Introduction
This article explains the difference between deixar em and deixar com in Brazilian Portuguese. Both verbs often translate as leaving something, but they express different relationships: leaving something somewhere versus leaving something with someone. Clear examples, grammar rules, and usage notes will help English-speaking learners choose the right construction with confidence.
- Overview: deixar + preposition
- Grammar rules: deixAR + em
- Grammar rules: deixAR + com
- Comparing examples side by side
- Pronouns and contractions
- Verb tenses and examples in context
- Special uses and idiomatic expressions
- Common mistakes and how to avoid them
- Cultural and practical notes
- More real-life examples
- Conclusion
Overview: deixar + preposition
In Portuguese, the verb deixar commonly appears with prepositions to specify where or with whom an object stays. The two most frequent combinations for this meaning are deixar em and deixar com. Understanding the subtle difference depends on whether the focus is location or custody/possession.
Basic sense of each phrase
Deixar em indicates that something is left at a place, emphasizing the physical location. Use it when the object or person remains in or on a surface, room, building, or other location.
Deixar com indicates that something is left in the care of a person or sometimes a place considered as a caretaker. It emphasizes who is responsible for or has possession of the object.
Grammar rules: deixAR + em
When using deixar em, the structure is typically deixar + object + em + place. The verb conjugation follows normal rules and agrees with the subject, not the object or the place.
Structure: deixar + [direct object] + em + [location]
Examples:
Eu deixei o casaco em casa.
Ela deixa os livros em cima da mesa.
Você pode deixar a chave embaixo do tapete.
Notes:
Use prepositions that designate position like em, em cima de, embaixo de, dentro de, fora de, no canto de. The focus is spatial: where the item is located, not who will take care of it.
When to use deixar em
Use deixar em when:
– You want to tell someone where an item will be found.
Eu deixei o documento na impressora.
– You describe placement or arrangement.
A vassoura ficou no armário.
– The most important information is the physical location rather than responsibility.
Os presentes ficaram embaixo da árvore.
Grammar rules: deixAR + com
When using deixar com, the structure is deixar + object + com + person (or entity acting as caretaker). The verb again agrees with the subject. Com indicates possession, custody, or responsibility.
Structure: deixar + [direct object] + com + [person]
Examples:
Eu deixei o casaco com minha irmã.
Ele deixou a planta com o vizinho durante as férias.
Deixei o cachorro com a pet sitter.
Notes:
Use com when specifying who holds, looks after, or is responsible for an object or person. It can also be used with institutions or services, e.g., com o hotel, com a recepção.
When to use deixar com
Use deixar com when:
– You transfer responsibility or custody.
Deixei as crianças com a minha mãe.
– You entrust items to someone or an organization.
Deixei as chaves com a portaria.
– You want to indicate possession after the act of leaving.
Ela deixou o dinheiro com o namorado.
Comparing examples side by side
Contrasting sentences show the difference clearly.
Deixei o carro em frente ao prédio.
Here the focus is the car’s location: in front of the building.
Deixei o carro com o porteiro.
Here the focus is that the doorman is responsible for the car (e.g., keys or guarding it).
Deixei o casaco na cadeira.
The jacket is physically located on the chair.
Deixei o casaco com a recepcionista.
The receptionist holds the jacket for you.
Ambiguous or borderline cases
Sometimes both constructions are possible without major change in meaning, but with subtle nuance.
Exemplo: Deixei os documentos na recepção versus Deixei os documentos com a recepcionista.
The first highlights location: the documents are at reception. The second highlights the person who will manage them: the receptionist has them and will likely handle them for you.
Pronouns and contractions
Brazilian Portuguese uses contractions with some prepositions, but with com and em the patterns are different. Em contracts with definite articles: em + o = no, em + a = na, em + os = nos, em + as = nas. This is common with deixar em.
Examples:
Deixei o livro no carro. (em + o = no)
Deixei as malas na sala. (em + as = nas)
With deixar com, com does not contract with articles, but you often include an article after com when referring to a specific person or role:
Deixei as chaves com o vizinho.
Deixei a encomenda com a recepção.
