How to Say ‘Make Progress’ in Portuguese: Progredir and Melhorar
Use progredir, avançar, or melhorar to describe progress in language learning and everyday goals.
Real Life Portuguese · 4 min read · Updated October 15, 2026
The short answer
Progredir means to make progress or advance. It is a useful verb for development over time, including learning a language. In conversation, melhorar may sound simpler and more personal.
Use progredir for making progress
Estou progredindo na compreensão do português falado.
I’m making progress in understanding spoken Portuguese.
O projeto progrediu bastante esta semana.
The project made a lot of progress this week.
Use melhorar to say you are getting better
Melhorar means to improve or get better. Say meu português está melhorando to describe a continuing change, or melhorei muito to look back at progress already made.
Minha pronúncia está melhorando aos poucos.
My pronunciation is gradually getting better.
Melhorei muito desde a primeira aula.
I’ve improved a lot since the first lesson.
Describe small, measurable progress
To name a small improvement, say avancei um pouco or já consigo…. This focuses on a skill you can now perform, rather than claiming complete fluency.
Já consigo entender a ideia principal sem legenda.
I can now understand the main idea without subtitles.
Avancei um pouco na leitura esta semana.
I made a little progress in reading this week.
Put it into practice
Use progredir or avançar for progress over time, and melhorar for getting better at a skill.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “The project made a lot of progress this week”?
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.