Achar vs. Encontrar in Portuguese: Think, Find, or Meet — Practice

Read the context to tell which meaning achar has

Achar is commonly used for giving an opinion: Acho que vai chover (I think it will rain). It can also mean to find or come across something: Achei a chave na bolsa (I found the key in the bag). The words after achar usually make the meaning clear.

For an opinion, achar que + a clause is a flexible conversational pattern. For a thing you located, the object is often a person, place, or item.

Use encontrar for locating something or meeting someone

Encontrar can mean to find or locate: encontrei um café perto do hotel (I found a café near the hotel). With people, encontrar alguém can mean to meet or run into someone. Encontrar-se com alguém explicitly frames it as meeting up with that person.

Both achar and encontrar can describe finding an object. Encontrar can sound more focused on reaching or coming across the target, while achar is especially common in everyday speech. Avoid memorizing an absolute boundary; learn the phrase as a whole.

Remember: Achar can mean ‘think’ or ‘find’; encontrar can mean ‘find’ or ‘meet.’ Check the object and the rest of the sentence instead of translating either verb one way every time.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. I think the restaurant closes at ten.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Acho que o restaurante fecha às dez.

2. I found my charger under the bed.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Achei meu carregador embaixo da cama.

3. What did you think of the film?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   O que você achou do filme?

4. I ran into Ana at the market by chance.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Encontrei a Ana no mercado por acaso.

5. We’re going to meet at six by the entrance.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A gente vai se encontrar às seis na entrada.

6. I still haven’t found a solution to this problem.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ainda não encontrei uma solução para esse problema.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Achar can mean ‘think’ or ‘find’; encontrar can mean ‘find’ or ‘meet.’ Check the object and the rest of the sentence instead of translating either verb one way every time.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Achar vs. Encontrar in Portuguese: Think, Find, or Meet? lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.