Introduction
Learning how to say to wake up in Brazilian Portuguese involves more than one verb form. This article explains the difference between Acordar and Acordar-se, when to use each, typical conjugations, and natural examples you will hear in Brazil. You will also get usage notes, common mistakes, and regional preferences to help you speak confidently.
- Overview: Two ways to say wake up
- How the reflexive pronoun works
- When to use Acordar vs Acordar-se
- Conjugation patterns and examples
- Pronoun placement: practical tips
- Common mistakes and how to avoid them
- Regional and register notes
- Stylistic differences and emphasis
- Practical spoken examples from daily life
- Other verbs related to waking and sleeping
- Quick reference summary
- Conclusion
Overview: Two ways to say wake up
Portuguese often uses both a transitive and a pronominal form of the same verb. With the verb Acordar, you can use it without a reflexive pronoun or with one: acordar vs acordar-se. The choice changes who is affected and the sentence structure. Understanding the difference is essential for clear, natural speech.
Basic definitions
Acordar (transitive or intransitive) normally means to wake someone up or to wake up in a general sense. When used transitively, it requires a direct object: someone makes another person wake up. Acordar-se (pronominal) is reflexive and means to wake up oneself, emphasizing the subject experiences the action.
How the reflexive pronoun works
Pronominal verbs in Portuguese combine the verb with a reflexive pronoun: me, te, se, nos, vos, se. For Acordar-se the pronoun represents the subject who experiences waking up. The pronoun usually appears before conjugated verbs (standard European order) or after in informal spoken Brazilian constructions with infinitives, gerunds, and imperatives.
Examples of reflexive pronouns with Acordar-se:
eu me acordo
tu te acordas
ele/ela se acorda
nós nos acordamos
vós vos acordais
eles/elas se acordam
Brazilian word order and common placement
In Brazilian Portuguese, you will most often hear the pronoun placed before the verb in simple indicative tenses: eu me acordei, ela se acordou. With infinitives and gerunds, it is common to attach the pronoun after the verb: acordar-se (in dictionaries), acordar-me, acordando-se. In everyday speech, Brazilians frequently say eu acordei, ela acordou, dropping the reflexive pronoun when the meaning is clear from context.
When to use Acordar vs Acordar-se
There are three main scenarios to decide which form to use: when someone else wakes someone up, when someone wakes up by themselves, and when the verb has a different meaning like to wake memories or to agree on something.
1. Waking someone else
Use Acordar as a transitive verb with a direct object when a person causes another person to wake up. The subject is the waker and the object is the person woken.
Examples:
Minha mãe acordou o meu irmão às sete.
O despertador acordou todo mundo.
2. Waking up oneself
Use the pronominal Acordar-se (or commonly use acordar without the pronoun in casual speech) when the subject wakes up by themselves. The reflexive pronoun indicates the action happens to the subject.
Examples:
Eu me acordei às seis hoje.
Ela se acordou com o barulho da rua.
In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, people often say eu acordei, ela acordou, especially in spoken contexts. Both are correct; adding the pronoun makes the reflexive explicit and slightly more formal or emphatic.
3. Non-literal uses
Acordar can also mean to come to an agreement or to wake up ideas and memories depending on context. These uses are generally non-reflexive.
Examples:
Precisamos acordar os detalhes do contrato.
Aqueles cheiros acordaram lembranças da infância.
Conjugation patterns and examples
Below are key conjugations in the present, past, and future to help you recognize forms. Use the reflexive pronouns where appropriate.
Present indicative
eu acordo / eu me acordo
tu acordas / tu te acordas
ele acorda / ele se acorda
nós acordamos / nós nos acordamos
vós acordais / vós vos acordais
eles acordam / eles se acordam
Pretérito perfeito (simple past)
eu acordei / eu me acordei
tu acordaste / tu te acordaste
ele acordou / ele se acordou
nós acordamos / nós nos acordamos
vós acordastes / vós vos acordastes
eles acordaram / eles se acordaram
Futuro
eu acordarei / eu me acordarei
tu acordarás / tu te acordarás
ele acordará / ele se acordará
nós acordaremos / nós nos acordaremos
vós acordareis / vós vos acordareis
eles acordarão / eles se acordarão
Keep in mind that in spoken Brazilian Portuguese, many speakers use simple forms like eu acordei and ela acordou without the reflexive pronoun, especially for routine statements. Both forms are grammatically acceptable.
