Dar uma Olhada: Ask Someone to Take a Look in Portuguese
Dar uma olhada means to take a quick look; add em before the thing you want someone to check.
Real Life Portuguese · 4 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
Dar uma olhada means ‘to take a look’ or ‘to have a quick look.’ It is common in everyday Brazilian Portuguese and works for a message, document, room, menu, or other thing you want to check briefly.
Use dar uma olhada em for a quick look
When you name what you want someone to look at, use em: dar uma olhada no texto (look at the text), na mensagem (at the message), or em um lugar (at a place). The preposition combines with an article in forms such as no and na.
Você pode dar uma olhada nesta mensagem?
Could you take a look at this message?
Vou dar uma olhada no cardápio.
I’ll take a look at the menu.
A gente deu uma olhada na sala antes da reunião.
We took a look at the room before the meeting.
Choose a direct or more polished alternative
Olhar is the direct verb ‘to look.’ Dar uma olhada can sound conversational and brief; revisar (review) is clearer when you want someone to check the content carefully. For a formal request, explain what you would like reviewed and by when.
If you are asking for a favor, add por favor and a reason. That makes the request clearer than relying on the idiom alone, especially in a work message or when there is a deadline.
Pode dar uma olhada no meu horário, por favor?
Could you take a look at my schedule, please?
Você consegue revisar o relatório até amanhã?
Can you review the report by tomorrow?
Vou olhar a foto com mais atenção.
I’ll look at the photo more carefully.
Put it into practice
Use dar uma olhada em for a quick look and revisar when you need someone to check something carefully.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “Could you take a look at my schedule, please”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
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