The verbs Pedir and Perguntar cause a lot of trouble to learners of Portuguese. I hope to put an end to your questions today 🙂 And at the end of the lesson I will give you a very useful tip about the verb “Perguntar”.

1. Pedir = to ask (someone for something)

• Paulo pediu uma carona para o trabalho porque o carro dele está quebrado.

= Paulo asked for a ride to work because his car is broken down.

• Ana me pediu para pegá-la no aeroporto.

= Ana asked me to pick her up at the airport.

• Joana sempre pede que eu chegue em casa cedo nas sextas-feiras.

= Joana always asks me to get home early on Fridays.

2. Perguntar = to ask (something or a question)

• Milena perguntou se ela pode pegar meu carro emprestado.

= Milenas asked if she can borrow my car.

• Manoel perguntou se ele pode deixar as malas aqui o dia todo.

= Manoel asked if he can leave his luggage here all day.

• Eu perguntei ao professor quando temos que entregar as tarefas de casa.

= I asked the teacher when we have to turn in the homework.

3. A Useful Tip

• In English you say: “May I ask a question?”
• I Portuguese, we say: “Posso fazer uma pergunta?”

Remember: In Portuguese we don’t ask (perguntar) a question; we make (fazer) a question.

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