elogiar in 30 Seconds
- Elogiar means to praise or compliment someone.
- It is a regular -ar verb, making it easy to conjugate.
- Used in both formal and informal Portuguese contexts.
- The noun form is 'elogio', meaning a compliment.
The Portuguese verb elogiar is a fundamental part of social interaction in Lusophone cultures. At its core, it means 'to praise,' 'to compliment,' or 'to commend.' Whether you are in a professional setting in Lisbon or a casual dinner in Rio de Janeiro, knowing how and when to use this word can significantly enhance your social integration. It is used whenever someone wants to express a positive opinion about someone else's actions, qualities, or appearance.
- Professional Context
- In a workplace, a manager might elogiar an employee for a project well done. This fosters a positive work environment and is considered essential for leadership.
- Social Context
- In social gatherings, it is common to elogiar the host's food or the decor of their home. It is a sign of politeness and appreciation.
O chefe decidiu elogiar o desempenho da equipe durante a reunião anual.
The word carries a weight of sincerity. Unlike some cultures where 'empty' compliments might be common, an elogio (the noun form) in Portuguese is often perceived as a genuine recognition of merit. It is a transitive verb, meaning it directly affects an object—the person or thing being praised. For example, 'Eu elogio a sua coragem' (I praise your courage).
Sempre é bom elogiar o esforço das crianças na escola.
Culturally, Brazilians might be more frequent with their elogios in informal settings compared to the more reserved Portuguese from Portugal, but the verb remains universally positive. It is a tool for building rapport and showing that you value the people around you. Understanding its nuances helps you navigate the delicate balance of social etiquette in Portuguese-speaking countries.
Ela costuma elogiar a comida da mãe sempre que a visita.
- Artistic Context
- Critics often elogiam a new film or book, highlighting the technical skills or the emotional impact of the work.
A crítica resolveu elogiar a atuação do protagonista.
Não se esqueça de elogiar o jardim deles; eles trabalharam muito nele.
- Academic Context
- Professors elogiam students who show original thinking or rigorous research methods in their papers.
In summary, elogiar is the act of verbalizing admiration. It is a bridge-builder in human relations, essential for anyone learning Portuguese to master, not just for the grammar but for the social intelligence it represents.
Using elogiar correctly involves understanding its conjugation and its relationship with direct objects. As a regular '-ar' verb, it follows a predictable pattern in most tenses, which is great for learners at the A2 level. Let's look at how to structure sentences across different contexts and tenses.
- Present Tense
- I praise: 'Eu elogio'. You praise: 'Você elogia'. We use this for habits or current states of mind.
Eu sempre elogio quem faz um bom trabalho.
When you want to specify what you are praising, you can use the preposition 'por' (for) or 'pelo/pela' (for the). This is a very common sentence structure: [Verb] + [Object] + [Preposition] + [Reason].
O professor elogiou o aluno pela sua dedicação aos estudos.
- Past Tense (Pretérito Perfeito)
- Used for completed actions. 'Ele elogiou' (He praised). This is the most common way to report a compliment that happened in the past.
You can also use elogiar in the passive voice, which is slightly more formal but very common in news reports or written Portuguese. 'O livro foi elogiado por todos' (The book was praised by everyone).
A nova lei foi elogiada pela comunidade internacional.
Nós vamos elogiar a iniciativa da prefeitura na próxima reunião.
- Future Tense
- While 'elogiarei' exists, it's much more common to use 'vou elogiar' in spoken Portuguese.
For more complex sentences, you might use the subjunctive mood to express a wish or a recommendation. 'É importante que você elogie o seu filho' (It is important that you praise your son).
Duvido que eles elogiem o projeto sem ver os resultados primeiro.
In summary, elogiar is versatile. You can praise people, objects, actions, or abstract concepts. The key is to remember the direct object and the optional 'por' for the reason behind the praise.
If you are living in a Portuguese-speaking country, you will encounter the word elogiar and its noun form elogio in a variety of real-world situations. It is not just a textbook word; it's a living part of the vocabulary used in media, professional life, and daily interactions.
- Television and News
- News anchors often use the word when reporting on international relations or public figures. 'O presidente elogiou a cooperação entre os países' (The president praised the cooperation between the countries).
Assisti a uma entrevista onde o diretor resolveu elogiar todo o elenco.
In reality TV shows (like Big Brother Brasil or MasterChef Portugal), contestants frequently use the term. You might hear a judge say, 'Eu tenho que te elogiar por este prato' (I have to praise you for this dish). It is a high-frequency word in feedback-oriented environments.
