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Do you know the verb APANHAR? This verb is very common and has many different meanings.
In this lesson, you will learn 4 different uses of the verb APANHAR.
1. APANHAR means PICK UP/ CATCH, HOLD, GRAB or REMOVE something from a place with your hands.
For example:
As crianças adoram apanhar conchas na praia. (Children love collecting shells on the beach.)
Apanhe tudo que caiu no chão, por favor! (Pick up everything that has fallen to the ground, please!)
Eu consegui apanhar as crianças antes que entrassem na água. (I managed to catch the kids before they got into the water.)
Ela apanhou muitas flores no jardim. (She picked a lot of flowers in the garden.)
2. The verb APANHAR also means “to be beaten.”
See some examples:
O Carlinhos apanhou de um coleguinha na escola e chegou em casa chorando. (Carlinhos was beaten by a friend at school and came home crying.)
Quando era criança, Pedrinho sempre apanhava do seu primo. (When he was a child, Pedrinho was always beaten by his cousin.)
João vive batendo nos coleguinhas, mas até hoje não apanhou de ninguém. (João is always beating his classmates, but until today he hasn’t been beaten by anyone.)
3. The verb APANHAR is also used to say that something is very difficult to do or that you are having a hard time finishing something you started.
For example:
Eu estou apanhando pra consertar esse computador. Não sei qual é o problema. (I’m having a hard time fixing this computer. I don’t know what the problem is.)
Joana apanhou muito para aprender alemão, mas agora ela é fluente. (Joana struggled a lot to learn German, but now she is fluent.)
Apanhei muito até encontrar a solução, mas finalmente consegui. (I struggled a lot until I found the solution, but I finally got it.)
4. Another common use of the verb APANHAR is in the sense of finding, surprising or catching a person doing something wrong.
For example:
Os criminosos foram apanhados em flagrante. (The criminals were caught in the act.)
Eu apanhei os meninos roubando frutas na casa da vizinha. (I caught the boys stealing fruit from a neighbor’s house.)
A professora apanhou o aluno colando na prova. (The teacher caught the student cheating on the test.)
That’s it, guys! Now you know how to use the verb APANHAR in 4 different ways.
One interesting piece of information: in many contexts, you can use the verbs APANHAR and PEGAR as synonyms, but not always.
Click here to watch the video I made about the verb PEGAR so you can compare the two verbs.
Até a próxima!
Your teacher,
Virginia
