Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA |
|---|---|
| pular | /puˈla(ʁ)/ (Brazil) /puˈla(ɾ)/ (São Paulo) |
| saltar | /sawˈta(ʁ)/ (Brazil) /sawˈta(ɾ)/ (São Paulo) |
The verbs are used to describe the action of propelling oneself rapidly upward so that the body becomes airborne. When referring to the action as a noun, such as a single instance of jumping or a parachute jump, you can use salto or pulo.
Which one should you use?
While both words mean to jump, saltar often implies a more graceful or significant leap and is used in more formal or literary settings.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Portugal, the phrase saltar à corda is used to mean 'to jump rope'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the nouns to describe a jump, pulo is the most common way to refer to a single jump in a casual context. Salto is often preferred in technical, athletic or formal contexts, such as in the term salto em altura (high jump). For the verbs, the informal tu form conjugations are saltas for saltar and pulas for pular.
How do you pronounce it?
/puˈla(ʁ)/
Did you know?
- The expression pular a cerca literally means 'to jump the fence' but is used idiomatically to say someone is cheating on their partner.
- The noun salto is used to describe the 'heel' of a shoe, such as in 'salto alto' for 'high heel'.
- The term salto is used in Portuguese to describe a 'waterfall', essentially meaning a 'leap' of water from a height.
Examples in context
- Eu o vi pular.I saw him jump.This sentence is useful for practicing the verb pular when describing seeing someone else jump.Tatoeba #5052934 by Ricardo14, translation #259961 by CK
- Vi o homem pular.I saw the man jump.This sentence is useful for practicing the verb pular when describing seeing a man jump.Tatoeba #902554 by brauliobezerra, translation #254543 by CK
- Vá pular no lago.Go jump in the lake.This sentence is useful for practicing the verb pular in a command.Tatoeba #7256475 by marcoinacio, translation #325380 by CM
- O atleta saltou sobre o obstáculo com facilidade.The athlete jumped over the obstacle with ease.
- O dançarino deu um salto incrível durante a apresentação.The dancer made an incredible jump during the performance.
- A criança pulou com alegria na cama elástica.The child jumped with joy on the trampoline.
- As crianças costumam saltar à corda nas ruas de Lisboa.Children often jump rope on the streets of Lisbon.
- 28 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A young woman and a man are at a park.
- JulianaVocê consegue pular essa poça?Can you jump over that puddle?
- FelipeSim, eu vou pular agora.Yes, I am going to jump now.
- JulianaCuidado para não escorregar!Be careful not to slip!
- FelipeEu consegui pular com facilidade.I managed to jump with ease.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “jump” translations and entries pular, saltar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
