A Small Incident

Pedi à minha filha para me dar a lista telefónica. Ela riu-se de mim, chamou-me de dinossauro e entregou-me o iPhone dela. Então... a aranha está morta, o iPhone está partido e a minha filha está chateada.

I asked my daughter to give me the phone book. She laughed at me, called me a dinosaur, and handed me her iPhone. So... the spider is dead, the iPhone is broken and my daughter is pissed.

Today's vocabulary

🙏 Pedir: To ask [for something]👶 Filha [femin. noun]: Daughter😂 Rir-se: To laugh📦 Entregar: To deliver, to give🕷️ Aranha [femin. noun]: Spider💀 Morta [femin. adjective]: Dead💔 Partido [masc. adjective]: Broken😠 Chateada [femin. adjective]: Upset, annoyed

A mini lesson on ‘entregar’

‘Entregar’ is a verb that often means ‘to hand in’ or ‘to deliver’, depending on the situation. It’s commonly used in everyday life when talking about giving something to someone officially or physically. The more you hear it in context, the more natural it becomes.

Let’s look at how it works in different situations:

Giving something to someone directly

This is the most basic use. You're physically handing something over.

• 📦 Entreguei a encomenda ao vizinho. (I handed the package to the neighbour.)
• 🗝️ O senhorio entregou as chaves ontem. (The landlord handed over the keys yesterday.)
• 📄 Podes entregar este papel ao professor? (Can you give this paper to the teacher?)

Submitting something officially

When someone ‘entrega’ a document, a form, or schoolwork, it means they are turning it in or submitting it.

• 📝 Ela entregou o teste. (She handed in the test.)
• 📚 Temos de entregar o trabalho até sexta-feira. (We have to submit the assignment by Friday.)
• 💼 Já entregaste o currículo? (Have you submitted the CV?)

Delivering something (like a service or item)

Sometimes ‘entregar’ means a delivery is being made by someone, not necessarily face to face.

• 🚚 A empresa entrega os móveis em casa. (The company delivers the furniture to your home.)
• 🍕 Não entregamos pizzas depois das 23h. (We don’t deliver pizzas after 11pm.)
• 📦 O correio ainda não entregou a carta. (The post hasn’t delivered the letter yet.)

Giving something over emotionally or formally

This is more abstract, but the reflexive verb ‘entregar-se’ can also express giving in, surrendering, or devoting something or yourself.

• ❤️ Ele entregou-se de corpo e alma. (He gave himself fully – ‘body and soul’.)
• 😔 Ele acabou por se entregar à polícia. (He ended up turning himself in to the police.)
• 🧑‍⚕️ Ele entregou-se ao trabalho. (He gave himself to his work.)