admirar in 30 Seconds
- Admirar is a regular -ar verb meaning to admire, respect, or appreciate someone or something beautiful.
- It can be used reflexively (admirar-se) to mean 'to be surprised' or 'to wonder at' something unexpected.
- It is more formal and deeper than 'gostar' (to like), focusing on esteem and aesthetic value.
- Commonly used in art, professional feedback, and personal relationships to express high regard.
The Portuguese verb admirar is a versatile and essential word that primarily translates to 'to admire' or 'to appreciate.' At its core, it describes the act of looking at something or someone with a sense of pleasure, wonder, or deep respect. Whether you are standing before a masterpiece in the Museu do Louvre or observing the resilience of a close friend, admirar captures that internal state of positive recognition. It is a regular verb ending in '-ar', making it one of the first verbs students learn to conjugate in the present tense. However, its depth goes beyond simple visual appreciation; it often carries an emotional weight of esteem and high regard.
- Visual Appreciation
- Used when looking at something beautiful, like a landscape or a work of art. It implies a lingering gaze and a feeling of awe.
- Moral Esteem
- Used when you respect someone's character, talents, or achievements. This is common in professional and personal relationships.
- Surprise (Reflexive)
- When used reflexively (admirar-se), it takes on the meaning of being surprised or astonished by something unexpected.
"Eu admiro a sua capacidade de manter a calma em situações difíceis." (I admire your ability to stay calm in difficult situations.)
In a broader context, admirar is the root of the noun 'admiração' (admiration) and the adjective 'admirável' (admirable). Understanding this verb allows you to express positive sentiments across various social registers, from informal chats with friends to formal speeches. It is a 'high-value' verb because it conveys positivity and validation, which are key components of social interaction in Lusophone cultures.
"Nós ficamos a admirar o pôr do sol por horas na praia." (We stayed admiring the sunset for hours on the beach.)
- Social Nuance
- In Brazil and Portugal, expressing admiration is a common way to build rapport (rapport). It is seen as polite and warm.
"Não me admiro que ele tenha ganhado o prêmio." (I am not surprised that he won the prize.)
Using admirar correctly involves understanding its three main grammatical structures. The most common is the direct transitive form, where the verb acts directly on the object. For example, 'Eu admiro você' (I admire you). In this context, it functions exactly like the English 'to admire.' You can use it for people, objects, qualities, or abstract concepts like 'coragem' (courage) or 'paciência' (patience).
- Direct Object: Admirar + [Pessoa/Coisa].
Example: Ela admira a arquitetura antiga. - Reflexive (Surprise): Admirar-se + de + [Algo].
Example: Eu me admiro da sua audácia. (I am surprised by your audacity.) - Gerund for Continuous Action: Estar + admirando.
Example: Estou admirando a vista. (I am admiring the view.)
When you want to specify *why* you admire someone, you typically use the preposition 'por'. For instance: 'Eu o admiro pela sua honestidade' (I admire him for his honesty). Note the contraction of 'por' + 'a' = 'pela'. This is a very natural way to provide specific compliments. In formal writing, admirar can also be used to express wonder at natural phenomena or scientific breakthroughs, often appearing in the passive voice: 'O fenômeno foi admirado por todos os cientistas' (The phenomenon was admired by all scientists).
You will encounter admirar in a variety of settings, ranging from the highly aesthetic to the deeply personal. In art galleries or museums (museus), it is the standard verb used to describe the act of contemplating a piece. Tour guides will often say, 'Aqui podemos admirar os detalhes da fachada' (Here we can admire the details of the facade). In these contexts, it suggests a slow, deliberate appreciation.
In the workplace, admirar is frequently used during performance reviews or networking events. A manager might say, 'Admiramos muito o seu empenho este trimestre' (We greatly admire your commitment this quarter). It serves as a formal yet warm way to provide positive reinforcement. On social media, you'll see it in comments under photos of travel destinations or achievements: 'Que lugar lindo! Estou admirando daqui' (What a beautiful place! I'm admiring it from here).
