How to Say “Crash” in Portuguese

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bater
/baˈte(ʁ)/
The Portuguese word for the English phrase "crash" (as a vehicle accident) is bater.
When you want to specify what was crashed, it is common to use the construction bater o [vehicle], such as bater o carro (to crash the car).
Meaning: vehicle accident (noun)

Which one should you use?

While bater is the common way to say 'to crash' or 'to hit', colidir is a more formal term used in technical or official contexts, such as police reports.

Is it said differently in some regions?

In certain regions, particularly in Brazil, choque may be used to describe a crash, often associated with vehicle collisions.

Related words

1. (intransitive) To collide with something destructively, to fall or come down violently. (verb): bater, colidir, chocar.

11. (computing, hardware, software, intransitive) To terminate or halt execution. (verb): dar pane, travar, arrebentar.

How does it change in a sentence?

The past tense of the verb bater is bateu.

How do you pronounce it?

/baˈte(ʁ)/

Did you know?

  • The phrase bater as botas is a Portuguese idiom meaning 'to die', which is the equivalent of the English phrase 'to kick the bucket'.
  • In some contexts, bater o ponto uses the verb to mean 'to clock in' at work, literally 'hitting the point'.
  • The word bater shares a common ancestor with the English word 'battery', as both stem from the Latin 'battere', meaning to strike or beat.

Examples in context

  • Pensei que íamos bater.
    I thought we were going to crash.
    This sentence is useful for expressing a thought about an imminent crash using bater.
    Tatoeba #4381149 by carlosalberto, translation #4376369 by CK
  • Infelizmente, houve uma colisão grave entre dois carros na estrada.
    Unfortunately, there was a serious crash between two cars on the road.
  • A companhia aérea confirmou um acidente de avião no aeroporto.
    The airline confirmed a plane crash at the airport.
  • Ontem à noite ocorreu uma batida entre dois motociclistas na rua movimentada.
    Last night, there was a crash between two motorcyclists on the busy street.
  • Testemunhei um choque entre dois ônibus na hora do rush.
    I witnessed a crash between two buses during rush hour.
  • O carrinho de compras esbarrou na prateleira e derrubou alguns produtos.
    The shopping cart crashed into the shelf and knocked over some products.
  • O carro vai bater naquela árvore.
    The car is going to crash into that tree.
  • Eles quase viram o caminhão bater.
    They almost saw the truck crash.
  • 1 more sentences on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Camila and Felipe are talking about a traffic jam.

  1. Camila

    O trânsito está parado por causa de um bater.
    Traffic is stopped because of a crash.
  2. Felipe

    Houve muitos feridos no bater, Camila?
    Were there many injured in the crash, Camila?
  3. Camila

    Não, parece que foi apenas material.
    No, it seems it was only material damage.
  4. Felipe

    Que bom, Felipe fica mais tranquilo.
    That's good, Felipe feels more relieved.

Sources

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Denise Claudia
Denise ClaudiaHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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