lidar — to deal (with), to handle

How to use lidar in Brazilian Portuguese

Lidar is the Brazilian Portuguese verb for to deal (with), to handle. It is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings there are no surprises.

Three tenses do almost all the work in conversation. The presente covers the present and the near future: eu lido — I deal (with). The pretérito perfeito is the finished past, the English simple past: eu lidei — I dealt (with). The pretérito imperfeito is for habits, background and how things used to be: eu lidava — I used to deal (with).

Said the Rio way, lido sounds like LEE-doo. The nós form lidamos ends in the carioca “sh”, lee-DAH-moosh — the most recognisable sound of the Rio accent, where São Paulo says a plain s.