The Portuguese Verb Tomar: Conjugation, Uses and Everyday Expressions

How do you say tomar in Portuguese? It's the same word, and the tomar meaning in Portuguese is mostly "to take". The verb conjugates like any regular -AR verb (eu tomo, você toma, nós tomamos), and here in Brazil we use it all the time: tomar café (have coffee), tomar água (drink water), tomar remédio (take medicine), tomar banho (take a shower), tomar sol (soak up the sun) or tomar uma decisão (make a decision). For drinks, tomar often sounds more natural than beber in everyday speech.

The tricky part comes when English says "take" and we use a different verb. To "take the bus" we say "pegar o ônibus" (I break it down in my guide to the verb pegar in Portuguese), to "take a photo" we say "tirar uma foto" (check out these expressions with the verb tirar) and "take into account" becomes "levar em conta". Translate word for word and it'll sound off right away.

In this guide to the Portuguese verb tomar, I'll show you the tomar conjugation in Portuguese and 16 Portuguese expressions with tomar you'll hear every day in Brazil, like "tomar jeito", "tomar conta" and "tomar vergonha na cara", each with its meaning and example sentences to practice, plus a video where I explain the different ways to use it.

Video: Ways to Use TOMAR in Portuguese

In this video I explain the most common ways to use the verb tomar in Portuguese and how we pronounce it in Brazil. Watch it first, then go over each expression with the practice sentences further down.

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Tomar Conjugation in Portuguese

Tomar is a regular -AR verb, so it follows the same pattern as "falar" (to speak) or "morar" (to live). In this chart you'll find the tenses you'll use most in Brazil, including forms like "tomei", "tomou" and "tomará".

In conversation we hardly ever use the simple future: instead of "tomarei" we say "vou tomar", just like "I'm going to take" in English (see how to conjugate verbs in the future tense in Portuguese). And if you've seen "tomá-las" in a text, that's tomar with the pronoun "as" (them) attached, which shows up more in writing than in speech.

Watch out for "tomara": even though it looks like a form of tomar, in Brazil we use it to say "hopefully" or "I hope so". I explain the difference in hopefully in Portuguese.

Portuguese Phrases to Practice

Portuguese expressions with tomar are some of the most useful in everyday Brazilian life, because they pop up in conversations, TV shows and text messages. Below you'll find each one with its meaning, an example sentence and its English translation.

Practice what you learned in the lesson by reading Portuguese sentences with the verb TOMAR.

Tomar uma

"Tomar uma" means going out for a drink with someone, usually a beer. It's the most common way to invite someone out for drinks in Brazil, a lot like saying "let's grab a drink" or "let's have a few" in English.

• Tá a fim de tomar uma hoje à noite com a gente? (Are you up for grabbing a drink with us tonight?)

How to use "a gente" and "as pessoas" in Portuguese

Drunk in Portuguese and the stages of getting drunk

Tomar vergonha na cara

"Tomar vergonha na cara" means to stop misbehaving and start acting like a grown-up. We use it as a scolding, something like "get your act together" or "have some self-respect".

• Não sei quando é que ele vai tomar vergonha na cara e parar de fazer isso. (I don't know when he's going to get his act together and stop doing that.)

Tomar as dores de alguém

"Tomar as dores de alguém" means defending someone in a fight or argument as if the problem were your own. In English it's close to "taking someone's side" or "jumping to someone's defense".

• Já notou que ele sempre toma as dores dela? (Have you noticed he always takes her side?)

Tomar algo de alguém

"Tomar algo de alguém" means taking something away from someone, often by force. Here tomar works just like "take" in English, although in Brazil we also say "pegar" or "arrancar" depending on the situation.

• Quando o policial viu que ele tava gravando a prisão, na mesma hora tomou o celular dele. (When the police officer saw he was recording the arrest, he took his phone away right then and there.)

Tome tome (sex)

"Tome tome" is a casual, joking way to talk about sex, heard a lot in forró music. It's not a swear word, but only use it with people you're close to. If you'd like to practice with music, check out these Brazilian songs in Portuguese with lyrics.

• Depois que a gente saiu do restaurante e chegou no hotel, foi tome tome por horas. (After we left the restaurant and got to the hotel, we were at it for hours.)

You'll hear the expression "tome tome" in this song by Aviões do Forró.

Tome + verb

In the Northeast we use "tome" before a verb to say someone does something nonstop. "Tome reclamar" is something like "and on and on with the complaining", and you'll hear it a lot in Northeast Brazil slang.

• Fiquei até assustado sobre a qualidade do passeio, desde que cheguei no hotel que os hóspedes tome reclamar de tudo. (I actually got worried about the quality of the trip: ever since I got to the hotel, the guests wouldn't stop complaining about everything.)

Difference between TUDO and TODO

Tomar conhecimento

"Tomar conhecimento" means finding out about something or becoming aware of it, especially important information. It sounds a bit more formal than "ficar sabendo", which is what we usually say in conversation.

