When you take a child into your family and become their legal parent, the Portuguese word you use is adotar. It's the same idea as "to adopt" in English. So, if someone is talking about adopting a child, they would say adotar uma criança.
§ What does adotar mean?
The Portuguese verb "adotar" (pronounced: ah-doh-TAR) is a very useful word to know, especially if you're talking about families, choices, or new ways of doing things. At its core, "adotar" means to adopt. While its most common use is about family, it has other important meanings you'll encounter.
- DEFINITION
- To legally take another's child and bring it up as one's own.
Beyond the legal definition, "adotar" is used in a broader sense, similar to how we use "adopt" in English. Think about adopting a new strategy, a new pet, or even a new habit. All of these situations use "adotar" in Portuguese.
§ When do people use it?
You'll hear and use "adotar" in several contexts. Let's break down the most common ones:
- Family Adoption: This is the primary and most direct meaning. When a couple decides to bring a child into their family legally, they "adotar" the child.
Eles decidiram adotar uma criança.
Ela quer adotar um bebê.
- Adopting an Animal: Just like in English, if you get a pet from a shelter or rescue, you "adotar" it.
Vamos adotar um cachorro do abrigo.
Ela adotou um gato siamês.
- Adopting a Policy, Idea, or Method: When a group, company, or even an individual starts using a new approach or belief, they "adotar" it.
A empresa vai adotar uma nova estratégia de marketing.
Muitos países adotaram o euro como moeda.
- Adopting a Posture or Position: Less common, but you might see "adotar" used to mean taking on a certain stance or attitude.
Ele adotou uma postura defensiva.
As you can see, "adotar" is pretty versatile. The key is to think about the context. If something is being chosen, taken on, or formally received, "adotar" is probably the right verb.
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Ejemplos por nivel
Eles querem adotar um bebê.
They want to adopt a baby.
Simple present tense of 'querer' (to want) and 'adotar' (to adopt).
Minha tia adotou um menino.
My aunt adopted a boy.
Past tense of 'adotar' (adotou).
É um grande passo adotar uma criança.
It's a big step to adopt a child.
'É' (it is) and 'adotar' in the infinitive.
Você pensa em adotar?
Are you thinking of adopting?
'Pensar em' (to think about) followed by the infinitive.
Muitas famílias adotam crianças.
Many families adopt children.
Simple present tense, 'muitas' (many) for plural.
Ele foi adotado quando era pequeno.
He was adopted when he was little.
Past tense passive voice ('foi adotado').
Nós vamos adotar um cachorro também.
We are going to adopt a dog too.
Future with 'ir' (to go) + infinitive.
É lindo adotar.
It is beautiful to adopt.
'É' (it is) and 'adotar' in the infinitive as a general statement.
Colocaciones comunes
Frases Comunes
Eles querem adotar uma criança.
They want to adopt a child.
Foi difícil adotar um bebê.
It was difficult to adopt a baby.
Vamos adotar legalmente o menino.
We will legally adopt the boy.
Ela decidiu adotar um filho sozinha.
She decided to adopt a son by herself.
Você pode adotar uma filha na Colômbia?
Can you adopt a daughter in Colombia?
Nós vamos adotar este cachorrinho.
We are going to adopt this puppy.
O governo vai adotar novas medidas de segurança.
The government will adopt new security measures.
É importante adotar uma postura positiva.
It's important to adopt a positive attitude.
Ele não quer adotar essa ideia.
He doesn't want to adopt that idea.
Pense bem antes de adotar um animal.
Think carefully before adopting an animal.
Patrones gramaticales
Modismos y expresiones
"adotar uma criança"
to adopt a child
Eles decidiram adotar uma criança para aumentar a família. (They decided to adopt a child to grow the family.)
neutral"adotar uma postura"
to adopt a stance/position
É importante adotar uma postura positiva diante dos desafios. (It's important to adopt a positive stance in the face of challenges.)
neutral"adotar uma medida"
to adopt a measure/policy
O governo vai adotar novas medidas para controlar a inflação. (The government will adopt new measures to control inflation.)
neutral"adotar um novo estilo de vida"
to adopt a new lifestyle
Ele decidiu adotar um novo estilo de vida mais saudável. (He decided to adopt a new, healthier lifestyle.)
neutral"adotar um nome"
to adopt a name
A artista optou por adotar um nome artístico. (The artist chose to adopt a stage name.)
neutral"adotar um comportamento"
to adopt a behavior
É preciso adotar um comportamento mais responsável. (It's necessary to adopt more responsible behavior.)
neutral"adotar uma ideia"
to adopt an idea
A equipe decidiu adotar a minha ideia para o projeto. (The team decided to adopt my idea for the project.)
neutral"adotar um animal de estimação"
to adopt a pet
Muitas pessoas preferem adotar um animal de estimação em vez de comprar. (Many people prefer to adopt a pet instead of buying one.)
neutral"adotar uma estratégia"
to adopt a strategy
Para vencer, precisamos adotar uma estratégia diferente. (To win, we need to adopt a different strategy.)
neutral"adotar uma postura defensiva"
to adopt a defensive posture
Durante a discussão, ele tendeu a adotar uma postura defensiva. (During the discussion, he tended to adopt a defensive posture.)
neutralPatrones de oraciones
adotar um bebê
Eles querem adotar um bebê. (They want to adopt a baby.)
adotar uma criança
Muitos casais escolhem adotar uma criança. (Many couples choose to adopt a child.)
adotar legalmente
É um processo longo para adotar legalmente. (It's a long process to legally adopt.)
decidir adotar
Eles decidiram adotar depois de muitos anos. (They decided to adopt after many years.)
adotar como filho(a)
Eles adorariam adotar o menino como filho. (They would love to adopt the boy as a son.)
procedimento para adotar
Qual é o procedimento para adotar em Portugal? (What is the procedure for adopting in Portugal?)
adotar uma postura
Ele decidiu adotar uma postura mais aberta. (He decided to adopt a more open stance.)
adotar uma ideia
A equipe decidiu adotar a ideia do novo projeto. (The team decided to adopt the idea of the new project.)