In literature and music (MPB - Música Popular Brasileira or Fado), the verb is used to express romantic devotion or existential wonder. Songwriters often use it to describe the beauty of a loved one or the complexity of life. Finally, in news broadcasts, when a public figure passes away, journalists often speak of how they were 'admirados por uma legião de fãs' (admired by a legion of fans), highlighting their legacy and impact on society.
One of the most frequent mistakes for English speakers is overusing the preposition 'at'. In English, we 'look at' something, but in Portuguese, we simply admirar algo. Saying 'Eu admiro para a pintura' is incorrect; the correct form is 'Eu admiro a pintura.' The verb is direct. Another mistake involves the reflexive form. Many learners forget that admirar-se requires the preposition 'de' to mean 'to be surprised by'. Without the 'de', the sentence might feel incomplete or change meaning.
- Wrong: Eu admiro de você.
Right: Eu admiro você. (I admire you.) - Wrong: Me admiro com sua coragem.
Right: Me admiro da sua coragem. (I am surprised by your courage.) - Wrong: Estou admirando para o mar.
Right: Estou admirando o mar. (I am admiring the sea.)
Lastly, learners sometimes confuse admirar with adorar (to love/adore). While they are similar, adorar is much stronger and more informal for things you like a lot (e.g., 'Eu adoro chocolate'). Admirar is more about respect and aesthetic appreciation. You wouldn't usually say you 'admire' chocolate unless you are talking about the craftsmanship of a chocolatier.
To truly master admirar, it helps to see how it fits into the family of verbs related to liking and respecting. The closest synonym is apreciar. While often interchangeable, apreciar often leans towards 'to enjoy' or 'to value' (e.g., 'apreciar um bom vinho'), whereas admirar has a stronger component of wonder or respect. Another related verb is contemplar, which is more specific to the physical act of looking deeply and thoughtfully at something, usually for a long time.
- Respeitar (To Respect)
- A more neutral, formal term for acknowledging someone's rights or status. You can respect someone without necessarily 'admiring' them (feeling awe).
- Idolatrar (To Idolize)
- A much stronger version of admiration, often used for celebrities or religious figures. It implies a level of devotion that 'admirar' does not.
- Prezar (To Esteem/Value)
- Used mostly in formal contexts to show that you value a quality or a relationship (e.g., 'Prezo muito nossa amizade').
In the reflexive sense (to be surprised), synonyms include surpreender-se and espantar-se. Espantar-se is slightly more dramatic, implying a shock, while admirar-se is a more 'intellectual' surprise or a realization of something unexpected.
How Formal Is It?
Difficulty Rating
Grammar to Know
Direct Object Pronouns (o, a, os, as)
Reflexive Pronouns (me, te, se, nos)
Preposition 'por' and its contractions
Regular -ar verb conjugation patterns
Subjunctive after expressions of emotion
Examples by Level
Eu admiro as flores.
I admire the flowers.
Present tense, 1st person singular.
Você admira o mar?
Do you admire the sea?
Question form, 2nd person singular.
Nós admiramos o professor.
We admire the teacher.
Present tense, 1st person plural.
Eles admiram a casa.
They admire the house.
Present tense, 3rd person plural.
Ela admira a mãe.
She admires her mother.
Present tense, 3rd person singular.
Eu não admiro o frio.
I don't admire the cold.
Negative sentence.
O menino admira o pai.
The boy admires his father.
Subject-verb-object.
Admiramos a música.
We admire the music.
Implicit subject 'Nós'.
Eu admiro muito o seu talento.
I admire your talent very much.
Use of adverb 'muito' for emphasis.
Ontem, eu admirei o pôr do sol.
Yesterday, I admired the sunset.
Pretérito Perfeito (Past tense).
Eles admiraram a coragem dele.
They admired his courage.
Past tense, 3rd person plural.
Nós vamos admirar as estrelas hoje.
We are going to admire the stars today.
Future with 'ir' + infinitive.
Você admira a arte moderna?
Do you admire modern art?
Direct object 'a arte moderna'.
Ela sempre admira as vitrines.
She always admires the shop windows.
Frequency adverb 'sempre'.
Eu admirei o seu esforço na aula.
I admired your effort in class.
Past tense of a regular verb.