- Social Media
- In the comments section of Instagram or YouTube, users often write things like 'Vim aqui só para elogiar sua beleza' (I came here just to praise your beauty) or 'Não canso de elogiar seu talento' (I don't tire of praising your talent).
Muitos seguidores começaram a elogiar a nova foto dela no Instagram.
In a professional setting, during performance reviews (avaliações de desempenho), the word is central. A manager might say, 'Gostaria de elogiar sua pontualidade' (I would like to praise your punctuality). It is part of the formal 'feedback' loop in corporate culture.
Fui até o balcão apenas para elogiar o excelente atendimento que recebi.
- Education
- Parents often talk about how the teacher elogiou their child in the parent-teacher meeting. 'A professora elogiou o comportamento do Pedro'.
Finally, in literature and songs, elogiar is used to describe the act of admiring a lover or a landscape. It's a word that bridges the gap between the mundane (praising a meal) and the profound (praising a virtue).
O poeta passou a vida a elogiar as belezas naturais da sua terra natal.
Whether you're listening to a podcast, watching a soap opera (novela), or just eavesdropping on a conversation in a cafe, elogiar is a word that signifies the human need for connection and validation.
While elogiar is a straightforward verb, English speakers often fall into a few common traps when using it in Portuguese. These mistakes usually stem from direct translation or confusion with similar-sounding words. Let's break them down so you can avoid them.
- Confusion with 'Eleger'
- Because they both start with 'ele-', some students mix up 'elogiar' (to praise) with 'eleger' (to elect). Saying 'Eles elogiaram o presidente' means they praised him, while 'Eles elegeram o presidente' means they voted him into office.
Cuidado para não confundir: você quer elogiar ou eleger o candidato?
Another common error is the misuse of prepositions. In English, we 'praise someone for something.' In Portuguese, the structure is similar, but students sometimes forget the direct object or use the wrong preposition. It is always 'elogiar [alguém] por [algo]'.
Errado: Elogiei para ela. Correto: Eu a elogiei.
- Gender Agreement in Passive Voice
- If you say 'A comida foi elogiado', it is incorrect. Since 'comida' is feminine, it must be 'A comida foi elogiada'.
A subtle mistake is confusing 'elogiar' with 'agradecer' (to thank). While praising someone is a form of thanks, they are distinct actions. You elogia a quality, but you agradece for a service or favor.
Muitos alunos esquecem de elogiar o esforço e focam apenas no resultado.
- Pronunciation of 'G'
- English speakers might try to pronounce the 'g' as in 'goat'. In 'elogiar', the 'g' followed by 'i' sounds like the 's' in 'measure' or the 'j' in 'jam' (in some dialects), or specifically the French 'j'. It's a soft sound.
Finally, be careful with 'alegar' (to allege). It sounds somewhat similar to 'elogiar' but has a completely different, often negative or legal, meaning. Making this mistake in a conversation can lead to significant confusion.
Ele não veio para elogiar, mas sim para alegar que houve um erro no contrato.
By keeping these points in mind—proper object usage, gender agreement, and phonetic distinction from similar verbs—you will use elogiar like a native speaker.
Portuguese is a rich language with many ways to express admiration. While elogiar is the most common and versatile verb, knowing its synonyms and related terms will make your speech more precise and sophisticated.
- Parabenizar
- Meaning 'to congratulate'. While 'elogiar' is about admiring a quality, 'parabenizar' is specifically for an achievement or a special occasion like a birthday.
Em vez de apenas elogiar o talento dela, ele decidiu parabenizá-la pelo prêmio.
Another high-level alternative is enaltecer. This word means to exalt or to highly praise. It is more formal and often used in literary or political contexts to describe the act of lifting someone's reputation or status.
- Louvar
- This means 'to praise' but often carries a religious or highly formal connotation, similar to 'laud' or 'worship'. You hear it in church or in very grand speeches.
O hino serve para elogiar e louvar as glórias da nação.
Ele gosta de se gabar, mas prefere que os outros o venham elogiar.
- Aclamar
- This means 'to acclaim' or 'to cheer'. It suggests a public and collective form of praise, like an audience at a theater.
In informal Brazilian Portuguese, you might hear people say 'dar um salve' or 'encher a bola de alguém'. These are idiomatic ways to say you are giving someone credit or boosting their confidence through praise.
O técnico resolveu elogiar o jogador para encher a bola dele antes do jogo.
- Comparisons
- 'Elogiar' is neutral/general. 'Lisonjear' is to flatter (sometimes insincerely). 'Exaltar' is to praise intensely.
