Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| baixar | /bajˈʃa(ʁ)/ (Brazil) /bajˈʃa(ɾ)/ (São Paulo) |
Brazil |
| descarregar | /des.ka.ʁeˈɡa(ʁ)/ (Brazil) /d͡ʒis.ka.ʁiˈɡa(ʁ)/ (Brazil) |
|
| fazer download | /faˈze(ʁ) ˌdaw̃ˈlo(w)d͡ʒ(i)/ (Brazil, word by word) | |
| sacar | /saˈka(ʁ)/ (Brazil) /saˈka(ɾ)/ (São Paulo) |
colloquial |
The verb refers to the action of transferring data from a remote computer to a local one. The related noun forms for the process of file transfer are download and descarregamento.
Which one should you use?
While baixar literally means 'to lower' or 'to bring down', it is the most common way to say 'to download' in Brazil. Similarly, descarregar can be used for downloading data, but it also carries the literal meaning of 'to unload', such as unloading a truck or a gun.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In Brazil, baixar is used in both formal and informal situations. The term sacar is a colloquial way to express the action. For a more standard or technical phrasing, one might use fazer download.
Is it said differently in some regions?
baixar is the common term used in Brazilian Portuguese. In European Portuguese, the formal translation for 'download' is often descarregar.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/bajˈʃa(ʁ)/
Did you know?
- The word descarregar is built from the Latin word 'carrus', which means 'wagon' or 'cart'.
- While baixar means 'to download' in a digital sense, it is also the word used to describe a fever breaking or a price dropping.
- A Portuguese speaker might use descarregar to describe both clearing a digital hard drive and unloading a firearm.
Examples in context
- Você pode baixar este vídeo?Can you download this video?This sentence is useful for asking if someone can download a specific video using baixar.Tatoeba #10871442 by carlosalberto, translation #10871371 by carlosalberto
- Não consigo baixar esse episódio.I can't download this episode.This sentence is useful for stating an inability to download an episode using baixar.Tatoeba #2619409 by Ricardo14, translation #8221956 by lucasmg123
- Você vai baixar o novo álbum dele?Are you going to download his new album?This sentence is useful for asking about the intention to download a new album using baixar.Tatoeba #8782536 by carlosalberto, translation #8782498 by carlosalberto
- Por favor, faça a transferência de dados do servidor para o meu computador.Please download the data from the server to my computer.
- Eu vou baixar esse filme para assistir mais tarde.I'm going to download this movie to watch later.
- Preciso baixar alguns aplicativos para o meu celular.I need to download some apps for my phone.
- Por favor, faça o download deste documento.Please download this document.
- Poderia descarregar os dados do servidor?Could you download the data from the server?
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Juliana are talking about a PDF file for their class.
- GabrielJuliana, você conseguiu baixar o arquivo?Juliana, were you able to download the file?
- JulianaAinda não, a internet está muito lenta.Not yet, the internet is very slow.
- GabrielEu posso te enviar por e-mail então.I can send it to you by email then.
- JulianaObrigada, Gabriel! Assim eu consigo baixar mais rápido.Thanks, Gabriel! That way I can download it faster.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “download” translations and entries baixar, descarregar, sacar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (fazer, download) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries baixar, descarregar, download, fazer, sacar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
