Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA |
|---|---|
| lição de casa | /liˈsɐ̃w̃ d͡ʒi ˈka.zɐ/ (Brazil, word by word) |
| tarefa | /taˈɾɛ.fɐ/ (Brazil) /tɐˈɾɛ.fɐ/ (Portugal) |
| dever de casa | /deˈve(ʁ) d͡ʒi ˈka.zɐ/ (Brazil, word by word) |
| tarefa de casa | /taˈɾɛ.fɐ d͡ʒi ˈka.zɐ/ (Brazil, word by word) |
The phrase refers to work that is done at home. While there are several ways to express this, lição de casa is the most common way to refer specifically to school homework within a classroom context.
What does it mean word for word?
In the expression lição de casa, the word lição means 'lesson'.
Which one should you use?
The terms lição de casa and dever de casa are used specifically for schoolwork. In contrast, tarefa is a more general term used for any task or assignment.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Brazil, some people use the expression lição de casa to refer to homework. In Portugal, it is common to use trabalho de casa or simply trabalho to refer to homework.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of tarefa is tarefas.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of lição de casa is /liˈsɐ̃w̃ dʒi ˈka.zɐ/. The second of the four syllables is stressed.
Did you know?
- The word tarefa is thought to have origins in Arabic, tracing back to a root meaning 'to throw' or 'an endeavor'.
- In Portuguese, tarefa is used for any chore or assignment, meaning you use the same word for school homework and household cleaning tasks.
Examples in context
- Você fez as tarefas?Did you do your homework?This sentence uses the plural form tarefa to ask if someone completed their assignments.Tatoeba #728977 by lenon_perez, translation #434484 by lukaszpp
- Farei o dever de casa.I will do the homework.This sentence uses dever de casa to express the intention of doing homework.Tatoeba #873640 by alexmarcelo, translation #873639 by CM
- Faça seu dever de casa.Do your homework.This sentence uses dever de casa to give a command to do homework.Tatoeba #579046 by brauliobezerra, translation #266698 by CK
- Professora, podemos entregar a tarefa de casa amanhã?Teacher, can we hand in the homework tomorrow?
- Caramba, esqueci de fazer meu dever de casa!Damn, I forgot to do my homework!
- Me dá uma dica, fiz meu dever de casa errado.Give me a tip, I did my homework wrong.
- Você já terminou o dever de casa de matemática?Have you finished your math homework yet?
- 215 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two students are talking in a library about their studies.
- JulianaFelipe, você já fez a lição de casa?Felipe, have you done the homework yet?
- FelipeAinda não, Juliana. É muito difícil.Not yet, Juliana. It is very difficult.
- JulianaEu posso te ajudar com a lição de casa.I can help you with the homework.
- FelipeObrigado, isso seria ótimo!Thanks, that would be great!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “homework” translations and entries lição de casa, tarefa, dever de casa, tarefa de casa, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (lição, de, casa, dever, tarefa) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries casa, de, dever, lição, tarefa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
