Dar Conta de vs. Conseguir: Can You Manage It in Portuguese — Practice

Use conseguir for ability or success

Conseguir + infinitive means to manage to or be able to do something. It can focus on ability, opportunity, or whether the attempt succeeds, depending on context.

Like poder, conseguir can translate as ‘can,’ but it often highlights whether you can actually accomplish the action. This practical distinction is a guide, not an absolute rule.

Use dar conta de for handling a load or responsibility

Dar conta de often means to handle, keep up with, or manage a task or amount of work. Follow it with a noun or de + infinitive: dar conta do projeto or dar conta de terminar hoje.

The negative não dou conta can say that the task is too much for you at the moment. It can refer to workload, attention, or practical capacity rather than skill alone.

Remember: Choose conseguir when ability or success is central; choose dar conta de when you mean handling a task or workload. The meanings overlap in real conversations.

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 managed to finish the report before lunch.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Consegui terminar o relatório antes do almoço.

2. Can you open this window?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você consegue abrir esta janela?

3. I couldn’t reach her yesterday.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Não consegui falar com ela ontem.

4. I can’t manage so many tasks today.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Não dou conta de tantas tarefas hoje.

5. She managed to handle the move.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ela deu conta de organizar a mudança.

6. Can you sort this out now?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você consegue resolver isso agora?

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.

Choose conseguir when ability or success is central; choose dar conta de when you mean handling a task or workload. The meanings overlap in real conversations.

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 Dar Conta de vs. Conseguir: Can You Manage It in Portuguese? 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.