Advertise vs. Advertir: Don’t Confuse These Portuguese Words — Practice

Use anunciar or divulgar to promote something

Advertise a product or service is usually anunciar, divulgar, or fazer propaganda. Use anunciar for an announcement or launch, and divulgar for sharing information widely. The best verb depends on whether you mean a paid ad, a public announcement, or simply spreading the word.

Use advertir when you mean to warn

Advertir is closer to “warn” or “caution.” It can sound formal, and avisar or alertar is often more natural in everyday conversation. Choose the verb that matches how direct or formal you want to sound.

Pick the verb by asking what the message does

If the message promotes a product, service, or event, choose anunciar or divulgar. If it alerts someone to a risk or consequence, choose avisar, alertar, or advertir. This small distinction prevents a marketing sentence from sounding like a warning.

Remember: Advertise is usually anunciar or divulgar; advertir means to warn.

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. The store is going to advertise the sale on social media.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A loja vai anunciar a promoção nas redes sociais.

2. They advertised the event to the whole community.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Eles divulgaram o evento para toda a comunidade.

3. The teacher warned the class about the deadline.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   O professor advertiu a turma sobre o prazo.

4. I need to warn visitors about the construction.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Preciso avisar os visitantes sobre a obra.

5. The company advertised a new Portuguese course.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A empresa anunciou um novo curso de português.

6. The guide warned the group about the closed trail.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   O guia alertou o grupo sobre a trilha fechada.

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.

Advertise is usually anunciar or divulgar; advertir means to warn.

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 Advertise vs. Advertir: Don’t Confuse These Portuguese Words 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.