Vocês admiram a cultura brasileira?
Do you (plural) admire Brazilian culture?
2nd person plural (Vocês).
Eu me admiro de que você tenha terminado.
I am surprised that you have finished.
Reflexive 'admirar-se' + 'de' + subjunctive.
Sempre admirei quem fala a verdade.
I have always admired those who tell the truth.
Pretérito Perfeito expressing a lasting state.
Ela se admira da paciência do marido.
She is surprised by her husband's patience.
Reflexive use meaning 'to be surprised'.
Nós admirávamos a paisagem todos os dias.
We used to admire the landscape every day.
Pretérito Imperfeito (habitual past).
É impossível não admirar tamanha beleza.
It's impossible not to admire such beauty.
Infinitive after 'não'.
Eu o admiro pela sua dedicação ao trabalho.
I admire him for his dedication to work.
Preposition 'por' + 'a' = 'pela'.
Eles se admiraram com a notícia inesperada.
They were surprised by the unexpected news.
Reflexive past tense.
Gostaria que você admirasse este quadro.
I would like you to admire this painting.
Imperfect Subjunctive.
Admiro a forma como ela gere a empresa.
I admire the way she manages the company.
Complex object clause.
Não me admiro que o projeto tenha falhado.
I'm not surprised that the project failed.
Negative reflexive + subjunctive.
O autor é admirado pela crítica internacional.
The author is admired by international critics.
Passive voice.
Sempre houve muito a admirar naquela cidade.
There was always much to admire in that city.
Existential 'haver' + 'a admirar'.
Admirar-se-ia se ele não aparecesse.
One would be surprised if he didn't show up.
Conditional reflexive with mesoclisis (formal).
Ela admira-se de si mesma por ter conseguido.
She is surprised at herself for having succeeded.
Reflexive with 'si mesma'.
Devemos admirar os que lutam pela justiça.
We should admire those who fight for justice.
Modal verb 'dever' + infinitive.
A sua obra será admirada pelas gerações futuras.
His work will be admired by future generations.
Future passive voice.
Admiro-lhe a persistência, embora discorde dos métodos.
I admire your persistence, although I disagree with the methods.
Pronominal object 'lhe' (possessive sense).
É de admirar a rapidez com que tudo mudou.
It is worth admiring how quickly everything changed.
Fixed expression 'é de admirar'.
Resta-nos admirar a grandeza do universo.
It remains for us to admire the greatness of the universe.
Formal syntax with 'restar'.
Não há quem não admire a sua integridade.
There is no one who does not admire his integrity.
Double negative for emphasis.
Admirar-se do óbvio é o primeiro passo da filosofia.
To be surprised by the obvious is the first step of philosophy.
Substantive infinitive.
A plateia ficou a admirar a performance em silêncio.
The audience remained admiring the performance in silence.
A + infinitive (Portuguese/Formal style).
Admiro-o tanto quanto o temo.
I admire him as much as I fear him.
Comparative of equality.
Pode-se admirar a técnica sem apreciar o conteúdo.
One can admire the technique without enjoying the content.
Impersonal 'se' + contrast.
A sua retórica, conquanto admirada, carecia de substância.
His rhetoric, although admired, lacked substance.
Concessive conjunction 'conquanto'.
Admirar-se-ia o incauto perante tamanha astúcia.
The unwary would be astonished at such cunning.
Literary conditional and vocabulary (incauto).
A estética do vazio é algo a ser admirado com cautela.
The aesthetics of emptiness is something to be admired with caution.
Passive gerundive construction.
Nada mais resta senão admirar o ocaso de uma era.
Nothing remains but to admire the sunset of an era.
Poetic/Metaphorical usage.
Admirar-se-ão, porventura, os historiadores do futuro.
Future historians will perhaps be surprised.
Future tense with 'porventura' (perhaps).
O fulgor da sua inteligência é de todos admirado.
The brilliance of his intelligence is admired by all.
Inverted syntax for poetic effect.
Insta admirar a resiliência do espírito humano.
It is urgent to admire the resilience of the human spirit.
Formal verb 'instar'.
A despeito das críticas, a obra continua a ser admirada.
