13 Ways to Use the Verb Puxar in Brazilian Portuguese

Puxar in Portuguese means "to pull," like when you pull a door open or pull on a rope. But here in Brazil we use the verb puxar for way more than moving things around: we use it to start a conversation, to say who we take after, and even to complain about a rough day at work.

And watch out for a classic trap: puxar sounds a lot like the English word "push," but it means the exact opposite. On doors in Brazil, "PUXE" means pull and "EMPURRE" means push. The X sounds like the English "sh," so you say "poo-SHAR," but it's always spelled with X: "puxar", "puxa", "puxou", "puxando". If that X still trips you up, check out how the X pronunciation in Portuguese works.

In this post I'll explain what puxar means in each context through 13 expressions you'll hear in Brazil, like "puxar assunto", "tem a quem puxar", "trabalho puxado", "puxa-saco" and "puxa vida", each one with real example sentences so the verb puxar finally sticks in your vocabulary.

Video: Different ways to use the verb PUXAR in Portuguese

In this video I'll show you, with real situations from Brazil, how to use the verb puxar in Portuguese beyond its literal meaning of "to pull." Watch it first and then practice with the phrases below, so your ears and your reading work together.

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Is it PUXAR or PUSHAR?

It's spelled puxar, always with an X. "Pushar" doesn't exist in Portuguese, even though the X here sounds just like the English "sh." The X stays in every form of the verb, so whenever you hear that "sh" sound in puxar, just swap it for an X in your head and you're good.

• Eu puxo: I pull
• Você puxa: you pull
• Eu puxei: I pulled
• Ele puxou: he pulled
• Puxando: pulling
• Puxado: pulled (and also "heavy" or "exhausting")

Phrases with PUXAR in Portuguese

The meaning of puxar changes depending on what comes after the verb: a conversation, a person, a report, or even a candy. That's why in Brazil the same word can sound friendly, heavy, or super informal, and context is everything.

Practice with these phrases using the verb PUXAR in different contexts.

PUXAR ASSUNTO

Puxar assunto means to strike up a conversation or bring up a topic to break the silence, basically to break the ice. We also say "puxar papo", and the word papo in Portuguese has more uses than you'd imagine.

• Nossa, é um saco conversar com ele, eu sempre tenho que tá puxando assunto.

How to pronounce the letter X in Portuguese.

PUXAR A ALGUÉM

Puxar a alguém means to take after a family member, in looks or personality, like saying "he's a chip off the old block." That's where the phrase "tem a quem puxar" comes from, which we use in Brazil when someone inherited a talent, or a flaw, from their family.

• Você puxou a quem da sua casa?

In this case it means to take after someone (in looks or personality).

PUXAR A MÚSICA

When we say puxar a música, we mean starting a song so everyone else can join in, like when someone grabs a guitar around a campfire and kicks off the first tune. It's super common in rodas de samba, bonfires, and get-togethers with friends.

• Puxa a música aí pra gente tocar junto.

In this case it means to start or kick off (a song).

PUXAR UM BASEADO / BECK / Beckzinho

Puxar um baseado, "um beck" or "um beckzinho" is Brazilian slang for smoking weed. It's very informal language: it's useful to recognize it when you hear it on the street or in songs, but it's not something to drop in a formal conversation.

• Eu vi o pessoal lá embaixo na orla puxando um beckzinho.

PUXAR PRO LADO DE ALGUÉM

Puxar pro lado de alguém means favoring a person or group, usually unfairly, like "playing favorites." The "pro" is the contraction of "para o," and you'll hear it a lot at work, in politics, and in soccer arguments.

• Você já é conhecido aqui na empresa por sempre querer puxar esses bônus pro lado da sua família.

PUXAR O TAPETE

Puxar o tapete de alguém means to betray someone right when they trusted you, just like "pulling the rug out from under someone" in English, the exact same image. It's one of the most common puxar expressions in the workplace.

• Se eu fosse você teria muito cuidado com essa sua amizade com esse cara, ele já tem fama de puxar o tapete das pessoas que começam a se destacar na empresa.

In this case it means to undermine, sabotage, or pull the rug out from under someone.

PUXAR

In the news and at work, puxar also means to drive or trigger something, like when a sector "puxa" economic growth. Here the verb loses its physical sense of pulling and starts to mean cause or momentum.

• Melhora no setor de serviços pode puxar retomada da economia em 2023?

• O objetivo do projeto inicial é esse, mas com certeza isso vai puxando outras coisas que teremos que avaliar mais adiante.

In this case it means to drive, cause, trigger, or lead to.

PUXAR UM RELATÓRIO

At the office, puxar um relatório or puxar data from the system means to pull, generate, or extract information, pretty much like "pull a report" in English. If you work with Brazilians you'll hear it all the time, usually in phrases like "puxa aí esse relatório pra mim".

• Puxe aí no sistema todas as pendências que eles têm pra gente começar a dar baixa.

In this case it means to pull up or list (data, a report).

TRABALHO PUXADO

Something puxado is heavy, exhausting, or demanding. A "trabalho puxado" is really tough work and a "dia puxado" is a grueling day; we also use it for classes, workouts, or rough weeks.

• Não vai rolar sair esse fim de semana, o trabalho tá puxado demais, vou passar o sábado e o domingo adiantando o máximo possível.

Learn 26 Portuguese expressions to use at work.

PUXA-SACO

A puxa-saco is someone who flatters the boss to get ahead, what you'd call a "suck-up" or a "brown-noser" in English. The full expression is "puxar o saco" and the act itself is called "puxação de saco".

• A primeira coisa que ele faz quando chega em qualquer trabalho é ser o puxa-saco do chefe, sempre na expectativa de uma recompensa.
• Nossa, eu fico de cara quando vejo essa puxação de saco nas empresas.

Different ways to say "don't bother me" in Portuguese.

SOTAQUE PUXADO

A sotaque puxado is a really strong accent that makes it crystal clear which region of Brazil you're from. We say "ela tem o sotaque bem puxado" or "ele puxa o R" to talk about someone from the Northeast, Rio, or the countryside of São Paulo.

• Não deu 10 segundos pra eu saber que você era do Nordeste, você tem o sotaque bem puxado né?

What is the neutral accent in Brazil?

PUXA VIDA

Puxa vida is an interjection that shows surprise, disappointment, or frustration, like "gee," "oh man," or "geez" in English. These days you'll more often hear "poxa" or "poxa vida," and in Rio it's often shortened to a simple "pô."

• Puxa vida, eu jurava que eu podia contar contigo pra o que desse e viesse, mas parece que não.

You'll also hear "poxa vida", "poxa" or just "pô".

For example:

• Pô mano, tá brincando né? Sério mesmo? Na moral?

DOCE PUXA-PUXA

Puxa-puxa is a chewy, stretchy candy made from sugar or molasses that stretches when you bite into it, hence the name. It's a lot like taffy, and you'll find it in corner stores and street markets all over Brazil.

• Ei, se você for no mercadinho da esquina compra um puxa-puxa pra mim por favor.

Learn the names of fruits in Portuguese.

Other Portuguese verbs with lots of meanings

If you were surprised by everything the verb puxar can do, get ready: in Brazil there are other verbs just as shape-shifting, changing meaning depending on the sentence. Can you guess what these ones mean?

• The verb CAIR in Portuguese
• The verb LIGAR in Portuguese
• Expressions with JOGAR in Portuguese

On KdFrases and Pensador you'll find more phrases with the verb PUXAR in Portuguese.