Understanding these alternatives allows you to choose the word that fits the level of formality and the specific emotion you want to convey. While 'elogiar' will almost always work, using 'enaltecer' or 'parabenizar' shows a deeper mastery of the language.
Fun Fact
The word 'elogiar' shares the same root as 'eulogy' in English, which is why it carries a sense of formal tribute.
Pronunciation Guide
- Pronouncing 'g' like 'goat' instead of 'measure'.
- Stressing the 'lo' instead of the 'ar'.
- Making the 'e' sound like 'ee'.
- Dropping the final 'r' in informal Brazilian speech (e-lo-gi-á).
- Confusing the 'i' with a 'y' sound.
Examples by Level
Eu elogio o seu desenho.
I praise your drawing.
Present tense, first person singular.
Você elogia a comida?
Do you praise the food?
Question in the present tense.
Nós elogiamos o professor.
We praise the teacher.
Present tense, first person plural.
Eles elogiam a casa nova.
They praise the new house.
Present tense, third person plural.
Ela elogia o meu gato.
She praises my cat.
Present tense, third person singular.
O pai elogia o filho.
The father praises the son.
Subject-Verb-Object structure.
Eu sempre elogio meus amigos.
I always praise my friends.
Use of frequency adverb 'sempre'.
Você gosta de elogiar?
Do you like to praise?
Infinitive form after 'gosta de'.
O chefe elogiou o meu trabalho ontem.
The boss praised my work yesterday.
Pretérito Perfeito (Past tense).
Eu vou elogiar o serviço deste hotel.
I am going to praise the service of this hotel.
Future with 'ir' + infinitive.
Nós elogiamos a música da festa.
We praised the music of the party.
Past tense, plural.
Ela me elogiou pelo meu vestido.
She praised me for my dress.
Use of 'pelo' (preposition for reason).
Eles foram elogiados pelo diretor.
They were praised by the director.
Passive voice.
Você elogiou a sobremesa?
Did you praise the dessert?
Past tense question.
Sempre elogiamos os bons alunos.
We always praise the good students.
Present tense, plural.
O guia elogiou a nossa pontualidade.
The guide praised our punctuality.
Praising an abstract quality.
Espero que você elogie o esforço dele.
I hope you praise his effort.
Present Subjunctive.
Se eu visse algo bom, eu elogiaria.
If I saw something good, I would praise it.
Conditional tense.
É importante elogiar as pequenas vitórias.
It is important to praise small victories.
Impersonal expression with infinitive.
Ele foi elogiado por ter chegado cedo.
He was praised for having arrived early.
Passive voice with compound infinitive.
Ninguém elogiou a nova decoração ainda.
No one has praised the new decoration yet.
Negative sentence in the past.
Gostaria que eles elogiassem meu projeto.
I would like them to praise my project.
Imperfect Subjunctive.
Ela costuma elogiar todos os seus funcionários.
She usually praises all her employees.
Verb 'costumar' + infinitive.
O livro foi muito elogiado pela imprensa.
The book was highly praised by the press.
Passive voice with an agent.
Ao elogiar o filho, a mãe aumentou sua confiança.
By praising her son, the mother increased his confidence.
Gerundial use of infinitive with 'ao'.
Não basta apenas elogiar; é preciso apoiar.
It's not enough just to praise; support is necessary.
Correlative structure.
Embora o elogiassem, ele continuava modesto.
Although they praised him, he remained modest.
Concessive clause with subjunctive.
A empresa foi elogiada por sua ética ambiental.
The company was praised for its environmental ethics.
Noun phrase as reason for praise.
Ele se sentiu motivado após ser elogiado.
He felt motivated after being praised.
Passive infinitive after preposition.
Pode-se elogiar a técnica, mas não o conteúdo.
One can praise the technique, but not the content.
Impersonal 'se' with modal verb.
Elogiar publicamente pode ser uma faca de dois gumes.
Praising publicly can be a double-edged sword.
Abstract subject.
Deveríamos elogiar mais as iniciativas locais.
We should praise local initiatives more.
Conditional 'deveria'.
A crítica não hesitou em elogiar a audácia do autor.
The critics did not hesitate to praise the author's audacity.
Prepositional phrase 'em elogiar'.
Raramente se vê um político elogiar o seu adversário.
One rarely sees a politician praise their opponent.
Infinitive with impersonal 'se'.
O orador passou a elogiar os feitos dos antepassados.
The speaker proceeded to praise the deeds of the ancestors.
Aspectual verb 'passar a'.
Elogiar-lhe-ei a coragem, mas não a imprudência.
