Getting Married in Portuguese (Casar-se)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'casar-se' when talking about the act of getting married, ensuring the reflexive pronoun matches the subject.
- Use 'me caso' for 'I get married'.
- Use 'se casa' for 'he/she/you get married'.
- In Brazil, pronouns often move before the verb.
Overview
The verb casar-se is fundamental for expressing the concept of 'getting married' in Portuguese, a crucial distinction from the transitive verb casar, which means 'to marry (someone off)' or 'to unite'. At B1 level, mastering casar-se is essential because it introduces learners to the pervasive nature of pronominal verbs in Portuguese, particularly those indicating a change of state or an action performed by and for the subject. This verb is integral to daily conversation, formal discussions, and cultural references, especially within Lusophone societies where marriage holds significant social weight.
Understanding casar-se requires not only correct conjugation but also precise use of the reflexive pronoun se and the mandatory preposition com.
How This Grammar Works
Casar-se is classified as a pronominal verb, specifically an inherently reflexive verb in this context. This means the action of 'marrying' reflects back onto the subject performing it. In English, we use the passive construction 'to get married' or simply 'to marry' in many contexts.me, te, se, nos, vos, se) to denote this self-directed action. The presence of se transforms the verb casar from a transitive verb (one that takes a direct object, e.g., O padre casa o casal – The priest marries the couple) into an intransitive, pronominal verb (one where the action is performed by the subject upon themselves). This grammatical structure underscores a semantic shift: casar implies an external agent performing the marriage, while casar-se signifies the subject entering into the marital state themselves.sentar-se (to sit down) or vestir-se (to get dressed).casar-se invariably requires the preposition com to indicate the person one is marrying. You are literally 'marrying yourself with someone.' This is a fixed idiomatic construction: Eu me caso com ele (I am marrying him), not Eu me caso ele. This com highlights the reciprocal nature of the union, even though the verb itself is reflexive.com, the sentence can sound incomplete or grammatically awkward, especially in formal contexts. This reflects a broader linguistic preference in Portuguese for explicit relational prepositions.Formation Pattern
casar-se in the present tense, you combine the conjugated form of the verb casar with the appropriate reflexive pronoun. The verb casar is a regular -ar verb, meaning its conjugation follows a predictable pattern based on the subject pronoun. The key lies in selecting the correct reflexive pronoun that matches the subject and then deciding on its placement, which varies between Brazilian Portuguese (BP) and European Portuguese (EP).
Eu, Você, Nós).
me, te, se, nos, vos, se).
casar: Apply the regular -ar verb endings to the stem cas-.
casar | BP Pronoun Placement (Proclisis) | EP Pronoun Placement (Enclisis) |
Eu me caso | (Eu) caso-me |
Tu te casas | (Tu) casas-te |
Ele se casa | (Ele) casa-se |
Nós nos casamos | (Nós) casamo-nos |
Vós vos casais | (Vós) casai-vos |
Eles se casam | (Eles) casam-se |
não, nunca, jamais, etc.) precedes the verb, the reflexive pronoun must come before the verb in both BP and EP. For example, Eu não me caso (BP/EP) – I am not getting married. This rule overrides the general enclisis preference in EP, emphasizing the strong attractive force of negative adverbs on pronouns.
Conjugation Table
| Person | Reflexive Pronoun | Verb casar (Present) |
Brazilian Portuguese (Proclisis) | European Portuguese (Enclisis) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| :------------- | :---------------- | :--------------------- | :------------------------------- | :----------------------------- | ||
| Eu (I) | me | caso | Eu me caso |
(Eu) caso-me |
||
| Tu (You, inf.) | te | casas | Tu te casas |
(Tu) casas-te |
||
| Ele/Ela (He/She) | se | casa | Ele se casa |
(Ele) casa-se |
||
| Você (You, form.) | se | casa | Você se casa |
Você casa-se |
||
| Nós (We) | nos | casamos | Nós nos casamos |
(Nós) casamo-nos |
||
| Vós (You all, inf.) | vos | casais | Vós vos casais |
(Vós) casai-vos |
||
| Eles/Elas (They) | se | casam | Eles se casam |
(Eles) casam-se |
||
| Vocês (You all, form.) | se | casam | Vocês se casam |
Vocês casam-se |
When To Use It
casar-se whenever the subject is personally entering into a marriage or discussing the act of doing so. This verb specifically refers to the individual's transition into the married state. It is used for announcing intentions, asking about marital status, or describing the event of a wedding from the perspective of one of the participants.- Announcing one's own marriage:
Eu me caso no próximo ano.(I am getting married next year.) - Proposing marriage:
Você se casa comigo?(Will you marry me?) - Discussing someone's marital status:
Eles se casaram há cinco anos.(They got married five years ago.) - Referring to the act of getting married in general terms:
Muitas pessoas se casam depois dos trinta.(Many people get married after thirty.) - Impersonal constructions (often with
seas an indefinite pronoun):Aqui se casa muito cedo.(Here, people marry very early.) In this case, theseacts differently but still implies the action of individuals marrying.
