What Does Dar um Gás Mean in Brazilian Portuguese?
Dar um gás means to put in extra effort or pick up the pace to finish something.
Real Life Portuguese · 5 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
Dar um gás is informal Brazilian Portuguese for putting in extra effort, working intensely, or speeding up. Someone might use it before a deadline, during a workout, or when the group needs to finish a task. The context tells you whether the emphasis is on effort or pace.
Use dar o gás for extra effort or speed
You may hear conjugated forms such as dei o gás, vamos dar um gás, and dá o gás. The phrase often encourages action, but its intensity can vary.
Vamos dar um gás para terminar antes do almoço.
Let’s push hard to finish before lunch.
Ela deu um gás nos últimos quilômetros.
She pushed harder over the last few kilometers.
Dá um gás, falta pouco!
Pick up the pace; there isn’t much left!
Choose a neutral verb for formal communication
In a professional message, trabalhar com mais foco, acelerar, or intensificar o ritmo can be clearer and less colloquial. Also be mindful of workload: an enthusiastic phrase should not replace a realistic deadline or a conversation about someone’s capacity.
The literal noun gás can mean gas or fuel in other contexts. In dar um gás, the phrase is figurative and refers to effort or speed.
Precisamos acelerar a revisão para cumprir o prazo.
We need to speed up the review to meet the deadline.
Vou me concentrar por mais trinta minutos.
I’ll focus for another thirty minutes.
A equipe aumentou o ritmo na etapa final.
The team increased its pace in the final stage.
Put it into practice
Dar o gás is an informal call to put in more effort or move faster. Use a direct verb such as acelerar or intensificar in formal writing.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “Pick up the pace; there isn’t much left”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
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