Portuguese Phrase
Dá teu lugar às grávidas.
Meaning
The sentence is a polite command asking someone to give up their seat to pregnant women. It is commonly heard on buses, trains, or in any public space where seats are limited.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to encourage or remind people to offer their seat to pregnant women – for example, on public transport, in a crowded elevator, or at a theater.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Dáteulugaràsgrávidas
Imperative (Dá)
‘Dá’ is the informal 2nd‑person singular imperative of the verb ‘dar’ (to give). Use it when speaking to someone you address as ‘tu’.
Possessive adjective (teu)
‘teu’ means ‘your’ and must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies – here ‘lugar’ (masculine singular).
Noun (lugar)
‘lugar’ can mean ‘place’ or ‘seat’; in this context it refers to a seat on public transport.
Contraction (às)
‘às’ is the contraction of the preposition ‘a’ + the feminine plural article ‘as’, translating to ‘to the’.
Plural noun (grávidas)
‘grávidas’ is the plural form of ‘grávida’, meaning ‘pregnant women’. It matches the article ‘as’ in gender and number.
🗨In Conversation
Dá teu lugar às grávidas.
Give your seat to the pregnant women.
Claro, aqui está.
Sure, here you go.
✕Common Mistakes
Dê teu lugar às grávidas.
‘Dê’ is the formal imperative, but ‘teu’ is informal; they don’t match. Use either ‘Dá teu…’ (informal) or ‘Dê seu…’ (formal).
Dá seu lugar às grávidas.
Mixing the informal imperative ‘Dá’ with the formal possessive ‘seu’ sounds inconsistent. Keep the level of formality consistent.
Dá teu lugar a grávidas.
Missing the contraction ‘às’; the correct preposition‑article combination is ‘às’ (to the).
↔Alternatives
Cede o teu lugar às grávidas.
Yield your seat to the pregnant women.
Oferece o teu assento às grávidas.
Offer your seat to the pregnant women.
Dá o teu assento às grávidas.
Give your seat to the pregnant women.
Cultural Tip
In both Brazil and Portugal, giving up a seat to pregnant women, the elderly, or people with disabilities is considered good manners. In Brazil the informal ‘teu’ is less common; most speakers would say ‘Dá seu lugar às grávidas.’ In Portugal, ‘teu’ is perfectly natural. Remember that if you’re speaking formally, use the formal imperative ‘Dê’ and the formal possessive ‘seu’. Also, if you refer to a single pregnant woman, say ‘à grávida’ (singular).