How to Say ‘Get Ready’ in Portuguese: Se Preparar or Ficar Pronto — 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 se preparar for getting yourself ready
Preparar-se or se preparar means to prepare yourself or get ready. In Brazilian Portuguese, the pronoun commonly comes before the verb: vou me preparar (I’m going to get ready).
| Brazilian Portuguese | English meaning |
|---|---|
| Vou me preparar para a entrevista. | I’m going to get ready for the interview. |
| Você já se preparou para sair? | Are you ready to go out yet? |
Use ficar pronto when a person or thing is ready
Ficar pronto means to become or be ready. The adjective agrees with the person or thing: o jantar ficou pronto, a mala ficou pronta. Use estar pronto to describe the current state.
| Brazilian Portuguese | English meaning |
|---|---|
| O jantar fica pronto em vinte minutos. | Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes. |
| Os documentos já estão prontos. | The documents are ready. |
Ask when something will be ready
Use que horas fica pronto? or quando fica pronto? for an expected completion time. For a person, ask você está pronto or você está pronta, matching the person’s grammatical form.
| Brazilian Portuguese | English meaning |
|---|---|
| Que horas o pedido fica pronto? | What time will the order be ready? |
| Você está pronta para sair? | Are you ready to leave? |
Remember: Se preparar is getting ready; ficar pronto describes becoming or being ready.
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.
I’m going to get ready for the interview.
Show a Portuguese answer
Vou me preparar para a entrevista.
Are you ready to go out yet?
Show a Portuguese answer
Você já se preparou para sair?
Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes.
Show a Portuguese answer
O jantar fica pronto em vinte minutos.
The documents are ready.
Show a Portuguese answer
Os documentos já estão prontos.
What time will the order be ready?
Show a Portuguese answer
Que horas o pedido fica pronto?
Are you ready to leave?
Show a Portuguese answer
Você está pronta para sair?
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.
Se preparar is getting ready; ficar pronto describes becoming or being ready.
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 How to Say ‘Get Ready’ in Portuguese: Se Preparar or Ficar Pronto 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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