Olá a todos os leitores! Hello to all readers! Como estão se sentindo hoje? How are you feeling today? Aproveitaram o domingo? Depois não adianta reclamar que a segunda-feira chegou, ein? Did you enjoy your sunday? Don’t complain about Monday later, huh?

The verb ‘adiantar’ in Portuguese

Are you guys familiar with the verb adiantar in Portuguese? If not, vou adiantar para vocês (I’ll let you in): it is very useful in a variety of situations. As you know, some verbs in our language (as well as in any other) may hold a couple of different meanings. Today’s post will explore the ways you can use adiantar in a sentence and its possible equivalents in English.

First of all, let’s take a look at the conjugation of the verb in the present tense:

eu adianto

você adianta

ele/ ela adianta

nós adiantamos

vocês adiantam

eles/ elas adiantam

1. Adiantar in the sense of doing something in advance, preparing it beforehand, making progress towards the completion of a task:

• O casal decidiu adiantar a data do casamento para evitar o período de chuvas | The couple decided to move up the wedding date to avoid the rainy season
• Não se esqueçam de adiantar seus relógios essa noite com o fim do horário de verão | Do not forget that clocks go forward tonight with the end of daylight savings time
• A gerente adiantou a reunião para hoje porque vai precisar viajar amanhã | The manager moved up the meeting to today because she will need to travel tomorrow
• Nossa equipe se reuniu mais cedo e conseguiu adiantar boa parte do trabalho | Our team met earlier and was able to get a lot of work done
• Enquanto a água está fervendo, vou picando os legumes para ir adiantando | While the water is boiling, I will chop the vegetables to get started
• Eu me adiantei e já enviei todos os relatórios da semana | I went ahead and already handed in all of these week’s reports
• Acordei mais cedo hoje e deu para adiantar bastante das leituras para a aula | I woke up earlier today and was able to get a lot of the lecture readings done beforehand
• Muitas pessoas aproveitaram o feriado para adiantar as compras de natal | Many people took advantage of the holiday to get their Christmas shopping done

2) Adiantar as in paying something or getting some money in advance

• Os moradores do segundo andar, que sempre pagaram aluguel atrasado, me surpreenderam ao pagar adiantado dessa vez | The second-floor residents, who always paid rent late, surprised me by paying upfront this time
• Para cobrir as despesas extras que tive esse mês, tive que pedir ao meu chefe 500 reais adiantado | To cover the extra expenses I had this month, I had to ask my boss for 500 reais in advance
• Os pedreiros solicitam ao cliente que adiantem 100 reais do pagamento antes de começarem o trabalho | The contractors ask customers to pay than 100 reais in advance before they start work

3) Adiantar in the sense that there is no point, there is not use or that something is to no avail or it is not working:

• Não adianta ir à academia todo dia se você não melhorar sua alimentação | It’s no use going to the gym every day if you do not improve your eating habits
• Meu computador estragou. Tentei desligar e ligar de novo, mas não adiantou | My computer crashed. I tried switching it off and on again, but it did not work
• Não vendemos para menores de dezoito anos. Não adianta insistir | We do not sell for children under the age of eighteen. It’s no use insisting
• Aquele remédio para dor de cabeça que eu tomei não adiantou de nada | That headache medicine I took did not work at all
• Você passa a noite inteira jogando videogames, depois não adianta reclamar que está com sono | You spend all night playing video games, then you can not complain that you’re sleepy
• De que adianta comprar um carro se ele não sabe dirigir? | What’s the point of buying a car if it does not know how to drive?
• Nem adianta ligar para a empresa agora, eles já fecharam | No use calling the company now, they’ve already closed
• Recorrer à violência nunca adianta, o diálogo é sempre melhor | Resorting to violence never works, dialogue is always better

Are you interested in learning more about some verbs in Portuguese? Check out some related posts that explore this topic later!:

The word ‘enrolar’ in Portuguese

The verb ‘arrumar’ in Portuguese

The verb ‘acabar’ in Portuguese