Portuguese Phrase
Estou dando uma olhada nas paredes e nos pisos.
Meaning
The sentence means “I am taking a look at the walls and the floors.” It conveys that the speaker is currently inspecting those surfaces, often in the context of a renovation, cleaning, or a quick visual check.
When to use
Use this phrase when you are in the middle of checking the condition or appearance of interior surfaces—e.g., during a home makeover, a property inspection, or simply while cleaning and you want to let someone know what you’re doing.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Estoudandoumaolhadanasparedesenospisos
Estar + Gerúndio
The progressive present in Portuguese is formed with the verb estar followed by a gerund (e.g., estou dando).
Gerúndio de dar
‘Dando’ is the gerund form of ‘dar’, used here to mean ‘taking a look’.
Expressão idiomática
‘Dar uma olhada’ is an informal idiom meaning ‘to take a look’.
Preposições contraídas
‘nas’ = em + as (feminine plural), ‘nos’ = em + os (masculine plural).
Conjunção
‘e’ simply links two noun phrases.
🗨In Conversation
Estou dando uma olhada nas paredes e nos pisos.
I’m taking a look at the walls and the floors.
Ótimo, avisa se precisar de ajuda.
Great, let me know if you need any help.
✕Common Mistakes
Estou dar uma olhada nas paredes e nos pisos.
The progressive requires the gerund form ‘dando’, not the infinitive ‘dar’.
Estou dando uma olhada nas paredes e nas pisos.
‘Pisos’ is masculine, so the correct preposition is ‘nos’, not ‘nas’.
↔Alternatives
Estou olhando as paredes e os pisos.
I’m looking at the walls and the floors.
Estou examinando as paredes e os pisos para ver se há danos.
I’m examining the walls and the floors to see if there is any damage.
Cultural Tip
‘Dar uma olhada’ is a very common, informal way to say ‘to take a look’ in Brazil. It’s more conversational than the literal ‘olhar’. Remember to match the prepositions ‘nas’ (feminine) and ‘nos’ (masculine) with the gender of the nouns that follow.