Pular in Portuguese: How We Really Use It in Brazil

Looking for the pular meaning? In Portuguese, pular means to jump, and it's the go-to way to say jump in Portuguese. It's the verb we use in Brazil for a physical jump, like pular corda (to jump rope), but also to say you're skipping something, getting out of a situation, or even that someone cheated. So if you're wondering what pular means, the short answer is "to jump", and the full answer depends on the context.

If you came across the word pula, it's the same action: ele pula (he jumps) or the command pula! (jump!). And the famous pula-pula is the trampoline kids play on. What about pular vs saltar? Saltar also exists in Portuguese, but we Brazilians use pular way more in everyday life, and choosing it helps you avoid mixing Spanish into your Portuguese.

Quick heads-up if you speak some Spanish: brincar in Portuguese doesn't mean to jump, it means to play or to joke around. In this lesson I'll show you how to use pular in Portuguese with 9 real expressions, from pular a cerca and pular fora to pulo do gato, with sentences you can read out loud to work on your pronunciation.

Video: Different ways to use PULAR in Portuguese

In this video I show you, with a Brazilian accent, how the meaning of pular changes depending on the context: jumping, skipping something, getting out of a situation, or making a quick visit. Watch it first, then go over the sentences below out loud.

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Phrases with the verb PULAR in Portuguese

These are the 9 most common ways we use the verb pular in Brazil, each one with its meaning and an everyday sentence. You'll see that, beyond the literal sense of jumping, almost all of them are expressions an English speaker wouldn't guess from context alone.

PULO DO GATO

Pulo do gato means the trick or secret that makes all the difference, the thing only someone with experience knows. Literally it's "the cat's jump", and in English you'd call it the ace up your sleeve.

• Aí é que tá o pulo do gato, antes de enviar o documento você liga pra empresa pra falar sobre sua proposta, tenho certeza que assim você vai conseguir fechar negócio com eles.

PULAR CORDA

Pular corda means to jump rope: the classic kids' game and also a go-to gym workout. Here pular has its most literal meaning, to jump.

• As crianças já não brincam de pular corda como antes, a tecnologia mudou o estilo de vida de todos nós.

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PULAR UMA QUESTÃO

Pular uma questão means to skip a question, for example on a test or a form. We Brazilians use pular for anything you let go by on purpose: pular uma etapa (skip a step), pular o almoço (skip lunch), pular um capítulo (skip a chapter).

• Eu queria fazer a prova seguindo a ordem das perguntas, mas infelizmente tive que pular algumas porque eu não tinha nem ideia, deixei as mais difíceis por último.
• A amiga dela ficou surpresa quando recebeu a nota da prova e descobriu que tinha gabaritado, ela ficou feliz da vida.

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PULAR A CERCA

Pular a cerca means cheating on your partner; literally it's "to jump the fence". It's the most common way to say it in Brazil, pretty much like saying someone stepped out on their partner in English.

• Todo esse problema com a relação de vocês foi porque você pulou a cerca e ela descobriu, que vacilo.

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DAR UM PULO EM ALGUM LUGAR

Dar um pulo somewhere means to go there for a moment, a quick visit. The diminutive dar um pulinho stresses that it'll be short, like when you say "I'll swing by your place for a bit" in English.

• Depois eu dou um pulinho aí na tua casa pra gente trocar umas ideias sobre a viagem.

PULAR FORA

Pular fora means getting out of something in time: bailing on a deal, a plan, or a relationship before things get messy. It's the idea of backing out while you still can without getting burned.

• Cara, você tá me contando sobre esse investimento e tá soando muito estranho, bom demais pra ser verdade, acho melhor você dar uma pesquisada sobre isso e pular fora caso seja golpe.

Different ways to say Scam and Deadbeat in Portuguese.

DÁ TEUS PULOS

Dá teus pulos (or dá seus pulos) means "figure it out yourself" or "find your own way". It's a pretty blunt answer, like when someone tells you "you're on your own" because nobody's going to help you.

• O novo estagiário lá do escritório no segundo dia de trabalho foi perguntar ao chefe como fazia um procedimento e ele só respondeu "dá teus pulos, estagiário".

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EU PULO (I'll pass)

Eu pulo is an informal way to turn down an invitation, just like "I'll pass" in English. It comes in really handy among friends when you want to sit something out without sounding rude.

• - Você quer vir com a gente pra casa da sua ex-namorada? Vai rolar um churrasco lá.
  - Na verdade eu pulo, terminamos a relação há pouco tempo e ainda não estou pronto pra vê-la outra vez.

PULA PULA

Pula-pula is the kids' trampoline, but it's also used to criticize someone who keeps switching jobs, majors, or partners all the time without sticking with anything.

• Cara, tô impressionado, faz 6 anos que te conheço e você já mudou de curso umas 4 vezes, quando você vai parar esse pula pula?
• A filhinha dele passou quase 1 hora brincando no pula pula do parque.

These were some ways to use the verb PULAR in Portuguese. Keep leveling up by checking out more lessons and native content from Brazil.

If you liked seeing how a single verb can change meaning this much, there are others that do the same thing in Brazil, and almost nobody learns them from textbooks:

• The verb COLAR in Portuguese
• The verb CAIR in Portuguese
• The verb VIRAR in Portuguese
• The verb PEGAR in Portuguese
• The verb TIRAR in Portuguese

Pular vs saltar in Portuguese: which one do we use in Brazil?

Pular and saltar mean the same thing in their literal sense, but in Brazil pular is much more common in everyday life. If you're wondering how to say jump in Portuguese, the most natural answer is pular: pular corda (jump rope), pular da cama (jump out of bed), pular de alegria (jump for joy).

Saltar exists and it's correct, but we Brazilians use it in more specific contexts, like saltar de paraquedas (to go skydiving) or saltar do ônibus, which means to get off the bus. And watch out: in Brazil, salto is also the heel of a shoe. If words like these trip you up, check out these Portuguese false friends.

Pular is a regular verb: in the present tense it's eu pulo, você pula, nós pulamos; in the past, eu pulei, ele pulou; and in the future, eu vou pular or eu pularei. If you want to practice that last tense, see how to conjugate verbs in the future tense in Portuguese.

Bonus Content

This expression doesn't use the verb pular, but it pops up in the same conversations and will help you sound more natural when you talk with Brazilians.

DAR IBOPE

Dar Ibope means giving importance or attention to something or someone. Ibope was the name of the institute that measured TV ratings in Brazil, so dar Ibope is like giving a comment "ratings".

Se eu fosse você não daria Ibope pra esse tipo de comentário, tem muita gente invejosa por aqui.

Quotes and sayings with the verb PULAR in Portuguese

Reading famous quotes in Portuguese is an easy way to see the verb pular in a more formal register. In this George Lucas quote, pular means to get over obstacles, the same figurative sense of "jump" you'd use in English.

“Você tem que encontrar algo que você ame o suficiente para ser capaz de aceitar riscos, pular sobre os obstáculos e avançar sobre os muros que serão sempre colocados na sua frente. Se você não tem este tipo de sentimento por aquilo que está fazendo, você parará no primeiro grande obstáculo.”

― George Lucas

On KDFrases you'll find more examples with the verb pular.

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