Cómo usarlo
"Adotar" is a regular -AR verb in Portuguese, meaning 'to adopt'. It's used in the same contexts as the English 'to adopt' when referring to children, pets, or even ideas and practices.
For example:
- Eles decidiram adotar uma criança. (They decided to adopt a child.)
- Muitas pessoas preferem adotar animais de abrigos. (Many people prefer to adopt animals from shelters.)
- A empresa vai adotar novas políticas ambientais. (The company will adopt new environmental policies.)
A common mistake for English speakers is to confuse 'adotar' with the English 'adapt'. While they look similar, their meanings are different. 'To adapt' in Portuguese is usually translated as 'adaptar'.
Incorrect usage:
- Eu preciso
adotarao novo clima. (I need toadoptto the new climate.)
- Eu preciso adaptar-me ao novo clima. (I need to adapt to the new climate.)
While not strictly a mistake, remember that 'adotar' focuses on the act of taking something as one's own, often legally or formally.
Ponte a prueba 30 preguntas
The sentence means 'They want to adopt a dog.' The correct order is subject, verb, infinitive, article, noun.
This sentence means 'We are going to adopt new ideas.' The structure is subject, auxiliary verb, infinitive, adjective, noun.
This means 'She decided to adopt a child.' The order is subject, main verb, infinitive, article, noun.
They decided to adopt a dog from that shelter.
Would adopting a healthier lifestyle bring benefits?
To solve the problem, we need to adopt a new approach.
Read this aloud:
Você consideraria adotar uma criança um dia?
Focus: adotar
Dijiste:
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Read this aloud:
Muitas famílias sonham em adotar.
Focus: sonham em adotar
Dijiste:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
É importante adotar boas práticas de estudo.
Focus: adotar boas práticas
Dijiste:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Após anos de tentativas, o casal finalmente conseguiu ___ um filho. (After years of trying, the couple finally managed to ___ a child.)
'Adotar' means 'to adopt', which fits the context of legally taking a child as one's own after many attempts.
A agência de adoção explicou todos os passos para ___ uma criança. (The adoption agency explained all the steps to ___ a child.)
The context of an adoption agency directly implies the act of 'adotar' (to adopt) a child.
É um grande compromisso ___ uma criança e oferecer-lhe um lar amoroso. (It's a big commitment to ___ a child and offer them a loving home.)
The phrase 'oferecer-lhe um lar amoroso' (offer them a loving home) points to the long-term commitment of adoption, making 'adotar' the correct choice.
Muitas crianças esperam por famílias que as queiram ___. (Many children wait for families who want to ___ them.)
The sentence describes children waiting for families, which is a common scenario for adoption, so 'adotar' (to adopt) is the appropriate verb.
Antes de ___, o casal fez um curso sobre paternidade. (Before ___, the couple took a parenting course.)
Taking a parenting course 'antes de' (before) something strongly suggests preparing for parenthood, making 'adotar' (to adopt) the most fitting option.
Eles decidiram ___ um bebê de outro país. (They decided to ___ a baby from another country.)
The action of taking a baby from another country in this context refers to international adoption, hence 'adotar' is the correct verb.
The child was adopted by a loving family that provided a safe and welcoming home.
The couple decided to adopt a dog to keep their children company.
After many years of waiting, they finally managed to adopt a baby and fulfill their dream of having a complete family.
Read this aloud:
Poderia explicar as nuances legais do processo de adoção em Portugal?
Focus: nuances, legais, processo, adoção
Dijiste:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Quais são os desafios mais comuns enfrentados por pais que decidem adotar crianças mais velhas?
Focus: desafios, comuns, enfrentados, decidem, adotar
Dijiste:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Discuta a importância do apoio psicológico para crianças adotadas e suas novas famílias.
Focus: importância, apoio, psicológico, adotadas, famílias
Dijiste:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
The couple decided to adopt a child after years of frustrated attempts to have biological children, a process that involved much bureaucracy and waiting.
Late adoption is a challenge, but the family was determined to offer a loving home to a teenager who had already been through several shelters.
To adopt abroad, one must meet the legal requirements of both countries and often face cultural and linguistic barriers.
Read this aloud:
Por que a decisão de adotar é tão significativa para muitas famílias?
Focus: significativa
Dijiste:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Quais são os principais desafios enfrentados por pais que decidem adotar crianças mais velhas?
Focus: desafios enfrentados
Dijiste:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Discorra sobre o impacto social e emocional da adoção na vida de uma criança e de seus pais.
Focus: discorra
Dijiste:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
/ 30 correct
Perfect score!
Contenido relacionado
Frases relacionadas
Más palabras de family
à medida que
A2As; at the same time that.
abençoado
A2Blessed, consecrated; sacred.
abrigo
A2Shelter, a place providing temporary protection from bad weather or danger.
acarinhar
A2To show affection to; to caress or cuddle.
aceito
A2Accepted; generally recognized or agreed upon.
acenar
A2To wave (as a greeting).
acolher
A2To receive (a guest or new member) with pleasure and hospitality.
acolhimento
A2The action of welcoming or receiving someone; hospitality or fostering.
acolitar
B2To assist or accompany.
acomodar
A2To provide lodging or space for.
