Lembrar vs. Recordar: Say ‘Remember’ Naturally in Portuguese
Lembrar and recordar both relate to memory. Learn the common Brazilian patterns lembrar de and lembrar-se de, plus the direct-object form lembrar algo.
Real Life Portuguese · 6 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
Lembrar means remember or remind. In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, a very common pattern for remembering something is lembrar de + noun or infinitive: lembrar do compromisso, lembrar de ligar. The pronominal form lembrar-se de is also correct and may sound more formal or careful in some contexts.
Use lembrar in common Brazilian patterns
Lembrar can also take a direct object without de: lembrei o nome (I remembered the name). To say that one thing reminds you of another, use me lembra: essa música me lembra a infância (this song reminds me of childhood).
Lembrei de comprar leite.
I remembered to buy milk.
Você se lembra desse restaurante?
Do you remember this restaurant?
O cheiro do café me lembra minha avó.
The smell of coffee reminds me of my grandmother.
Use recordar for a similar, often more formal choice
Recordar also means to remember or recall. It appears in Brazil, but lembrar is generally more frequent in everyday conversation. You can say recordar algo or recordar-se de algo; the exact construction depends on the sentence and register.
When speaking casually, choose the pattern you can use smoothly and consistently. When writing, remember the preposition in recordar-se de and check whether the verb is being used with a direct object or as a pronominal verb.
Recordo com carinho as viagens da infância.
I remember the childhood trips fondly.
Ela se recorda de todos os detalhes.
She remembers all the details.
Não consigo recordar o endereço.
I can’t recall the address.
Put it into practice
Lembrar is the everyday default for ‘remember’ in Brazilian Portuguese; lembrar de and lembrar-se de are common patterns. Recordar is a useful alternative, often more formal in tone.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “I remember the childhood trips fondly”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
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