• Só depois que ela tomou conhecimento sobre esse detalhe que decidiu investir em ações na bolsa de valores. (Only after she found out about that detail did she decide to invest in the stock market.)

Tomar as rédeas (pegar)

"Tomar as rédeas" means taking control of a situation, a business or your own life, just like "taking the reins" in English. In Brazil we also say "pegar as rédeas", which is why you see it in the heading.

• Essa empresa tava a ponto de falir quando ele tomou as rédeas do negócio, depois disso tudo mudou. (That company was about to go bankrupt when he took the reins of the business; after that, everything changed.)

How to use PEGAR in Portuguese

Tomar banho

"Tomar banho" means to take a shower or a bath, and it's one of the uses of tomar you'll hear most in Brazil. Heads up: "vai tomar banho" is also a mild way of telling someone to get lost.

• Vi o aviso no elevador sobre a falta de água hoje à noite, ainda bem que já tomei banho hoje à tarde. (I saw the notice in the elevator about the water being shut off tonight; good thing I already showered this afternoon.)

7 ways to use AINDA in Portuguese

Tomar/Levar um chá de cadeira

"Tomar um chá de cadeira" means waiting a long time for someone who's late or never shows up. Literally it's "having a chair tea", and in English it's like "being left waiting" or "getting stood up".

• Desde a última vez que tomei um chá de cadeira dele, nunca mais combinei outra saída. (Ever since the last time he stood me up, I've never made plans with him again.)

With this expression you can also say "levar um chá de cadeira".

Tomar um choque

"Tomar um choque" means getting an electric shock, or simply "getting zapped". It's also used figuratively when a piece of news leaves you in shock.

• Tenho que ligar pra um técnico pra vir ajeitar a geladeira, ontem fui abrir a porta e tomei um choque. (I have to call a repair guy to come fix the fridge; yesterday I went to open the door and got a shock.)

5 ways to use LIGAR

Tomar as medidas

"Tomar as medidas" means taking the necessary steps to solve a problem, just like "taking measures" in English. It's very common at work, in formal emails and in the news.

• Já tomamos as medidas necessárias pra resolver esse empecilho burocrático. (We've already taken the necessary measures to deal with this bureaucratic obstacle.)

Tomar iniciativa

"Tomar iniciativa" means acting on your own without waiting for someone to ask you, just like "taking the initiative" in English. It's a phrase you'll hear a lot in job interviews and at work in Brazil.

• Eles comentaram que gostaram dos novos funcionários porque sempre tomavam iniciativa pra solução de problemas. (They mentioned they liked the new employees because they always took the initiative to solve problems.)

Article in Portuguese: Tomar a iniciativa: como fazer as coisas acontecerem

Tomar conta de algo/alguém

"Tomar conta" means taking care of someone or being in charge of something, like a child, a house or a business. The correct form is "tomar conta"; "tomar de conta" is heard in some regions, but it isn't standard Portuguese.

• Você tem alguém de confiança pra deixar tomando conta da sua filha enquanto a gente vai fazer a consulta no médico? (Do you have someone you trust to look after your daughter while we go to the doctor's appointment?)
• Ela passa a maior parte do ano fora, mas sempre tem alguém tomando conta da casa. (She spends most of the year away, but she always has someone looking after the house.)

Tomar jeito

"Tomar jeito" means changing your attitude and starting to behave, something like "shaping up" or "straightening out". We say it a lot about people who are always getting into trouble.

• O tanto de problema que ele já teve por conta das drogas é impressionante, não sei quando ele vai tomar jeito na vida. (It's unbelievable how many problems he's already had because of drugs; I don't know when he's going to straighten out.)

Different ways to use JEITO in Portuguese

Tomar no cu

"Tomar no cu" is one of the strongest swear words in Brazilian Portuguese, the equivalent of telling someone to go f*** themselves. It's there for you to understand when you hear it, not to throw around anywhere.

• Ele ficou com tanta raiva que vi a hora ele mandar todo mundo tomar no cu. (He got so angry that I thought he was going to tell everyone to go f*** themselves.)

When texting, this swear word is often shortened to VTNC or TNC.

The most common Brazilian Portuguese swear words

EXTRA

This extra section covers two terms that trip up Portuguese learners: "tomada", which comes from tomar but has nothing to do with drinking, and "dar de cara", a really handy expression for everyday life.

Tomada

"Tomada" means a power outlet or wall socket in Brazil, not a "take" like in photography or film. If you travel, you'll need one to charge your phone at the hotel.

• Você sabe qual é o padrão da tomada usada na França? Se for diferente desse já compro um adaptador. (Do you know what type of outlet they use in France? If it's different from this one, I'll go ahead and buy an adapter.)

Dar de cara com algo

"Dar de cara com algo" means coming face to face with something or someone unexpectedly, usually a tough situation. In English it's like "running into" or "coming up against".

• Nunca tinha me dado de cara com uma situação tão difícil como essa. (I'd never run into a situation as tough as this one.)