Express Yourself: Share Your Opinions in Brazilian Portuguese

Have you ever found yourself in a Brazilian Portuguese conversation, buzzing with opinions and ideas, only to hold back because you weren’t sure how to express your opinions? Whether it’s a casual chat with friends, a heated debate over dinner, or sharing your views in a professional setting, being able to confidently share your opinions in Brazilian Portuguese is more than just a language skill – it’s part of belonging. Based on a question from our Facebook community, here is Portuguese lesson designed to equip you with the expressions and confidence needed to share your opinions in Brazilian Portuguese.

Expressing your opinions in Brazilian Portuguese using the verb Achar

The verb achar is pivotal in expressing opinions. It’s a versatile verb that allows you to convey what you think or feel about a situation or to ask someone for their viewpoint. It is the most common way in which we Brazilians express our opinions.

Achar is a regular verb, ensuring that its conjugation is straightforward across different tenses, thereby making your language learning journey a bit easier.

The dictionary will give you the following meanings of achar in Portuguese:

Think, believe, find
Suppose, guess
Find, locate, come across, discover

So, yes, it has a few different meanings. This lesson focuses on using achar to express your opinions.

Examples using Achar to share your opinions in Brazilian Portuguese

Notice the use of “que” in this structure:

Eu acho que vai chover. = I think that it is going to rain.
Eu acho que eles não gostaram do filme. = I think that they didn’t like the movie.
João acha que Milena saiu do emprego. = João thinks that Milena left her job.
Você acha que vai chover? = Do you think that it is going to rain?

The simplicity of achar makes it a go-to for expressing opinions.

Indicative vs. Subjunctive with Achar & Additional verbs to express opinions

When expressing opinions in Portuguese, the verb mood changes depending on whether you’re making an affirmative or negative statement.

Affirmative Sentences: For positive statements where you’re asserting your opinion, use the indicative mood .

Example:

Acho que ele vem à festa. = I think he is coming to the party.

Negative Sentences: When your opinion is negative, use the subjunctive mood.

Example:

Não acho que ele venha à festa. = I don’t think he will come to the party.

However:

Eu acho que ele não vem à festa. = I think he is not coming to the party.

I know it might sound confusing – it’s just one of those peculiarities of language, isn’t it? You might even hear Brazilians using the indicative mood in negative sentences with the verb achar, which can add to the confusion.

Here’s the rule of thumb to remember:

Use the indicative mood after achar in affirmative sentences.
Use the subjunctive mood after achar in negative sentences.

This rule applies to all verbs of opinion. For example:

Acredito que João vai participar da reunião. = I believe João will take part in the meeting.
Não acredito que João vá participar da reunião. = I don’t believe João will take part in the meeting.
Creio que Maria está no escritório hoje. = I believe that Maria is in the office today.
Não creio que Maria esteja no escritório hoje. = I don’t believe that Maria is in the office today.

Agreeing and disagreeing: How to say I think so/I don’t think so

Knowing how to express agreement or disagreement succinctly can be incredibly useful in conversations. These phrases are essential in conversations, allowing you to respond quickly and effectively.

Here is how you say I think so and I don’t think so in Brazil:

Eu acho que sim. = I think so.
Eu acho que não. = I don’t think so.

Inquiring opinions with the verb Achar

Curiosity about others’ thoughts enriches conversations, making questions about opinions a staple in language use.

Imagine you’re at a cozy dinner with Brazilian friends, surrounded by lively conversations and the warm aroma of feijoada. The topic shifts to the latest Brazilian movie everyone’s talking about. Seizing the moment to dive deeper into the discussion and share your curiosity, you lean in and ask, “O que você acha?” (What do you think?).

But what if you want to narrow down the conversation to specific aspects? That’s where prepositions come into play:

O que você achou do filme? = What did you think of the movie?
O que você acha da reforma educacional que está sendo discutida no Congresso? = What do you think about the educational reform currently being debated in Congress?
O que você acha das novas tendências na música brasileira? = What do you think of the new trends in Brazilian music?

Understand the preposition

In Brazilian Portuguese, the preposition “de” has several uses. Here are examples showing how to use it with the verb Achar when asking for someone’s opinion. Notice that we use “de” before a verb in the infinitive and notice how it changes when combined with articles to be used before nouns:

Use “de” before a verb in the infinitive:
- O que você acha de viajar para o Brasil? = What do you think about traveling to Brazil?

Use “do”, “da” or their plural forms, in front of nouns (things, objects). “Do” and “da” are contractions of “de” with the definite articles “o” and “a”, respectively. They are used before masculine and feminine nouns.
- O que você acha do aumento de preço” = What do you think of the price increase?
- O que você acha da ideia de trabalhar remotamente? = What do you think about the idea of working remotely?
- O que você acha dos novos diretores da empresa? = What do you think of the new company directors?
- O que você acha das mudanças nas leis ambientais? = What do you think about the changes in environmental laws?

Stating “In My Opinion”

To explicitly mark your statement as an opinion, you can use:

Na minha opinião…
Em minha opinião…

Both phrases are correct, and the choice between “na” and “em” can depend on personal or regional preferences as the definite article “o” or “a” is optional before possessive pronouns.

Here are examples:

Na minha opinião, você precisa conversar com a Sílvia. = In my opinion, you need to talk to Sílvia.
Em minha opinião, Carla não devia viajar sozinha. = In my opinion, Carla shouldn’t travel by herself.
Esse é um bom livro na sua opinião? = Is this a good book in your opinion?
Em sua opinião, deveríamos tentar um caminho diferente? = In your opinion, should we try a different way?

If the preposition is placed before the word “opinião”, then you need to use the preposition “na”:

Na opinião dele, a gente precisa baixar o preço. = In his opinion, we need to lower the price.

Asking for Someone’s Opinion

Here is how you can ask for someone’s opinion:

Qual é a sua opinião? = What is your opinion?

The verb “ser” and/or the article can be omitted:

Qual é sua opinião? (omitting the definite article as it is optional before possessive pronouns)
Qual a sua opinião? (omitting the verb)
Qual sua opinião? (omitting both the definite article and the verb)

Note that in Portuguese, unlike in English, the definite article is often used before possessive pronouns.

When using “dele” or “dela” (meaning “his” or “hers”), the article is necessary due to the placement of “opinion”, which is a noun. In other words, the article is required before the noun:

Qual é a opinião dela? = What is her opinion?
Qual a opinião dela? = What is her opinion?

When asking in the plural, remember to conjugate the verb “ser”:

Quais são as opinições deles? = What are their opinions?

Other ways of expressing agreement or disagreement in Brazilian Portuguese

Understanding how to agree or disagree in Portuguese keeps conversations dynamic and engaging.

Eu concordo. = I agree.
Eu não concordo. = I don’t agree.
Eu discordo. = I disagree.
Você concorda? = Do you agree?

Expressing and inquiring about opinions are fundamental aspects of communication. They add depth to conversations, allowing for more meaningful exchanges. Through this lesson, I hope to have provided you with valuable tools to share your thoughts and engage with others’ opinions more effectively in Brazilian Portuguese.

The video featured below is one of my old videos — while it may not boast high production quality, it remains a valuable resource. It includes explanations and examples from this post, offering you the opportunity to fine-tune your pronunciation. Give it a watch!

Street Smart Brazil is dedicated to your learning journey, offering personalized one-on-one lessons that cater to your individual learning pace and needs. Our one-on-one lessons provide a flexible and impactful way to improve your Portuguese skills. Ready to take your language abilities to the next level? Book a trial lesson with us today and start expressing your opinions with confidence!

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