How to Say ‘Make Friends’ in Portuguese: Fazer Amizade
Use fazer amizade with people, and use conhecer or fazer novos amigos to talk about meeting new friends.
Real Life Portuguese · 4 min read · Updated October 15, 2026
The short answer
Fazer amizade means to make or form a friendship. It is often followed by com and the person or group you become friends with.
Use fazer amizade to describe becoming friends
Fiz amizade com uma colega no curso.
I made friends with a classmate in the course.
É fácil fazer amizade com pessoas que gostam dos mesmos assuntos.
It’s easy to make friends with people who like the same topics.
Use fazer novos amigos for meeting people
Fazer novos amigos is a straightforward way to say “make new friends.” Conhecer pessoas means to meet people; it does not necessarily mean you have already become friends.
Quero fazer novos amigos quando me mudar.
I want to make new friends when I move.
Conheci muita gente no evento.
I met a lot of people at the event.
Talk about how a friendship began
To explain how you became friends, use começar a conversar (start talking) or se conhecer (meet one another). Keep the story in the past if you are describing a friendship that began at a particular event.
A gente começou a conversar durante a aula.
We started talking during class.
Nos conhecemos por meio de amigos em comum.
We met through mutual friends.
Put it into practice
Fazer amizade describes forming a friendship; conhecer pessoas describes meeting people.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “It’s easy to make friends with people who like the same topics”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
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