Dirigir
to drive / to direct / to manage
Presente
Current actions, habits, and general truths.
| eu | dirijo | Eu dirijo ouvindo podcast — aprendo e me desloco ao mesmo tempo. — I drive listening to podcasts — I learn and move at the same time. |
| você/ele/ela | dirige | Ela dirige a empresa com uma visão de longo prazo rara. — She manages the company with a rare long-term vision. |
| nós | dirigimos | Nós dirigimos o projeto desde o início — é nosso. — We have directed the project from the start — it's ours. |
| eles/elas | dirigem | Eles dirigem bem em situação de crise — calma no caos. — They manage well in crisis situations — calm in chaos. |
I drive as I think — with attention to the path and what's around. My friend manages the company as if it were an orchestra — she is the conductor. We directed together a project for which we had no manual to follow. Driving is always a matter of trusting the path before seeing it.
Pret. Perfeito
Completed past actions — what happened.
| eu | dirigi | Eu dirigi dez horas seguidas para chegar no aniversário da minha mãe. — I drove ten hours straight to make it to my mum's birthday. |
| você/ele/ela | dirigiu | Ela dirigiu o filme mais importante da carreira com quarenta anos. — She directed the most important film of her career at forty. |
| nós | dirigimos | Nós dirigimos a organização durante os anos mais difíceis. — We managed the organisation during the hardest years. |
| eles/elas | dirigiram | Eles dirigiram a operação de resgate com precisão. — They directed the rescue operation with precision. |
The trip was long and worth every kilometre. I drove eight hours with my friend asleep in the passenger seat — typical. My cousin directed the most ambitious architecture project the firm had seen. We drove along the coast without a fixed destination and it was the best itinerary of our lives. Those who drove without hurry arrived more rested.
Pret. Imperfeito
Ongoing or habitual past — what used to happen or was happening.
| eu | dirigia | Eu dirigia ouvindo rádio antes de existir playlist. — I used to drive listening to the radio before playlists existed. |
| você/ele/ela | dirigia | Ela dirigia o grupo de teatro do colégio com mais convicção do que qualquer adulto. — She used to direct the school theatre group with more conviction than any adult. |
| nós | dirigíamos | Nós dirigíamos a empresa de forma mais intuitiva no começo. — We used to manage the company more intuitively at the start. |
| eles/elas | dirigiam | Eles dirigiam em silêncio nas viagens longas — fala quando chegar. — They used to drive in silence on long journeys — talk when you arrive. |
Before the metro reached the neighbourhood, I used to drive forty minutes to work every day. I used to drive listening to a language course — learning without noticing. My dad used to direct the union with a dignity everyone respected. We used to manage the residents' association voluntarily for years.
Futuro Informal
Plans and intentions — "going to." The most common future form in spoken BR Portuguese.
| eu | vou dirigir | Vou dirigir até a praia neste fim de semana. — I'm going to drive to the beach this weekend. |
| você/ele/ela | vai dirigir | Ela vai dirigir o departamento enquanto o chefe está de licença. — She's going to manage the department while the boss is on leave. |
| nós | vamos dirigir | Vamos dirigir até o interior — trem não chega lá. — We're going to drive to the countryside — the train doesn't go there. |
| eles/elas | vão dirigir | Eles vão dirigir a nova filial a partir de janeiro. — They're going to manage the new branch from January. |
Trip booked for Sunday. I'm going to drive at dawn to catch the light traffic. My friend is going to direct the music festival for the first time — and she's going to nail it. We're going to take turns driving so nobody arrives exhausted. Those who are going to drive at night need to rest first.
Futuro Formal
Formal future — "shall/will." More common in writing than speech.
| eu | dirigirei | Dirigirei enquanto o corpo e a cabeça deixarem. — I will drive for as long as body and mind allow. |
| você/ele/ela | dirigirá | Ela dirigirá a fundação nos próximos cinco anos. — She will direct the foundation for the next five years. |
| nós | dirigiremos | Dirigiremos o processo de transição com cuidado. — We will direct the transition process with care. |
| eles/elas | dirigirão | Eles dirigirão a orquestra na tournée europeia. — They will conduct the orchestra on the European tour. |
The communiqué was published: The new director will manage the division from the first. We will direct the restructuring programme with a focus on people. Supervisors will manage the teams with supervised autonomy. I will personally direct the first integration workshops.
Condicional
Hypotheticals and polite requests — "would."
| eu | dirigiria | Eu dirigiria mais vezes se o trânsito não fosse tão caro em tempo. — I would drive more often if traffic weren't so costly in time. |
| você/ele/ela | dirigiria | Ela dirigiria qualquer projeto que lhe fosse confiado. — She would direct any project entrusted to her. |
| nós | dirigiríamos | Dirigiríamos melhor com uma equipe mais estável. — We would manage better with a more stable team. |
| eles/elas | dirigiriam | Eles dirigiriam para o litoral se tivessem carro. — They would drive to the coast if they had a car. |
If the city's traffic were more humane, I would drive with pleasure. My friend would direct the project alone if he had the resources. We would manage better as a team if communication were clearer. Cities would manage traffic better if they invested in integrated mobility.
Dirigir across the tenses
A short story using dirigir in multiple tenses
Meu pai dirigia em silêncio — mão no volante, olhos na estrada, pensamentos longe. Dirigia como quem medita. Nós dirigíamos junto nas viagens longas e era quando as melhores conversas aconteciam — paradoxo do silêncio.
Hoje eu dirijo e penso nele. Ontem dirigi o mesmo trecho que fizemos juntos uma vez e parei no posto onde sempre parávamos. Dirigimos assim as memórias — sem GPS, mas sem se perder.
No próximo verão, vou dirigir até o litoral com a família. Se der, dirigirei o mesmo carro que ele dirigia — ainda existe.
Perguntei o que ele dirigiria se pudesse uma última viagem. Ele não pensou: Dirigiria para casa. Sempre para casa. O caminho de volta é o que mais ensina.
My dad used to drive in silence — hand on the wheel, eyes on the road, thoughts far away. He used to drive like someone meditating. We used to drive together on long trips and that was when the best conversations happened — the paradox of silence. Today I drive and think of him. Yesterday I drove the same stretch we did together once and stopped at the service station where we always stopped. We drive memories like this — without GPS, but without getting lost. Next summer, I'm going to drive to the coast with the family. If it works, I will drive the same car he drove — it still exists. I asked what he would drive if he could take one last trip. He didn't think: I would drive home. Always home. The way back is what teaches the most.
Palavra has conjugation flashcards for dirigir across all tenses, plus 2,000+ more cards covering vocabulary, grammar, and real-world phrases.
Try Palavra Free →