Despensa vs. Dispensa: Pantry or Exemption — Practice
A guided practice lesson with English explanations, Brazilian Portuguese examples, and answers you can check. Read the examples, recall the meaning, then say a version of your own.
Use despensa for a pantry or food-storage room
Despensa with e is a room or cupboard where food and household supplies are stored. It is a concrete place in a home, restaurant, or workplace. The word is related to keeping provisions, not to an exception from a rule.
When choosing between the forms, ask whether the sentence points to shelves, food, or a storage space. If so, write despensa.
| Brazilian Portuguese | English meaning |
|---|---|
| O arroz está na despensa. | The rice is in the pantry. |
| Preciso organizar a despensa antes de fazer compras. | I need to organize the pantry before shopping. |
| A despensa do restaurante fica ao lado da cozinha. | The restaurant’s pantry is beside the kitchen. |
Use dispensa for an exemption or dismissal
Dispensa with i can be a noun meaning exemption or dismissal, or a form of the verb dispensar (to dismiss, excuse, or do without). You may see dispensa médica (medical leave/exemption) or a dispensa do funcionário (the employee’s dismissal), depending on context.
The verb can also mean that something is unnecessary: a tarefa dispensa explicação (the task needs no explanation). The setting tells you which sense is intended.
| Brazilian Portuguese | English meaning |
|---|---|
| A escola concedeu dispensa ao aluno por um dia. | The school excused the student for one day. |
| A função dispensa experiência anterior. | The role does not require prior experience. |
| O gerente comunicou a dispensa do funcionário. | The manager announced the employee’s dismissal. |
Remember: Despensa is a place to store food. Dispensa is an exemption, dismissal, or form of dispensar.
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.
The rice is in the pantry.
Show a Portuguese answer
O arroz está na despensa.
I need to organize the pantry before shopping.
Show a Portuguese answer
Preciso organizar a despensa antes de fazer compras.
The restaurant’s pantry is beside the kitchen.
Show a Portuguese answer
A despensa do restaurante fica ao lado da cozinha.
The school excused the student for one day.
Show a Portuguese answer
A escola concedeu dispensa ao aluno por um dia.
The role does not require prior experience.
Show a Portuguese answer
A função dispensa experiência anterior.
The manager announced the employee’s dismissal.
Show a Portuguese answer
O gerente comunicou a dispensa do funcionário.
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.
Despensa is a place to store food. Dispensa is an exemption, dismissal, or form of dispensar.
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 Despensa vs. Dispensa: Pantry or Exemption? 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.
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