Portuguese Moving Verb: Mudar-se (Getting a New Place)

• Mudar (Transitive/Intransitive): This form is used for general changes. It can mean 'to change something' (transitive) or 'something changes' (intransitive). The action does not necessarily involve the subject's own living situation.
• Mudei o horário da reunião. (I changed the meeting time.) – Here, mudar is transitive, taking o horário as its direct object.
• As cores do céu mudaram rapidamente. (The colors of the sky changed rapidly.) – Here, mudar is intransitive, describing a change in the sky's colors.
• Ele mudou de ideia sobre a viagem. (He changed his mind about the trip.) – In this common idiom, mudar de ideia means to change one's opinion, where de ideia clarifies the nature of the change.

• Mudar-se (Pronominal/Reflexive): This form exclusively refers to the act of relocating one's home or primary living arrangement. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, vos) signifies that the 'changing' is being applied to oneself in terms of location.
• Eu me mudei para o Porto no ano passado. (I moved to Porto last year.) – The action of moving directly applies to the subject, eu.
• Eles se mudaram para uma casa maior. (They moved to a bigger house.) – The subject eles is undergoing the relocation.

Yes, mudar de casa is a very common and perfectly acceptable alternative, especially in informal and semi-formal contexts in both BP and EP. It literally means "to change house." The primary difference is often one of emphasis and slight formality:

• Mudar-se: Focuses on the subject relocating themselves. It's concise and slightly more formal/standard grammatically.
• Eu me mudei para um apartamento maior. (I moved to a bigger apartment.)
• Mudar de casa: Focuses on the house/home as the object being changed. It's a common idiom and can feel more casual or descriptive.
• Vou mudar de casa no próximo mês. (I'm going to change houses next month.)

For "I moved in," the most common way is often simply using mudar-se in the past tense or in conjunction with já (already) or para (to a new place):

• Já me mudei. (I've already moved in/relocated.)
• Eu me mudei para o meu novo apartamento. (I moved into my new apartment.)
• You can also use instalar-se (to settle in, to get established) to emphasize the act of settling into the new place:
• Já me instalei no apartamento novo. (I've already settled into the new apartment.)

• Eu me mudei da casa dos meus pais. (I moved out of my parents' house.)
• Ele se mudou do apartamento antigo. (He moved out of the old apartment.)

In this case, you would use verbs like transportar (to transport), levar (to take), or carregar (to carry).

• Transportei as minhas coisas para a casa nova. (I transported my things to the new house.)
• Vou levar os meus pertences amanhã. (I'm taking my belongings tomorrow.)

Mudar-se implies a significant change in one's place of residence, which is generally understood as semi-permanent or permanent, rather than a short visit or temporary stay. It denotes establishing a new base. However, it does not necessarily imply eternal permanence. One can mudar-se for a year for studies or work, and then mudar-se again.

• Ela se mudou para Coimbra para fazer o doutorado. (She moved to Coimbra to do her doctorate.) – This implies a stay of several years, not necessarily forever.

You can combine mudar-se with verbs of intention or doubt.

• Estou pensando em me mudar no próximo ano. (BP) / Estou a pensar em mudar-me no próximo ano. (EP) – (I'm thinking of moving next year.)
• Talvez eu me mude para o campo. (Perhaps I'll move to the countryside.) – Uses the subjunctive mude to express uncertainty.
• Tenho planos de me mudar para outra cidade. (I have plans to move to another city.)

Yes, when you mean 'to move residence', the verb must be used in its pronominal form, mudar-se. The reflexive pronoun is what specifies this meaning. Without it, mudar reverts to its general meaning of 'to change' or 'to alter' something other than one's residence. This is a non-negotiable aspect of the verb for B1 learners.