How to Use the Verb Achar in Portuguese (Think vs. Find)

If you're learning Portuguese, you've probably run into the verb achar in Portuguese and wondered the same thing everyone does: what does achar mean, exactly? Here's the fun part. Here in Brazil we use this verb with two meanings that look like opposites: sometimes it means to think or to believe, and other times it means to find.

Funny enough, English has a similar trick, since you can "find a movie boring" and also "find your keys". Still, a lot of learners pick the wrong meaning and end up saying something weird. That's why I'm going to show you the real achar meaning in each context, with practical examples we hear every single day in Brazil. You'll see why "eu acho que sim" is not the same as "achei minhas chaves", and I'll also explain achismo, a word we Brazilians love to throw around.

You don't need to memorize a full achar conjugation chart to get started, because the forms you'll hear the most are acho, achou and achei in Portuguese. I'll show you how they work in real sentences so you can use the Portuguese verb achar without freezing up. By the end, you'll be using it just like a Brazilian.

Video: How to Use ACHAR in Portuguese

In this video I show you how to use the verb achar in Portuguese in real situations, with my Brazilian pronunciation so you can copy the natural rhythm. It's the fastest way to figure out when achar means to think and when it means to find.

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Examples with the Verb Achar in Portuguese

The verb achar in Portuguese has two main meanings: it can mean to think, to believe or to have an opinion, or it can mean to find something. It all depends on the context of the sentence, so below I break down each use with examples so you never mix them up again.

ACHAR (to think)

When achar means to think, we use it to give an opinion or say what we believe, almost always with a touch of doubt, a lot like "I guess" or "I reckon" in English. That's why you hear eu acho, você acha or o que você acha all the time: it's how we Brazilians say what we think without sounding too blunt.

• Você achou mesmo que ele iria fazer algo assim?
• Eu nunca achei que ele fosse capaz de bater de frente com alguém desse jeito.
• O que você acha sobre essas novas mudanças na empresa?

6 ways to use mesmo.

27 expressions with BATER in Portuguese.

8 ways to use JEITO.

ACHAR (to find)

In its other meaning, achar means to find something, whether it's a lost object or a solution to a problem. This is where forms like achei and achou in Portuguese show up, and they're exactly the ones people look up when they want to say they finally found what they were looking for.

• Se eu achar o dinheiro que você perdeu eu te falo.
• Achei meu fone de ouvido sem fio mas tava zoado, tive que comprar outro.
• Ela me disse que achou uma forma de resolver esse problema.

Different ways to say something is broken in Portuguese.

What Does ACHISMO Mean?

"Achismo" is a word we use in Brazil when someone always "thinks this or that" but is never actually sure of anything. We say that's pure "achismo", basically going with a hunch instead of the facts.

A common sentence is "Ele faz tudo na base do achismo"

Quotes and Sayings with the Verb ACHAR in Portuguese

To wrap up, here are a few quotes and sayings where the verb achar shows up in its more reflective side, the one we use to talk about life and what we believe. Notice how the same verb changes its strength depending on what the speaker means.

"Não devemos julgar a vida dos outros, porque cada um de nós sabe de sua própria dor e renúncia. Uma coisa é você achar que está no caminho certo, outra é achar que seu caminho é o único!" - Paulo Coelho

On Pensador you can find more examples with the verb achar.

Write down your favorite sentences in a notebook so you can review them often.