Imigrar vs. Emigrar: Move Into or Move Away — Practice

Use imigrar from the destination’s perspective

Imigrar means to move into or settle in a country different from the one where someone previously lived. The focus is the destination and the receiving country. A person who moves to Brazil from another country imigra para o Brasil.

The noun is imigrante. It describes a person who has moved into the country being discussed; the same person may be an emigrant from the country they left.

Use emigrar from the point of departure

Emigrar means to leave one’s country to live elsewhere. The focus is the place of departure: someone emigra do Brasil para Portugal (emigrates from Brazil to Portugal). The noun is emigrante.

Both verbs describe the same move from different perspectives. Choose the destination when you want imigrar, and the country left behind when you want emigrar.

Remember: Imigrar views the move from the destination; emigrar views it from the country left behind. The same person may be both an immigrant and an emigrant.

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. The family immigrated to Brazil in 2020.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A família imigrou para o Brasil em 2020.

2. She is an immigrant who lives in São Paulo.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ela é uma imigrante que vive em São Paulo.

3. Many people immigrate in search of new opportunities.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Muitas pessoas imigram em busca de novas oportunidades.

4. My grandparents emigrated from Italy.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Meus avós emigraram da Itália.

5. He emigrated to study in Canada.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ele emigrou para estudar no Canadá.

6. A person can be an emigrant in one country and an immigrant in another.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Uma pessoa pode ser emigrante em um país e imigrante em outro.

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.

Imigrar views the move from the destination; emigrar views it from the country left behind. The same person may be both an immigrant and an emigrant.

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 Imigrar vs. Emigrar: Move Into or Move Away? 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.