What does tirar mean in Portuguese?

Depending on its object and context, tirar can mean remove, take off, take a photo, make a copy or clear up an uncertainty.

What does tirar uma dúvida mean?

It means clearing up a question or uncertainty. Posso tirar uma dúvida? can introduce a request for clarification.

Does tirar something mean throwing it away?

No. Removal from a place and disposal are different actions. Ask where the object should go if that is unclear.

Tirar in Portuguese: Remove Something, Take a Photo or Clear Up a Question

Start with something being removed from a place

Caldas Aulete’s tirar entry includes removal, taking off clothing, obtaining results and capturing an image. The reference was checked on October 21, 2026.

Tire o casaco da cadeira, por favor. — “Take the coat off the chair, please.”
Ela tirou os sapatos antes de entrar. — “She took off her shoes before entering.”
Vou tirar este parágrafo do texto. — “I’m going to remove this paragraph from the text.”

The object tells you what is removed. Da cadeira names where the coat is taken from; do texto names where the paragraph is removed from. The clothing example does not need a starting location because taking off shoes is already clear in context.

Removing an item does not necessarily mean throwing it away. If someone asks you to tirar a caixa da mesa, you know the box should leave the table, but you do not yet know where it should go. Ask Onde você quer que eu coloque? — “Where would you like me to put it?”

A photo is produced, rather than physically taken away

Você pode tirar uma foto nossa? — “Can you take a photo of us?”
Tirei uma foto da placa. — “I took a photo of the sign.”
Vou tirar uma cópia do documento. — “I’m going to make a copy of the document.”

A photo or copy is the output of the action. Do not picture removing a photograph from a wall unless the surrounding sentence actually says so. Uma foto nossa can mean a photo of us; a photo da placa shows the sign.

For a complete request and permission exchange, use asking someone to take a photo. This lesson focuses on interpreting the verb across objects, rather than repeating that whole travel scenario. Read the object before choosing the English verb take or remove.

Tirar uma dúvida makes an uncertainty clearer

Posso tirar uma dúvida com você? — “Can I ask you something to clear up a question?”
Quero tirar uma dúvida sobre o horário. — “I want to clear up a question about the time.”
A explicação tirou minha dúvida. — “The explanation cleared up my uncertainty.”

Dúvida can be a doubt, a question or something you are unsure about. Tirar uma dúvida is often a request for clarification. It does not necessarily express suspicion or distrust. In the third example, the explanation actually resolves the uncertainty; in the first two, the speaker is asking to discuss it.

Name the topic with sobre if it helps the other person answer: sobre o horário, sobre a palavra or sobre o exercício. Then ask the actual question. The opening phrase introduces your need; it does not replace the information the listener needs to help.

Original dialogue: ask the question after introducing it

A: Posso tirar uma dúvida sobre o encontro?
Can I clear up a question about the meeting?

B: Claro. Qual é a dúvida?
Of course. What is the question?

A: É hoje às seis ou amanhã às seis?
Is it today at six or tomorrow at six?

B: Amanhã às seis. Vou tirar a data antiga do convite.
Tomorrow at six. I’m going to remove the old date from the invitation.

The first tirar concerns an uncertainty; the last concerns editing a document. The speaker then identifies the two dates that caused confusion. Practise this with an original fictional schedule, and make the answer specific enough that the listener can act on it.

Tirando can also introduce an exception, as in tirando o horário, está tudo certo — “apart from the time, everything is right.” That is a separate pattern covered in tirando for exceptions. It is another reason to read the complete phrase instead of translating the verb in isolation.

Practice: let the object guide the meaning

Translate ela tirou os sapatos.
Does tirar a caixa da mesa mean discard the box?
What does tirar uma foto da placa produce?
Introduce a question about an exercise.
Has a question necessarily been answered after quero tirar uma dúvida?

Continue with real conversation practice

Use the guide to putting sentence patterns into speech for a longer practice routine. These dialogues and exercises are original written examples. Choose one pattern, change a detail and ask a follow-up that fits your own situation.

Continue with Real Life Portuguese for native Brazilian audio and everyday expressions. Choose a short exchange available in the app. Listen for the speaker’s intention, then use a pattern from this activity to prepare a reply that fits your own situation. Bruno Lopes is a co-founder of the app.