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Portuguese Phrase

Queria tirar meus dias pessoais.

/keˈɾi.a tʃiˈɾaɾ mewz ˈdʒi.as pe.soˈajs/
Meaning"I wanted to take my personal days."
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Meaning

This phrase means "I would like to take my personal days." The verb "querer" in the imperfect past ("queria") is commonly used to express a polite request or desire in the present or near future, similar to "I would like" in English. "Tirar" means "to take" or "to remove," and "dias pessoais" refers to personal leave days.

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When to use

You would use this phrase when formally or informally requesting personal leave from your employer or manager. It's a polite way to express your desire to use your allocated personal days for non-sick or non-vacation reasons. It's suitable for workplace communication.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Queriatirarmeusdiaspessoais

1

Queria (querer)

"Queria" is the imperfect past tense of "querer" (to want). It's often used to make polite requests in Portuguese, similar to "I would like" in English, even when referring to a present or future desire.

2

Tirar

"Tirar" means "to take" or "to remove." In the context of work, it's the correct verb to use when referring to taking time off, leave, or days off.

3

Meus

"Meus" is the masculine plural possessive adjective meaning "my." It agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies, "dias."

4

Dias pessoais

"Dias pessoais" literally translates to "personal days." This is the standard term for personal leave days in a professional context, distinct from vacation or sick leave.

🗨In Conversation

A

Bom dia, chefe. Queria tirar meus dias pessoais na próxima semana.

Good morning, boss. I wanted to take my personal days next week.

Bom dia, [Nome]. Quantos dias você precisa? Podemos verificar a disponibilidade.

Good morning, [Name]. How many days do you need? We can check availability.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Eu quero tirar meus dias pessoais.

    "Quero" is too direct for a request; "queria" is more polite, like "I would like."

  • Eu queria pegar meus dias pessoais.

    While "pegar" can mean "to take," "tirar" is the correct verb for taking time off or leave.

  • Eu queria tirar meus dias particulares.

    "Dias pessoais" is the standard term for personal days in a work context.

↔Alternatives

  • Gostaria de tirar meus dias pessoais.

    I would like to take my personal days.

  • Preciso tirar uns dias pessoais.

    I need to take some personal days.

  • Posso tirar meus dias pessoais?

    Can I take my personal days?

pt

Cultural Tip

In many Portuguese-speaking workplaces, especially in Brazil, using the imperfect past tense like "queria" or "gostaria" (I would like) is a common and polite way to make requests, even for future actions. It softens the request compared to using the present tense "quero" (I want), which can sound demanding. Always check company policy regarding how and when to request personal days.