Pronoun placement: practical tips
Pronoun placement can change slightly when using compound tenses or other verb forms. In Brazilian Portuguese, you will see these tendencies:
1. Before conjugated verbs in statements: eu me acordei, ela se levantou.
2. Attached to infinitives and gerunds in speech or informal writing: vou me deitar / vou deitar-me (less common in Brazil).
3. With emphasis or to avoid ambiguity, include the pronoun: ele se acordou tarde vs ele acordou tarde (both mean he woke up late, but the first explicitly marks reflexivity).
Examples with gerunds and infinitives
Estou me acordando cedo esta semana.
Preciso me acordar às seis amanhã.
É difícil acordar cedo no inverno.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Many learners confuse when to use the reflexive pronoun. Here are typical errors and corrections.
Error: Acordei meu despertador às sete.
Correction: Meu despertador me acordou às sete or Eu acordei às sete.
Explanation: You cannot “wake” an inanimate object like a clock. Use the intransitive form or say that the alarm woke you.
Error: Eu acordei ele ontem sem o pronome.
Correction: Eu acordei ele ontem or Eu o acordei ontem (both are fine in spoken Portuguese).
But better: Eu o acordei ontem if you want formal written Portuguese.
Explanation: When waking someone else, include the person as a direct object. In spoken Brazilian usage, people say eu acordei ele sem the clitic pronoun, which is considered informal but very common.
Regional and register notes
In Brazil, spoken language tends to be less strict with pronoun usage. Dropping the reflexive pronoun in contexts where meaning is clear is widespread. In formal writing, academic contexts, or when clarity is crucial, include the reflexive pronoun to avoid ambiguity.
Some regions and speakers prefer particular constructions. For instance, in colloquial Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo speech, you will often hear eu acordei and ela acordou without the reflexive pronoun. In more conservative or formal contexts, such as news, literature, or official communication, writers tend to use the reflexive form when referring to waking up oneself.
Stylistic differences and emphasis
Using acordar-se can place slight emphasis on the subject’s experience. It makes the sentence sound more deliberate or introspective. Compare the subtle differences:
Eu acordei cedo hoje. (simple statement about waking early)
Eu me acordei cedo hoje. (emphasizes that I woke myself up or that the waking was experienced by me)
In many cases the difference is minimal; choose the form that matches the tone you want: neutral/informal or explicit/formal.
Practical spoken examples from daily life
Here are natural phrases you will hear in Brazil and what they mean:
Bom dia, você acordou? – Good morning, did you wake up?
Eu acordei com o barulho da construção. – I woke up because of the construction noise.
Alguém me acordou às cinco para eu pegar o voo. – Someone woke me up at five so I could catch the flight.
Ela acordou tarde e perdeu o ônibus. – She woke up late and missed the bus.
Levanta, vou te acordar às sete se você não ouvir o alarme. – Get up, I’ll wake you at seven if you don’t hear the alarm.
Other verbs related to waking and sleeping
To expand your vocabulary, here are a few related verbs commonly used in Brazilian Portuguese:
levantar-se / levantar – to get up (after waking)
despertar – to wake up or wake (more formal, sometimes literary)
dormir – to sleep
cochilar – to nap
Examples:
Eu me levantei depois de acordar.
O barulho me despertou no meio da noite.
Ele dormiu cedo ontem.
Quick reference summary
Use Acordar when someone wakes someone else or as a neutral statement in casual speech. Use Acordar-se to explicitly mark that the subject wakes up by themselves. In Brazilian Portuguese everyday speech, dropping the reflexive pronoun is common and usually acceptable, but include it for clarity, emphasis, or formality.
Conclusion
Understanding the difference between Acordar and Acordar-se helps you speak and write more accurately in Brazilian Portuguese. Remember that reflexive pronouns mark who experiences the action, while the non-reflexive form can be transitive or intransitive. Listen for natural usage in Brazil, and prefer the reflexive when you want clarity or formality. With these guidelines and examples, you will recognize and use both forms correctly in daily situations.
