Fingir vs. Pretender: Don’t Let “Pretend” Mislead You
English “pretend” and Portuguese pretender look related, but the Portuguese verb usually describes an intention.
Real Life Portuguese · 4 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
Fingir is the everyday verb for to pretend or feign. It can be followed by que plus a sentence or by an infinitive, depending on what you want to say. The key idea is an act or appearance, not a future plan.
Use fingir when someone is acting as if something is true
Ela fingiu que não ouviu.
She pretended she didn’t hear.
A criança fingiu estar dormindo.
The child pretended to be asleep.
Use pretender for an intention or aim
Pretender usually means to intend, plan, or aim to do something. It describes what someone has in mind, rather than an invented situation. If you mean that a person plans to travel, pretendo viajar is the right direction; fingir would change the meaning to pretending to travel.
Pretendo estudar depois do jantar.
I intend to study after dinner.
Eles pretendem mudar de cidade.
They plan to move to another city.
Use the surrounding action as a memory cue
If the sentence describes someone putting on an act, choose fingir. If it tells you about a goal or plan, choose pretender. In everyday speech, many speakers may choose other verbs such as querer (want) or planejar (plan), so pretender is not required every time you express an intention.
- Ela fingiu estar ocupada. — She pretended to be busy.
- Ela pretende sair mais cedo. — She intends to leave earlier.
Put it into practice
The I Speak Portuguese source compares the false friends directly. This adaptation uses the contrast between an act and an intention as the main recall cue.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “I intend to study after dinner”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
This guide is an original Real Life Portuguese adaptation of an earlier article from I Speak Portuguese.
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