What Does Tomar Mean in Portuguese? Take, Drink, or Have — Practice

Use tomar for drinks and meals

Tomar can mean to have or drink something, especially in everyday combinations such as tomar café (have coffee) or tomar água (drink water).

The best English translation depends on the noun and context. Notice which drink or meal appears after the verb.

Learn common routines with tomar

Tomar banho means to take a bath or shower. Tomar um descanso means to take a rest. These are useful fixed combinations that do not translate word for word from English.

Remember the whole phrase, including the article when there is one. That makes it easier to retrieve naturally in conversation.

Use context to choose a translation

Tomar may also mean to take or capture in other settings. Rather than assigning one English word to the verb, learn the object and phrase together.

For ordering a coffee or a meal, our Brazilian café and restaurant guides give you more practice with real interactions.

Remember: Make three chunks with tomar: one drink, one daily routine, and one other common expression. Translate each from context.

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. Shall we have a coffee after lunch?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Vamos tomar um café depois do almoço?

2. She drinks tea every night.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ela toma chá todas as noites.

3. I want to drink some water before leaving.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Quero tomar água antes de sair.

4. I’m going to take a shower and I’ll be right back.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Vou tomar banho e já volto.

5. After the walk, I want to take a shower.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Depois da caminhada, quero tomar um banho.

6. Let’s take a ten-minute break.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Vamos tomar um descanso de dez minutos.

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.

Make three chunks with tomar: one drink, one daily routine, and one other common expression. Translate each from context.

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 What Does Tomar Mean in Portuguese? Take, Drink, or Have 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.