I shall praise his courage, but not his imprudence.
Mesoclisis (formal future with pronoun).
É louvável que se venha elogiar tal conduta.
It is laudable that one comes to praise such conduct.
Subjunctive with impersonal 'se'.
O relatório limita-se a elogiar os aspetos técnicos.
The report limits itself to praising the technical aspects.
Pronominal verb 'limitar-se a'.
Tanto elogiou que acabou por parecer insincero.
He praised so much that he ended up appearing insincere.
Consecutive clause.
Não há quem não elogie a sua hospitalidade.
There is no one who does not praise your hospitality.
Relative clause with subjunctive.
A obra prima por elogiar a efemeridade da vida.
The work stands out for praising the ephemerality of life.
Verb 'primar por'.
Elogiar o óbvio é, por vezes, uma forma de silêncio.
Praising the obvious is, at times, a form of silence.
Philosophical subject.
Ao elogiar a virtude, ele condenava o vício implicitamente.
By praising virtue, he implicitly condemned vice.
Simultaneous actions.
O panegírico destinava-se a elogiar o monarca falecido.
The panegyric was intended to praise the deceased monarch.
High-level vocabulary (panegírico).
Não se deve elogiar o dia antes do sol posto.
One should not praise the day before the sun has set.
Proverbial usage.
A sua escrita dedica-se a elogiar a resiliência humana.
His writing is dedicated to praising human resilience.
Reflexive 'dedicar-se a'.
Elogiaram-no até à exaustão, o que o incomodou.
They praised him to the point of exhaustion, which bothered him.
Pronominal placement with adverbial phrase.
Subjaz à sua fala o desejo de elogiar sem lisonjear.
Underlying his speech is the desire to praise without flattering.
Inverted subject structure.
Common Collocations
Common Phrases
— To praise someone excessively or generously.
O crítico não poupou elogios ao novo filme.
— When two people praise each other.
Os dois autores passaram a tarde a trocar elogios.
— To praise too much, possibly appearing fake.
Cuidado para não elogiar em excesso.
— To admire or praise someone from afar.
Sempre o elogiei a distância por seu trabalho.
— To praise someone in a letter or document.
Ele foi elogiado por escrito pelo diretor.
— To praise in a calculated or detached way.
Ele elogiou o rival a sangue frio.
Idioms & Expressions
— To praise someone a lot to boost their ego.
O pai vive enchendo a bola do filho.
informal— To praise someone insincerely to get a favor (suck up).
Ele elogia o chefe só para puxar o saco.
slang— To praise someone excessively or in an exaggerated way.
Eles começaram a rasgar seda um para o outro.
informal— To give a superficial or condescending praise.
Ele só me deu um tapinha nas costas e elogiou o básico.
informal— To be praised and liked by someone influential.
Depois do projeto, ele caiu nas graças do diretor.
neutral— To praise and welcome someone officially.
O anfitrião fez as honras e elogiou os convidados.
formal— To praise someone as if they were perfect.
Não se deve elogiar ninguém a ponto de botar no pedestal.
informal— The opposite: to speak very badly of someone (contrast).
Em vez de elogiar, ele falou cobras e lagartos.
slang— To be in a position where everyone is praising you.
Ele está com a moral alta na empresa.
informal— To finally admit someone's merit and praise them.
O crítico teve que dar o braço a torcer e elogiar o ator.
informalWord Family
Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Related
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of 'Elogiar' as 'E-LO-GI-AR'. 'LO' like 'Love' and 'GI' like 'Genius'. You praise (elogiar) what you love or what is genius.
Visual Association
Imagine a person standing on a stage ('ar' like 'air' or 'area') receiving a gold medal while people shout compliments.
Word Web
Challenge
Try to elogiar three different people today in Portuguese using the phrase 'Eu elogio seu/sua...'.
Word Origin
From the Latin 'elogium', which originally referred to a short inscription on a tomb or a judicial statement.
Original meaning: A short statement or testimonial.
Romance (Latin-derived).Cultural Context
English speakers might find 'elogiar' more formal than 'to compliment' in some contexts, but it is the standard word.
Summary
The verb 'elogiar' is the primary way to express admiration in Portuguese. Use it to build positive relationships. Example: 'Sempre elogie o bom trabalho' (Always praise good work).
- Elogiar means to praise or compliment someone.
- It is a regular -ar verb, making it easy to conjugate.
- Used in both formal and informal Portuguese contexts.
- The noun form is 'elogio', meaning a compliment.
Example
O chefe elogiou o trabalho da equipe.
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.
