By Myself in Portuguese: Sozinho, Por Mim Mesmo, or Por Conta Própria — Practice

Use sozinho for being alone

Sozinho means alone or by oneself and agrees with the person: sozinho, sozinha, sozinhos, or sozinhas. The context shows whether the person is physically alone or simply doing an activity without company.

Use por conta própria for independence

Por conta própria emphasizes that someone acted independently, without being told or relying on help. It is useful when talking about learning, decisions, and work.

Use por mim mesmo for ‘by my own effort’

Por mim mesmo or por mim mesma can stress that you personally did something. The possessive-style form agrees with the speaker, so choose mesmo or mesma to match.

Remember: Use sozinho for being alone, por conta própria for independence, and por mim mesmo to emphasize your own effort.

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 live alone near downtown.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Moro sozinho perto do centro.

2. She traveled by herself for the first time.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ela viajou sozinha pela primeira vez.

3. I learned Portuguese on my own.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Aprendi português por conta própria.

4. He solved the problem by himself.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ele resolveu o problema por conta própria.

5. I want to try by myself first.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Quero tentar por mim mesma primeiro.

6. I fixed the bike by myself.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Consertei a bicicleta por mim mesmo.

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.

Use sozinho for being alone, por conta própria for independence, and por mim mesmo to emphasize your own effort.

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 By Myself in Portuguese: Sozinho, Por Mim Mesmo, or Por Conta Própria? 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.