Portuguese Phrase
Você tirou o lixo?
Meaning
A direct yes/no question asking whether the listener has already taken the household trash out. It’s a common way to check if a chore has been completed.
When to use
Use this phrase after you notice the trash bin is full or when you’re coordinating household chores. It’s polite yet informal, suitable for family members, roommates, or close friends.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Vocêtirouolixo?
Você
Second‑person singular pronoun used in most of Brazil; conjugates verbs in third‑person form.
tirou
Preterite (simple past) of the verb tirar; agrees with the subject ‘você’ (treated as third‑person singular).
o
Definite article matching the masculine singular noun ‘lixo’.
lixo
Masculine singular noun meaning ‘trash’ or ‘garbage’.
? (question mark)
In Portuguese, the interrogative intonation is indicated by a question mark; the sentence is a yes/no question.
🗨In Conversation
Você tirou o lixo?
Did you take out the trash?
Ainda não, vou fazer agora.
Not yet, I’ll do it now.
✕Common Mistakes
Você tira o lixo?
‘tira’ is present tense; the question asks about a completed action, so the preterite ‘tirou’ is required.
Você tirou lixo?
Missing the definite article makes the sentence sound incomplete; Portuguese normally uses ‘o lixo’ for ‘the trash’.
Você tirou o lixo.
Without the question mark or rising intonation, it becomes a statement rather than a question.
↔Alternatives
Você já tirou o lixo?
Have you already taken out the trash?
Você pode tirar o lixo?
Can you take out the trash?
Já jogou o lixo fora?
Did you already throw the trash away?
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, taking out the trash (tirar o lixo) is a routine household chore often shared among family members. Using ‘você’ is informal but perfectly acceptable in most domestic settings. If you want to sound even more courteous, you can add ‘por favor’ after the question: ‘Você tirou o lixo, por favor?’