# enxergar



## ritmo.de.capoeira

What does "enxergar" mean?  Obrigada!


----------



## ewie

_Discern, distinguish, descry_ is what my dictionary says, Ritmo.
It's a shame you don't have a dictionary.


----------



## ritmo.de.capoeira

Ewie-- Obrigada pela resposta!

--And I do have a dictionary, it's just not a good one.  I will have a better one soon!  

Also, sorry.  I figured asking can only help other people who don't have complete dictionaries as well.  The more complete WordReference is, the better, right?

Sorry for being a nuisance, I'm just trying to learn!  Thanks again!


----------



## tom_in_bahia

I always thought of enxergar as discern, too, or in some cases just plain old "see".

Ele nao consegue enxergar o outdoor: He can't see the billboard.


----------



## MariBR

tom_in_bahia said:


> I always thought of enxergar as discern, too, or in some cases just plain old "see".
> 
> In most cases, it is "_to see"_!


----------



## Dom Casmurro

Sometimes, dictionaries are just not good enough for people to grasp what lies behind the meaning of some words. The word _enxergar_ is a case in point. The verbs _discern_, _distinguish_ and _descry_, found in Ewie's dictionary, are but a poor attempt at conveying the full range of meanings, both literal and metaphorical, that are present in _enxergar_. 


Besides the physical quality that makes it a synonym of the verb _ver_ (to see), _enxergar_ can also bear a vast array of other meanings, implications, or connotations. Just to mention a few:

a moral meaning: "ele enxergou o seu erro" = he recognized his wrongdoing.
a psychological implication: "o ator conseguiu enxergar a alma da sua personagem" = the actor managed to go deep into his character's soul.
a 'sixth-sense' perception: "ele enxergou o perigo" = he sensed the danger.
a wild guess: "ele enxergou que a oportunidade tinha chegado" = he felt like the opportunity had come.
a judgment: "He enxerga os dicionários como único recurso para transmitir o significado das palavras" = He thinks dictionaries are the only resource to deliver the meaning of words.


----------



## Benvindo

ritmo.de.capoeira said:


> ...Sorry for being a nuisance, ...


 

You are not. Contrary to what many might think, my opinion is that these forums are not only for the very 'learned' questions, without a place for the 'easy' ones (as though such a thing existed). Personally, I think that I _always_ learn _something_ from _every_ question asked, and from the discussions that ensue (take into consideration the wealth of information Dom Casmurro provided), and I am not being politically correct, that's my technical point of view.


----------



## Ricardoreis

I agree. Dom Casmurro's reply was a thousand times better than what you find in a dictionary and I learnt loads from it, so I'm sure lots of us are grateful you asked the question! Dictionaries are good for helping with nouns, but really verbs often have so many nuances that the views of native speakers is priceless. 

As for using 'enxergar', I've always had the impression from its use that it can be translated best when its synonymous with 'ver' as "to make out", in the sense of to see something at a distance, or despite bad visibility. That also gives the metaphorical sense that Dom Casmurro talks of as "looking deep" or "feeling intuitively", or even realising/understanding.

For example:

_I scanned the horizon, but I couldn't *make out* the ship (see)
He looked through the fog and tried to *make out* the hills in the distance (see)
I just can't *make out* what you're feeling today (perceive)
I really want to try to *make out* what he's saying (understand) 
I listened to that film in Portuguese, but I just couldn't *make out* a word (understand)_

Would you use 'enxergar' in these contexts? I think 'make out' is synonymous with 'discern', but then I never use discern (it's veeery formal to me) and use 'make out' all the time...


----------



## mrprestes

Hi,

Enxergar means "to see", and it is a synonymous to "ver".
If you want, you may provide us more details of where you read this word, and we may be able to give you more details about expressions that contain the word "enxergar".

Hope we helped!


----------



## olivinha

ritmo.de.capoeira said:


> And I do have a dictionary, it's just not a good one. I will have a better one soon!
> 
> Also, sorry. I figured asking can only help other people who don't have complete dictionaries as well. The more complete WordReference is, the better, right?
> 
> Sorry for being a nuisance, I'm just trying to learn! Thanks again!


 
Dear Ritmo,
You are not a nuisance, on the contrary, please feel free to come here anytime you have a question. 
However context is essential here in the forum.
Just imagine if I open the following thread in the English forum:
"What does _see_ mean? Thank you." 

Now regarding your question:
_What does "enxergar" mean?_
In what context?


----------



## Miguel Antonio

How about:

_*Enxergamos *a vida apenas pela percepção que temos da nossa e da vida dos animais e das plantas..._

Attempted translation:

"We* envisage* life only through the perception that we have of our own lives and that of animals and plants..."

Thank you in advance for your kind suggestions. 

MA


----------



## englishmania

sidenote: we don't say _enxergar_ in Portugal.


----------



## Outsider

I have heard _enxergar_ in Portugal, but it's true that it's not common.


----------



## Johannes

JUraria que já ouví em Portugal ( não ) enxergar um palmo a frente do nariz. 
Não usam mesmo?


----------



## englishmania

Bem, não posso responder por todos os portugueses e dizer que nunca ninguém disse "enxergar", claro. A verdade é que é uma palavra nitidamente brasileira que, se for usada em Portugal, é por influência das telenovelas e penetração da cultura e língua/variante brasileira em Portugal. É a minha opinião. Por cá, diz-se "ver".


----------



## Johannes

Oi Mania, 
Pois, pois,(rs) é bem possivel. Como vivi em Portugal com esposa brasileira, já não não sei onde ouví o que.


----------



## Istriano

_Enxergar _means _to see._
_Não consigo enxergar direito. _= I can't see right.


----------



## GamblingCamel

Istriano said:


> _Enxergar _means _to see._
> _Não consigo enxergar direito. _= I can't see right.



ENVISAGE:
1. Contemplate or conceive of as a possibility or a desirable future event.
2. Form a mental picture of (something not yet existing or known).


----------



## Alaor Santos

Enxergar means 'to see'.


----------



## Miguel Antonio

Thank you all for your comments. To cut a long story short, I'll drop the fancy 'envisage' and go for the plain 'see'. Whatever.
I'd never heard the word before, but I am more familiar with Portuguese from the other side of the river, not from the other side of the ocean.


----------



## Istriano

Oxe, but many Galicians say they understand our Portuguese better, because the vowels are clearer.


----------



## Alentugano

Istriano said:


> Oxe, but many Galicians say they understand our Portuguese better, because the vowels are clearer.


 
Galicians, in general, love the portuguese language and they don't have major problems understanding what we say.


----------



## Alentugano

englishmania said:


> Bem, não posso responder por todos os portugueses e dizer que nunca ninguém disse "enxergar", claro. A verdade é que é uma palavra nitidamente brasileira que, se for usada em Portugal, é por influência das telenovelas e penetração da cultura e língua/variante brasileira em Portugal. É a minha opinião. Por cá, diz-se "ver".


 
Não, enxergar não é exclusivamente brasileira. Já ouvi na minha zona. Não se usa muito atualmente, acho eu. Mas ouvi várias vezes.


----------



## englishmania

Istriano said:


> Oxe, but many Galicians say they understand our Portuguese better, because the vowels are clearer.





Alentugano said:


> Galicians, in general, love the portuguese  language and they don't have major problems understanding what we say.




Yeah, hush, istriano, they love us. lol....

We have similar words. In the north of Portugal people say "casa do pobo" (written: povo) and Galicians write it that way. I think I'm not mistaken.


----------