- Social media post:
Finalmente, ele se casou! Felicidades ao casal!(Finally, he got married! Congratulations to the couple!) - Family conversation:
Minha irmã mais nova se casa em maio, e estamos todos muito felizes.(My youngest sister is getting married in May, and we are all very happy.) - Legal document query:
Para se casar no civil, é preciso apresentar vários documentos.(To get married civilly, it is necessary to present various documents.)
When Not To Use It
casar-se when the subject is not the one entering into the marriage themselves, but rather performing the act of marrying someone else or uniting two things. This is where the transitive form casar (without se) becomes appropriate. Confusing these two can lead to semantic errors, implying the subject is an officiant or a matchmaker rather than a spouse-to-be.casar (Transitive) is Used:- To officiate a wedding:
O padre casou o casal na igreja.(The priest married the couple in the church.) Here,o casalis the direct object. - To arrange a marriage (less common now):
A família casou a filha com um bom partido.(The family married their daughter to a good match.) - To unite or combine two entities (figuratively):
Ele casou o vinho com a comida perfeitamente.(He paired the wine with the food perfectly.) OrA empresa casou a tecnologia com o design.(The company combined technology with design.)
- Incorrect:
Eu me caso o meu amigo.(This implies you are marrying yourself to your friend, which is not the intended meaning of officiating.)
Eu casei o meu amigo. (I officiated my friend's wedding.) Or Eu fui o padrinho no casamento do meu amigo. (I was the best man at my friend's wedding.)- Incorrect:
A prefeitura se casa os documentos.(The city hall marries the documents to itself.)
A prefeitura casa os documentos. (The city hall unites/matches the documents.)casar-se and the transitive casar, you ensure your Portuguese is precise and conveys the intended meaning of personal involvement versus external action.Common Mistakes
casar-se. These errors often stem from direct translation from English, misunderstanding reflexive structures, or overlooking critical prepositions and pronoun placement rules. Addressing these proactively will significantly improve your fluency and accuracy at the B1 level.se, me, te, etc.):- Mistake: Using
casartransitively when the subject is getting married. E.g.,Eu caso amanhã.(I marry tomorrow.) This implies you are officiating or performing the marriage for someone else. - Why it's wrong:
Casar-seis inherently reflexive for 'to get married.' These(orme,te, etc.) is mandatory to convey that the action is self-directed. - Correction:
Eu me caso amanhã.(BP) /Eu caso-me amanhã.(EP) (I am getting married tomorrow.)
- Mistake: Using
a,para, or no preposition instead ofcomwhen specifying the spouse. E.g.,Eu me caso a ele.orEu me caso ele. - Why it's wrong: The fixed idiom is
casar-se com alguém(to marry with someone). This preposition is non-negotiable for expressing the union between two people. - Correction:
Eu me caso com ele.(I am marrying him.)
- Mistake (EP specific, but a good rule to remember for all): Placing the pronoun after the verb in a negative sentence. E.g.,
Eu não caso-me.(Incorrect in EP). - Why it's wrong: Negative adverbs (like
não,nunca) exert a strong pull on object and reflexive pronouns, always forcing them before the verb in both BP and EP. This is known as proclisis. - Correction:
Eu não me caso.(I am not getting married.) This is correct for both BP and EP.
casar (to marry) with caçar (to hunt):- Mistake: Mispronouncing or mistyping
casarascaçardue to similar sounds and common-arverb endings. - Why it's wrong: These are distinct verbs with entirely different meanings and spellings.
Casar(to marry) has a /z/ sound for 's', whilecaçar(to hunt) has a /s/ sound for 'ç'. - Correction: Pay close attention to spelling and pronunciation:
casar(wedding bells) vs.caçar(hunting rifles).
- Mistake: Trying to make the verb
casar-seagree in gender with the subject. E.g.,Ela se casada. - Why it's wrong: Verbs (including
casar-se) only agree in number and person with their subject. Adjectives, however, agree in gender and number. The state of being married is expressed with the adjectivecasado/casadaand the verbestar. - Correction:
Ela está casada.(She is married.)Ela se casa amanhã.(She is getting married tomorrow.) The verb formse casadoes not change for male or female subjects.
Memory Trick
A simple mnemonic device can help you remember the crucial difference between casar and casar-se:
**
Present Tense Conjugation of Casar-se
| Subject | Pronoun | Verb |
|---|---|---|
|
Eu
|
me
|
caso
|
|
Tu
|
te
|
casas
|
|
Ele/Ela/Você
|
se
|
casa
|
|
Nós
|
nos
|
casamos
|
|
Vós
|
vos
|
casais
|
|
Eles/Elas/Vocês
|
se
|
casam
|
Meanings
The verb 'casar-se' is a reflexive verb used to describe the act of entering into a marriage.
Reflexive action
To marry someone or to get married.