Despite the criticism, the work continues to be admired.
Complex prepositional phrase 'a despeito de'.
Common Collocations
Common Phrases
Often Confused With
Idioms & Expressions
Easily Confused
Sentence Patterns
How to Use It
Highly appropriate for both formal and informal contexts.
Direct object usually has no preposition. Reflexive uses 'de'.
Direct = respect/pleasure. Reflexive = surprise.
- Using 'admirar para' (incorrect) instead of 'admirar' (correct).
- Forgetting the 'de' in the reflexive 'admirar-se de'.
- Confusing 'admirar' with 'olhar' (looking vs. admiring).
- Using 'admirar' for food or casual likes where 'adorar' is better.
- Incorrect conjugation of the regular -ar endings in the past tense.
Tips
Direct Verb
Remember that 'admirar' is a direct transitive verb. You don't need 'at' or 'to'. Just say 'Admiro a vista' or 'Admiro você'. This is a common mistake for English speakers.
Reflexive Surprise
Use 'admirar-se de' when you want to say you are surprised. 'Eu me admiro de ele estar aqui' means 'I'm surprised he's here'. It adds a nice level of sophistication to your speech.
Artistic Context
When in a museum, use 'admirar' instead of 'olhar'. It shows you are actually contemplating the art. 'Estamos admirando as obras de Picasso' sounds much better than 'Estamos olhando as obras'.
Complimenting
Use 'admirar' to give deep compliments. Saying 'Admiro sua paciência' is much more meaningful than 'Você é paciente'. It shows you've noticed and respected the quality.
Passive Voice
In formal writing, the passive voice 'é admirado por' is very common. Use it to describe famous people or landmarks. 'O Cristo Redentor é admirado por milhões' is a classic example.
The 'D' Sound
In Brazil, the 'd' in 'admirar' is often very soft. Try not to make it too explosive. It should flow quickly into the 'm' sound. Listen to native speakers to get the rhythm right.
Reaction Phrase
Learn the phrase 'Não me admiro'. It's a great way to say 'I'm not surprised' when someone tells you something expected. It makes you sound very natural and fluent.
Reasoning with 'Por'
Always use 'por' (and its contractions) to give the reason. 'Admiro-te pela tua força'. This structure is essential for explaining the 'why' behind your feelings.
Admirar vs. Adorar
Don't use 'admirar' for pizza or movies you just 'like'. Use it for things that truly impress you. 'Adorar' is for things you love; 'admirar' is for things you respect.
Mirror Mnemonic
Associate 'admirar' with a mirror. You look in the mirror to see something you (hopefully) admire. This helps you remember the root 'mir' which relates to seeing.
Memorize It
Word Origin
Latin
Cultural Context
Often used in 'elogios' (compliments) which are very common in daily social life.
Used frequently in the context of 'Fado' to describe the beauty of Lisbon or the pain of love.
The 'heart' button is essentially a digital 'admirar' button.
Practice in Real Life
Real-World Contexts
Conversation Starters
"Quem é a pessoa que você mais admira?"
"Você admira a arte moderna ou prefere a clássica?"
"O que você mais admira em um amigo?"
"Você já se admirou com alguma notícia hoje?"
"Qual paisagem você poderia ficar admirando por horas?"
Journal Prompts
Escreva sobre alguém que você admira e por quê.
Descreva um lugar que você admirou durante uma viagem.
Você já se admirou de uma atitude sua? Explique.
O que significa admirar para você?
Liste cinco coisas que você admira na cultura lusófona.
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsYes, but only when used reflexively, as in 'admirar-se'. It usually requires the preposition 'de'. For example, 'Eu me admiro da sua coragem' means 'I am surprised by your courage.' This is a common usage in both Brazil and Portugal. Without the reflexive pronoun, it simply means to respect or appreciate.
It is a versatile verb that fits in both formal and informal settings. In a formal context, it shows high respect. In an informal context, it is a warm way to compliment a friend. It is generally more 'elegant' than 'gostar'. Using it correctly can make your Portuguese sound more sophisticated.
