pertencer
/peʁ.tẽˈse(ʁ)/
The Portuguese verb for 'belong' is pertencer.
pertencer is used to express that something is the property of someone or something else.
Meaning: be the property of (verb)
Which one should you use?
While pertencer is used to describe legal or physical ownership, if you want to say that someone 'belongs' to a social circle or a group, it is more common to use the phrase fazer parte de.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Brazilian Portuguese, the phrase Ser de is also commonly used to convey the idea of belonging.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb pertencer is almost always followed by the preposition a to indicate the owner or the entity something belongs to. For conjugation, the third-person singular form is pertence (it belongs) and the third-person plural form is pertencem (they belong).
How do you pronounce it?
/peʁ.tẽˈse(ʁ)/. The word has 3 syllables and the stress is on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- Unlike English, where 'belong' can mean to be in the right place, Portuguese uses estar no seu lugar to say someone or something belongs there.
- The verb pertencer shares a root with the English word 'tenure', which refers to the period of time someone holds an office or position.
- The verb pertencer is a close linguistic cousin to the English word 'pertain'. Both share the same Latin root meaning 'to reach' or 'to hold'.
Examples in context
- Ossos que têm estado a penar na obscuridade há quase 80 anos num museu londrino podem, na verdade, pertencer ao mais antigo dinossauro conhecido.Bones that have been languishing in obscurity for nearly 80 years at a London museum may actually belong to the oldest known dinosaur.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use pertencer in a complex sentence.Tatoeba #12111583 by Cangarejo, translation #12111581 by Cangarejo
- João pertence àquela organização.João belongs to that organization.
- Esta casa pertence à minha família.This house belongs to my family.
- A responsabilidade pertence a nós agora.The responsibility belongs to us now.
- O quadro é daquele artista famoso.The painting belongs to that famous artist.
- A residência é do senhor Oliveira.The residence belongs to Mr. Oliveira.
- Estes documentos são da empresa.These documents belong to the company.
- Esta caneta é minha, não empresto para ninguém.This pen is mine, I don't lend it to anyone.
- Aquele carro é dele, cuidado para não riscar.That car is his, be careful not to scratch it.
- Estes livros são nossos, não os percam.These books are ours, don't lose them.
- Eu faço parte desse grupo de dança.I belong to this dance group.
- Elas fazem parte da equipe de futebol.They belong to the soccer team.
- Nós fazemos parte desta comunidade.We belong to this community.
- Aquela casa é do meu irmão.That house belongs to my brother.
- O quadro pertence ao pintor famoso.The painting belongs to the famous artist.
- A responsabilidade pertence a nós.The responsibility belongs to us.
- Eu pertenço a este clube.I belong to this club.
- Tu pertences à família da Maria.You belong to Maria's family.
- Ele/ela pertence à empresa há muitos anos.He/she has belonged to the company for many years.
- Vocês pertencem ao time de futebol.You belong to the soccer team.
- Eles/elas pertencem aos voluntários.They belong to the volunteers.
- Este livro deve pertencer a você.This book must belong to you.
Example conversation
Mariana and Gabriel are looking for the owner of a lost wallet.
- MarianaGabriel, você sabe a quem pertence esta carteira?Gabriel, do you know who this wallet belongs to?
- GabrielNão sei, mas ela parece pertencer a alguém da escola.I don't know, but it seems to belong to someone from the school.
- MarianaVou perguntar na secretaria se pertence a algum aluno.I will ask the office if it belongs to any student.
- GabrielBoa ideia, Mariana. Vamos lá agora.Good idea, Mariana. Let's go there now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “belong” translations and entries pertencer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pertencer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
