Disse Que and Falou Que: Report a Message in Portuguese — Practice

Connect the message with que

Disse que introduces what someone said: ela disse que… means she said that…. In conversational Brazilian Portuguese, you will also hear falou que. Dizer is a useful neutral choice when your focus is the content of the message; the point of this exercise is to report that content rather than compare every use of the two verbs.

Put the speaker first when the listener needs to know who gave the information. Then use que and the message. English can omit “that” in many reported statements, but use que in the Portuguese patterns shown here. Read the whole sentence to keep the source and the reported information separate.

Keep the time reference understandable

Words such as hoje and amanhã depend on when the original message and your report happen. If the timing could be unclear, name the day or explain when the person spoke. Reported speech can also involve tense choices; the examples here keep the situation simple instead of presenting one automatic tense-conversion rule.

Choose a short fictional message and report its essential information: who spoke, what they said, and the time or place the listener needs. Do not present an invented report as a quotation from a real person. This is a written language exercise for passing on useful information accurately.

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. She said that she is busy.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ela disse que está ocupada.

2. João said that he’ll arrive at eight.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   O João falou que chega às oito.

3. The receptionist said that the room changed.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A recepcionista disse que a sala mudou.

4. She said yesterday that she would come today.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ela disse ontem que viria hoje.

5. He said that the meeting is on Friday.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ele falou que a reunião é na sexta-feira.

6. Did you say that you could help?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você disse que podia ajudar?

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.

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 Falar vs. Dizer: How to Say “Speak,” “Say,” and “Tell” 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.