Pronoun placement with deixAR
If you use object pronouns, placement follows standard Portuguese rules. In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, proclitic placement (before the verb) is common in informal contexts, while mesoclisis or enclisis appear in formal or written forms. For beginners, focus on these everyday forms:
Me deixa o telefone? (informal spoken) — Leave me the phone? / Can you leave me the phone?
Você deixou comigo? (less common; people usually say Deixou comigo? or Você deixou comigo?)
Note that comigo and comigo mesmo are fused forms for com + mim and com + eu, respectively. Use comigo rather than com mim.
Verb tenses and examples in context
Deixar conjugates regularly in present, past, and future tenses. The meaning of deixar em or deixar com persists across tenses.
Present: Eu deixo a mochila em casa. (I leave the backpack at home.)
Preterite: Eu deixei o convite com o porteiro ontem. (I left the invitation with the doorman yesterday.)
Future: Vou deixar as plantas com você enquanto viajo. (I will leave the plants with you while I travel.)
Progressive and perfect forms
Progressive constructions with estar + gerund are natural when emphasizing an action in progress:
Estou deixando o pacote na recepção agora. (I am leaving the package at reception now.)
Perfect forms also work normally: Eu tenho deixado os livros na biblioteca. (I have been leaving the books at the library.)
Special uses and idiomatic expressions
Deixar with prepositions also appears in idioms. Some expressions combine deixAR with com or em to express feelings or abstract states, where literal location or custody is not intended.
Examples:
Deixar em paz — to leave in peace, to stop bothering someone.
Deixa-me em paz, por favor.
Deixar com alguém can mean entrusting a decision.
Deixo isso com você. (I leave this decision to you.)
In such cases, deixar com expresses delegation, not physical custody.
Regional and colloquial variations
In Brazil, spoken Portuguese often shortens or adapts phrases, but the core distinction remains stable. People may say Deixei lá instead of Deixei em casa when context makes the location obvious. In more formal registers, you might find precise prepositional use, while informal speech relies on context and pronouns.
Note: In Portugal, usage patterns are similar but some collocations differ; this article focuses on Brazilian Portuguese examples and usage.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Mistake 1: Confusing location with custody. If you mean where something is located, prefer deixar em. If you mean who is responsible, use deixar com.
Wrong: Deixei o cachorro em a vizinha.
Correct: Deixei o cachorro com a vizinha.
Mistake 2: Incorrect contraction with com. Do not contract com + o to form a single word. Use com o, com a, com os, com as when naming the caretaker.
Wrong: Deixei as chaves no porteiro.
Better: Deixei as chaves com o porteiro. (Note: no means em + o, so this changes meaning.)
Mistake 3: Using em when you mean delegation. If you delegate responsibility or decision-making, prefer deixar com.
Wrong: Deixo isso em você.
Correct: Deixo isso com você.
Quick decision guide
If you need a fast rule of thumb:
– Ask yourself: Is the important information the place or the person? If place, use deixar em. If person or responsibility, use deixar com.
– If in doubt, rephrase: Where is it? Use em. Who has it? Use com.
Cultural and practical notes
In Brazil, handing something to a person for safekeeping is common: leaving keys with reception, leaving a package with a neighbor, or leaving children with family. Using deixar com conveys trust and responsibility. When leaving items in shared spaces such as offices or buildings, specifying location with deixar em is practical and expected.
Politeness strategies: When asking someone to hold something, use conditional or polite forms: Pode deixar isso com você? or Você pode ficar com as minhas malas por um momento? These forms soften the request and are common in everyday interactions.
More real-life examples
Deixei os óculos na mesa do restaurante.
Deixei os documentos com o advogado.
Ela sempre deixa o guarda-chuva na entrada de casa.
Vamos deixar as crianças com a avó durante a festa.
Posso deixar meu cartão com você até amanhã?
Conclusion
Understanding the difference between deixar em and deixar com centers on location versus custody. Use deixar em to indicate where something is left and deixar com to indicate who has responsibility or possession. Pay attention to contractions with em and to polite phrasing when entrusting items to others. With practice in real contexts, choosing the correct form becomes natural.
