Olá, queridos alunos! (Hello, dear students!)
Recently, a student wrote a comment in our online community saying that she was going to “conhecer” (meet) her son this weekend.
And I thought, “How strange, she doesn’t know her own son? Ahh, she meant she was going to “encontrar” (meet up with) her son.”
Why did this student get confused?
This confusion happens because both the verb “conhecer” and the verb “encontrar” can be translated into English as “to meet.”
You’ll learn how to use these two verbs in this lesson.
This lesson includes a free PDF with exercises to help you practice conjugating these two verbs. Fill out the form below to download your worksheet.
Conhecer vs Encontrar
The verb “conhecer” is used to say that you met someone for the first time. You were introduced to that person.
We usually use this verb in the past tense to say when we met someone for the first time.
For example:
– Quando você conheceu seu marido? (When did you meet your husband?)
– Eu conheci meu marido há mais de 20 anos. (I met my husband over 20 years ago.)
On the other hand, the verb “encontrar” is used to say that you’re going to see someone you already know. You can meet friends for coffee or meet your family over the weekend. For example:
– Vou encontrar minha amiga amanhã. Vamos jantar juntas. (I’m going to meet my friend tomorrow. We’re having dinner together.)
– Encontrei a Mariana para um café ontem. (I met Mariana for coffee yesterday.)
Free PDF!
To retain what we studied today, you need to keep practicing. I prepared a PDF with exercise to do just that. Fill out the form below to download your worksheet.
Online Brazilian Portuguese Courses
If you enjoyed this lesson, you’ll love our courses! At Speaking Brazilian School, we offer digital courses, small group classes, and private lessons. Click here to learn more about our Brazilian Portuguese online classes.
Até a próxima!
Virginia & Speaking Brazilian Team
