you will ruin your health.)

Dar água pelas barbas – Become troublesome, overwhelming
Este negócio está-nos a dar água pelas barbas.
(This deal is giving us trouble, big time.)

Dar o berro – Stop working, break down
O motor do meu carro deu o berro quando estava a caminho de Lisboa.
(My car’s engine seized up when I was on my way to Lisbon.)

Dar-se por vencido – Give up
Ele nunca se dá por vencido.
(He never gives up.)

Dar a mão à palmatória – Concede, admit fault
Tenho que dar a mão à palmatória a ambos.
(I’ve got to hand it to you both.)

Dar nas vistas – Stand out
O Miguel gosta de dar nas vistas.
(Miguel likes to stand out.)

Dar uma volta – Go for a walk
Queres dar uma volta?
(Are you up for a walk?)

Dar um salto – Drop by
Vou dar um salto ao supermercado.
(I’m going to drop by the supermarket.)

A Casual Conversation with “Dar”

To wrap up our dar-journey, here’s a dialogue between Sónia and Júlio, who run into each other on the street and start catching up. As they chat, dar appears in different expressions.

A Sónia e o Júlio encontram-se na rua
(Sónia and Júlio run into each other on the street)

Sónia:
– Ó Júlio, que surpresa! Já não te via há muito tempo. Tu andas desaparecido, que te deu? Andas bem?
(Júlio, what a surprise! Long time no see. You’ve been gone for a while. Did something happen? Are you alright?)

✅ Que te deu? → What happened to you?

Júlio:
– Sim, ando bem, obrigado, embora com muito trabalho. Estava precisamente no escritório a trabalhar e decidi fazer uma pausa para dar uma volta.
(Yes, everything is fine, thank you, though I’ve had a lot of work to do lately. I was working at the office and decided to take a break and go for a walk.)

✅ Dar uma volta → Go for a walk / Take a stroll

Sónia:
– Ah pois! O que está a dar é dar voltas. Sempre enfiado em casa ou no escritório é que não, a gente dá em maluco!
(Oh well! That’s what we all should do more often: go for walks. You can’t be always stuck at home or work, you’d go crazy!)

✅ O que está a dar → What’s in / What’s trending
✅ Dar em maluco → Go crazy

Júlio:
– Sem dúvida. E tu? Dá-me notícias, quero saber as novidades.
(Absolutely. What about you? Give me news! I want to know what you are up to these days.)

✅ Dar notícias → Give news / Update someone

Sónia:
– Novidades? Olha, comecei a fazer surf, vê lá. É o que está a dar agora pelos vistos, quase todos os meus amigos fazem surf … e eu fui atrás.
(News? Well, I started surfing, can you believe it? It is trendy right now apparently. Almost all my friends are doing it … and I just followed along.)

Júlio:
– Não dá para acreditar, tu a fazer surf!? Quem diria … E onde costumas surfar, diz-me lá.
(No way! You’re surfing? Who knew …? Where do you usually go surfing? Tell me.)

✅ Não dá para acreditar → It’s unbelievable / No way!

Sónia:
– Na Ericeira, claro. Lá as ondas são boas para o surf, e dá-me jeito porque fica perto de casa. Junta-se o útil ao agradável.
(To Ericeira, of course. The waves there are good for surfing. Besides, it is handy because it is nearby home.)

✅ Dá jeito → It’s convenient / It’s handy

Júlio:
– Pois é, lá isso é verdade. É sabido que na praia da Ericeira dá boa onda. A mim é que me dava jeito ter assim uma atividade dessas para quebrar a rotina. Se calhar também me aventuro, e um dia destes apareço lá na praia com a prancha debaixo do braço.
(Sure, that’s true. Everyone knows that Ericeira is a great spot for surfing. I should also get into something like that to break with routine. Maybe I’ll also give it a try, and one of these days I’ll show up with a surfboard under my arm.)

✅ Dar boa onda → To have good waves
✅ Dava jeito → It would be convenient

Júlio:
– E então de que é que estás à espera? Anda, dá-lhe!
(What are you waiting for? Come on, just do it!)

✅ Dá-lhe! → Go for it! / Do it!

Mark complete Completed

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The Verb Dar in Portuguese: Usage and Common Expressions

How to Conjugate Dar