mudar
/muˈda(ʁ)/
To change in Portuguese is said as mudar.
mudar is used to express the act of becoming something different. It can be used transitively to mean changing something else, or intransitively to mean that something changes itself. If you are changing a specific attribute, such as your residence, your clothes or your opinion, you often use the preposition de after the verb, for example, mudar de casa (to change/move houses). Related to this, the noun mudança refers to a change, while troca and mudança can both refer to a replacement.
Meaning: to become something different (verb)
Which one should you use?
While mudar covers general change, you should use trocar instead if the change specifically involves swapping one object for another, such as exchanging currency or clothes. For a specific amount of cash, the word trocado is used. For the concept of a replacement, you can use either troca or mudança.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Portugal, the noun alteração is commonly used to express the concept of a change.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb mudar conjugates in the past tense as mudei for the first-person singular (I changed) and mudou for the third-person singular (he/she/it changed).
How do you pronounce it?
/muˈda(ʁ)/
Did you know?
- The phrase mudar de pele literally means 'to change skin' and is used as an idiom for personal transformation or starting over.
- The verb mudar shares its Latin ancestor, mūtāre, with the English word 'mutate'.
- The word mudança can mean both a transformation and the physical act of moving to a new house.
Examples in context
- É hora de mudar.It's time to change.This sentence shows how to use mudar to express that it is time for a change.Tatoeba #5216399 by ajdavidl, translation #3825805 by CK
- Não vai mudar nada.It won't change a thing.This sentence uses mudar to state that nothing will change.Tatoeba #5996042 by bill, translation #4666641 by CK
- Isso tudo vai mudar.That's all going to change.This sentence uses mudar to indicate that everything is going to change.Tatoeba #1609043 by alexmarcelo, translation #1553208 by CK
- É necessário alterar essas configuraçõesIt is necessary to change these settings
- Precisamos discutir essa mudançaWe need to discuss this change
- Vou trocar de empregoI'm going to change jobs
- Preciso mudar meu estilo de vidaI need to change my lifestyle
- Vou trocar de roupaI'm going to change clothes
- É necessário alterar o cronograma da reunião para sexta-feira.It is necessary to change the meeting schedule to Friday.
- Preciso mudar a configuração do meu telemóvel.I need to change the setting on my phone.
- Eu preciso mudar as paisagens deste local.I need to change the scenery of this place.
- 305 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Juliana and Lucas are discussing their career paths at a cafe.
- JulianaEu quero mudar de carreira.I want to change careers.
- LucasVocê acha que vai mudar muito?Do you think it will change much?
- JulianaCom certeza, minha vida vai mudar.For sure, my life is going to change.
- LucasEu apoio sua decisão de mudar.I support your decision to change.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “change” translations and entries mudar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mudar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
