Olha Aqui and Veja Isso: Direct Someone’s Attention in Portuguese — Practice

Point out the detail you want someone to notice

Olha aqui and veja isso can direct someone’s attention to something nearby or visible. Olha is very common in informal Brazilian speech; olhe and veja are useful forms in other contexts. Usage varies with region and relationship, so learn these as examples rather than one universal rule for every Brazilian speaker.

Give the person something concrete to look at. Aqui identifies a place near you, while isso refers to the thing you are indicating. Without shared visual context, a short prompt may be unclear. Add the name of the document, image, or object when the other person cannot see what you mean.

Make the attention prompt helpful

After drawing attention, say what the person should notice or do. A detail such as the second line or the red button is more useful than repeatedly saying olha. In directions, distinguish looking toward something from physically moving toward it; a looking instruction does not itself tell someone to walk.

Use a fictional image or a harmless object for practice. Point to a detail, name where it is, and explain why you are showing it. These are ordinary attention prompts; they do not cover every meaning of olha as a conversational marker or every use of ver and assistir.

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. Look here: the number is wrong.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Olha aqui: o número está errado.

2. Look at this in the photo.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Veja isso na foto.

3. Look at the sign on the right.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Olhe para a placa à direita.

4. Look at the second line of the text.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Olha a segunda linha do texto.

5. Check the address before confirming.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Veja o endereço antes de confirmar.

6. Can you see the difference?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você está vendo a diferença?

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 See, Look, and Watch in Portuguese: Ver, Olhar, or Assistir? 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.