How to Say ‘Make an Effort’ in Portuguese: Fazer um Esforço
Learn a supportive way to talk about effort in Portuguese without translating the English verb make literally.
Real Life Portuguese · 4 min read · Updated October 15, 2026
The short answer
Fazer um esforço means to make an effort. You can describe your own effort or ask someone to try. Add para + infinitive to name the goal.
Use fazer um esforço for ‘make an effort’
Fiz um esforço para chegar no horário.
I made an effort to arrive on time.
Vamos fazer um esforço para falar português durante o almoço.
Let’s make an effort to speak Portuguese during lunch.
Use se esforçar to say ‘try hard’
Esforçar-se means to make an effort or try hard. In Brazilian speech, the pronoun commonly appears before the verb: estou me esforçando (I’m trying hard).
Estou me esforçando para entender as conversas rápidas.
I’m making an effort to understand fast conversations.
Ela se esforçou muito neste projeto.
She tried very hard on this project.
Recognize someone’s effort
You can thank someone for their esforço or say valeu pelo esforço in a casual setting. To keep encouragement supportive, describe the specific progress you noticed.
Obrigado pelo esforço e pela paciência.
Thank you for the effort and patience.
Dá para perceber o quanto você está se esforçando.
I can see how hard you’re trying.
Put it into practice
Use fazer um esforço as a noun phrase and se esforçar as the verb ‘try hard.’
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “She tried very hard on this project”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
Build on this guide with everyday expressions and native Brazilian audio. Choose iPhone, Android, or the web app.