“Eles vão se casar em junho.”
“Ela se casa amanhã.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Subj + Pron + Verb
|
Eu me caso
|
|
Negative
|
Não + Subj + Pron + Verb
|
Eu não me caso
|
|
Interrogative
|
Pron + Verb + Subj?
|
Você se casa?
|
|
Future (Periphrastic)
|
Subj + Ir + Pron + Inf
|
Eu vou me casar
|
Formality Spectrum
Nós nos casaremos em breve. (Wedding announcement)
Nós vamos nos casar em breve. (Wedding announcement)
A gente vai se casar logo. (Wedding announcement)
Vamos casar logo. (Wedding announcement)
The Casar-se Concept
Meaning
- União Union
Grammar
- Pronome Pronoun
Examples by Level
Eu me caso.
I get married.
Você se casa?
Are you getting married?
Nós nos casamos em maio.
We are getting married in May.
Eles não se casam este ano.
They are not getting married this year.
Ela se casa com o amor da vida dela.
She is marrying the love of her life.
Eles decidiram que se casam em segredo.
They decided they are getting married in secret.
Easily Confused
Learners think they are the same.
Where to put 'me' or 'se'.
Is it reflexive or reciprocal?
Common Mistakes
Eu caso
Eu me caso
Eu se caso
Eu me caso
Eu caso-me
Eu me caso
Ele me casa
Ele se casa
Nós nos casamos
Nós nos casamos
Você se casam
Você se casa
Eles se casa
Eles se casam
Eu vou casar
Eu vou me casar
Eles casam-se
Eles se casam
Ela se casou-se
Ela se casou
Se casar-se
Casar-se
Eles casam
Eles se casam
Nós casamo-nos
Nós nos casamos
Sentence Patterns
Eu ___ me casar.
Eles ___ se casam.
Nós ___ nos casamos.
___ você se casa?
Real World Usage
Eu vou me casar!
A gente se casa sábado.
Eu me caso em breve.
Eles se casam.
Comemorando que me caso.
Vamos nos casar na praia.
Pronoun placement
Don't forget the 'se'
Future plans
Regional differences
Smart Tips
Always add 'me'.
Use 'se'.
Use 'vou me casar'.
Consider the regional placement.
Pronunciation
Reflexive 'se'
The 's' in 'se' is often pronounced like 'si' in Brazil.
Rising for questions
Você se casa? ↗
Indicates a genuine question.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Casar-se is for 'Self', like a 'Selfie' of a wedding.
Visual Association
Imagine looking in a mirror and seeing yourself in a wedding dress or suit. The mirror is the 'se' pronoun.
Rhyme
Para se casar, o 'se' deve estar.
Story
Maria wanted to get married. She looked in the mirror and said 'Eu me caso'. Her friend said 'Nós nos casamos'. They were both happy.
Word Web
Challenge
Write three sentences about your future wedding plans using 'me caso' or 'vamos nos casar'.
Cultural Notes
Reflexive pronouns are almost always placed before the verb in speech.
Pronouns often follow the verb with a hyphen.
In formal invitations, the reflexive is often omitted or phrased differently.
From Latin 'casare', related to 'casa' (house).
Conversation Starters
Você pretende se casar?
Quem se casa este ano?
Você acha que as pessoas se casam muito cedo?
Como é o casamento ideal para você?
Journal Prompts
Common Mistakes
Test Yourself
Eu ___ caso.
Eles ___ casam.
Find and fix the mistake:
Eu caso.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
We are getting married.
Answer starts with: Nós...
Ela ___ casa.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Eles / se / casam / amanhã.
Score: /8
Practice Exercises
8 exercisesEu ___ caso.
Eles ___ casam.
Find and fix the mistake:
Eu caso.
casa / se / você / ?
We are getting married.
Ela ___ casa.
Eu -> ?
Eles / se / casam / amanhã.
Score: /8
Practice Bank
10 exercisesVocê ___ (casar-se) comigo?
Eu me caso para o meu namorado.
casam / se / Eles / amanhã
We get married in May.
Select the correct negative sentence:
Match the following:
O influenciador ___ (casar-se) em Dubai.
Nós se casamos no civil.
They (f) are getting married.
Do you (informal/tu) get married today?
Score: /10
FAQ (8)
It makes the verb reflexive, meaning the action happens to you.
No, but it means 'to perform a wedding'.
In Brazil, before the verb. In Portugal, after.
Yes, 'Eles se casam'.
Use 'casou-se' or 'se casou'.
It's neutral and used in all registers.
Not really, 'casar-se' is standard.
Use 'casar' (e.g., O padre casa o casal).
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Casarse
Pronoun placement is more flexible in Spanish.
Se marier
French uses 'être' as an auxiliary in past tense.
Heiraten
No reflexive pronoun used.
Kekkon suru
No reflexive pronoun.
Tazawwaja
No reflexive pronoun.
Jiehun
No conjugation or reflexive pronouns.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
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