Intend vs. Entender: Don’t Confuse These Portuguese Words
Entender means to understand. For intend, try ter a intenção de or planejar, depending on the sentence.
Real Life Portuguese · 4 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
Portuguese entender means to understand. It can describe understanding a person, an explanation, a word, or a situation. English intend means to plan or mean to do something, so a useful Portuguese option is ter a intenção de; planejar also works when you mean to plan an action.
Use entender for understanding an idea
Pretender can mean to intend, but it has other uses and does not translate English pretend. Choose a full phrase when you want to avoid that second false friend.
Não entendi a última pergunta.
I didn’t understand the last question.
Tenho a intenção de visitar Salvador no verão.
I intend to visit Salvador in the summer.
Ela planeja estudar depois do trabalho.
She intends to study after work.
Ask yourself whether you mean a plan or comprehension
If you could replace the English verb with “understand,” use entender. If you mean that someone plans to take an action, use ter a intenção de or planejar and add the infinitive that names the action.
Você entende por que precisamos sair cedo?
Do you understand why we need to leave early?
Eu pretendo terminar o relatório hoje.
I intend to finish the report today.
Put it into practice
Entender is to understand; intend is to plan or mean to do something. Use the meaning of the sentence to choose the Portuguese verb.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “She intends to study after work”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
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