Aguentar

Aguentar is a Portuguese verb that means to endure, bear, tolerate, or withstand. It can describe physical endurance (enduring pain or fatigue) as well as emotional or situational tolerance (withstanding difficulties, waiting in a long line, etc.). The verb is widely used in both Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese and can appear in various constructions with prepositions such as com and de to indicate what is endured.

Usage and expressions commonly associated with aguentar include expressions like aguentar o tranco (to tough it out), não aguento mais (I can’t stand it anymore), and aguentar-se (to endure or hold on in a challenging moment). It is also common to use aguentar with ser or estar to describe someone’s capacity to tolerate a condition (por exemplo, "Ele não aguenta mais o calor" or "Ela aguenta bem o trabalho").

Conjugation and variants: aguentar is a regular -ar verb, so it follows standard conjugation patterns. Present indicative forms include eu aguento, você aguenta, nós aguentamos, eles aguentam. The pretérito perfeito simples includes eu aguentei, você aguentou, nós aguentamos, eles aguentaram. The infinitive is aguentar, and the verb can appear in reflexive form as aguentar-se in contexts such as "não consigo me aguentar" (I can’t stand/hold myself together).

Notes: regional differences influence pronoun use and some colloquial forms (for example, the tú form in Portugal may differ from Brazilian usage). Aguentar is often contrasted with synonyms like tolerar and soportar, but its nuance emphasizes endurance over mere acceptance.