perguntar
/peʁ.ɡũˈta(ʁ)/
To ask (request an answer) in Portuguese, use perguntar.
Perguntar is a common and versatile word for ask in Portuguese.
Meaning: request an answer (verb)
Which one should you use?
English speakers often confuse 'perguntar' with 'pedir'. Use 'perguntar' only when requesting information (a question) and 'pedir' when requesting an object or an action.
How does it change in a sentence?
When asking a person a question, the verb perguntar is typically followed by the preposition a (e.g., perguntar ao professor).
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and the stress is on the 3rd syllable: /peʁ.ɡũˈta(ʁ)/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use perguntar to mean 'to ask for something' (like a coffee or a favor), but in Portuguese, this requires the verb pedir.
Did you know?
- The word perguntar is a result of metathesis, where the sounds shifted over time from the original preguntar found in Old Galician-Portuguese.
- The verb perguntar is often paired with the reflexive se to ask 'whether' or 'if' something is true, creating a common structure like perguntar-se to mean 'to wonder'.
- In some regional dialects, adding the suffix -inha to the noun pergunta creates perguntinha, which can be used to soften a request or make an inquiry seem less intrusive.
Examples in context
- Ele perguntará a ela.He'll ask her.This sentence shows the future tense of perguntar.Tatoeba #8509718 by carlosalberto, translation #8477221 by CH
- Eu perguntaria a eles.I'd ask them.This sentence shows the conditional tense of perguntar.Tatoeba #4933791 by ToinhoAlam, translation #3920222 by CH
- Eu perguntarei ao Tom.I'll ask Tom.Tatoeba #4974428 by Ricardo14, translation #2235746 by CK
- Eu gostaria de lhe perguntar sobre o projeto.I would like to ask you about the project.
- O advogado inquiriu o réu durante o julgamento.The lawyer questioned the defendant during the trial.
- Posso te perguntar algo?Can I ask you something?
- Posso pedir uma informação?Can I ask for some information?
- 251 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rodrigo and Juliana are at a train station.
- RodrigoEu vou perguntar o horário do trem.I am going to ask for the train time.
- JulianaOnde você vai perguntar isso?Where are you going to ask that?
- RodrigoVou perguntar para aquele funcionário ali.I'll ask that employee over there.
- JulianaBoa ideia, Rodrigo.Good idea, Rodrigo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ask” translations and entries perguntar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries perguntar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