When you admire someone or something directly, no preposition is needed (e.g., 'Eu admiro o mar'). However, if you are stating the *reason* for your admiration, you use 'por' (e.g., 'Eu o admiro pela sua honestidade'). If you use the reflexive form to mean surprise, you use 'de'.
'Admirar' usually implies a sense of wonder, awe, or deep respect. 'Apreciar' is more about enjoying the quality of something or valuing it, like 'apreciar um bom vinho' (enjoying a good wine). While they overlap, 'admirar' is more emotional or moral, while 'apreciar' is more sensory or evaluative.
It is a regular -ar verb. In the Pretérito Perfeito, it is: eu admirei, você admirou, nós admiramos, eles admiraram. In the Pretérito Imperfeito, it is: eu admirava, você admirava, nós admirávamos, eles admiravam. These are the most common past forms you will use.
Usually, no. You would use 'adorar' or 'gostar muito'. You only 'admirar' food if you are talking about its visual presentation as a work of art. For the taste, 'apreciar' or 'saborear' are better choices. 'Admirar' is reserved for things that inspire respect or aesthetic wonder.
Yes, especially in the phrase 'Não me admiro' (It doesn't surprise me). It's a very natural way to react to news. In Portugal, the reflexive form is used quite frequently. In Brazil, people might use 'surpreender-se' more often, but 'admirar-se' is still perfectly understood and used.
'Admirável' is the adjective form, meaning 'admirable' or 'wonderful'. It is used to describe something that deserves admiration. For example, 'Ele fez um trabalho admirável' (He did an admirable job). It is a very positive and strong adjective.
Yes, 'admirar-se' can mean to admire oneself, often in a mirror. However, it is more commonly used in the 'surprise' sense. If you want to say someone is vain, you might say 'Ele se admira demais' (He admires himself too much).
An 'admirador' is simply an admirer or a fan. You might hear 'Eu sou um grande admirador do seu trabalho' (I am a great admirer of your work). It is a polite and common way to express that you are a fan of someone's professional output.
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Summary
The verb 'admirar' is your go-to word for expressing respect and aesthetic appreciation. Remember it is direct (no 'at') and can also mean 'to be surprised' when used reflexively with the preposition 'de'.
- Admirar is a regular -ar verb meaning to admire, respect, or appreciate someone or something beautiful.
- It can be used reflexively (admirar-se) to mean 'to be surprised' or 'to wonder at' something unexpected.
- It is more formal and deeper than 'gostar' (to like), focusing on esteem and aesthetic value.
- Commonly used in art, professional feedback, and personal relationships to express high regard.
Direct Verb
Remember that 'admirar' is a direct transitive verb. You don't need 'at' or 'to'. Just say 'Admiro a vista' or 'Admiro você'. This is a common mistake for English speakers.
Reflexive Surprise
Use 'admirar-se de' when you want to say you are surprised. 'Eu me admiro de ele estar aqui' means 'I'm surprised he's here'. It adds a nice level of sophistication to your speech.
Artistic Context
When in a museum, use 'admirar' instead of 'olhar'. It shows you are actually contemplating the art. 'Estamos admirando as obras de Picasso' sounds much better than 'Estamos olhando as obras'.
Complimenting
Use 'admirar' to give deep compliments. Saying 'Admiro sua paciência' is much more meaningful than 'Você é paciente'. It shows you've noticed and respected the quality.
Example
Eu admiro a sua coragem e determinação.
Related Content
This Word in Other Languages
More emotions words
a sério?
A2seriously?, an expression of surprise, disbelief, or to check earnestness
abalado
A2Emotionally disturbed or upset; shaken.
abalar
A2To shake or disturb (emotionally); to affect deeply.
abalo
A2Shock, emotional disturbance; a sudden, disturbing, or upsetting emotional experience.
abandonado
B1Left by the owner or inhabitants; deserted.
abatidamente
B1In a dejected or disheartened manner; dejectedly.
abatido
A2Dejected; sad and depressed; dispirited.
abatimento
A2Dejection; a sad and depressed state; low spirits.
abertamente
A2openly, frankly; without concealment; publicly.
abismado
B1Filled with astonishment or wonder.
