Lost Pet in Brazil: Ask Neighbors for Help in Portuguese — Practice

Say that a pet is missing and ask if anyone saw it

Meu cachorro sumiu means ‘My dog went missing,’ and minha gata está perdida means ‘My cat is lost.’ Ask Você viu…? to find out whether someone has seen the animal. Add a time and place to make the question more useful.

Stay with observable details when describing what happened. A neighbor may recognize the animal from its name, color, size, collar, or last known location.

Give a short, recognizable description

Describe the animal with a few details: porte pequeno (small build), pelo preto (black fur), mancha branca (white spot), or coleira vermelha (red collar). A recent photo can help someone identify the pet.

Say where the animal was last seen using Foi visto… (It was seen…). If the animal has a name, share it, but do not rely on the name alone as an identifying detail.

Share a contact method and a useful next step

If someone sees the animal, ask them to contact you with Se você vir… (If you see…). Share your contact details directly and ask permission before posting another person's information publicly.

You can also ask who nearby may help spread the word. Keep a record of where and when your pet was last seen, and contact local animal services or a veterinarian for appropriate next steps.

Remember: State that your pet is missing, give recognizable details and the last location, and share a direct way to contact you.

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. My dog went missing near this park yesterday afternoon.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Minha cachorra sumiu perto desta praça ontem à tarde.

2. Have you seen a white cat with a blue collar?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você viu um gato branco com uma coleira azul?

3. He is medium-sized, has brown fur, and a white spot on his chest.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ele é de porte médio, tem pelo marrom e uma mancha branca no peito.

4. She responds to the name Nina.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ela atende pelo nome de Nina.

5. If you see Nina, could you call me?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Se você vir a Nina, pode me ligar?

6. Do you know which neighborhood group I can notify?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você sabe qual grupo do bairro posso avisar?

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.

State that your pet is missing, give recognizable details and the last location, and share a direct way to contact you.

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 Lost Pet in Brazil: Ask Neighbors for Help 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.