/pree-ten-dare/
🚫 English speakers think: To pretend (to fake, act like)
✅ Actually means: To intend, to plan, or to aim
This word makes English speakers sound surprisingly ambitious when they think they are being playful. If you say, “Eu pretendo ser médico,” you aren’t admitting to being a fraud—you are saying you aim to become a doctor.
Example in Context
“Ele pretende mudar-se para o Porto no próximo ano.” → “He intends to move to Porto next year.”
How to say “Pretend”
If you actually want to talk about faking it (kids playing make-believe, or someone acting like they didn’t see you), use fingir.
- Ela fingiu que não me viu. → “She pretended not to see me.”
Usage Tip
Because this verb is all about intentions and plans, it’s a very common alternative way of talking about the future without actually using the future tense!
Memory Trick
Flaky people only pretend to make plans. But in Portuguese, pretender IS to plan.
More False Friends
This is a fun one. Check out my note on the verb puxar - it doesn’t mean what you think it means. 🚪