apenas

Apenas is a Portuguese adverb with the core meaning of “only,” “merely,” or “just.” It is used to limit or qualify a statement, indicating that something is restricted in scope or degree. In many contexts it conveys a sense of modesty or understatement.

In usage, apenas tends to be more formal than the synonymous particle só. It can modify verbs, adjectives, or nouns, and its position in the sentence is flexible. Common patterns include apenas + a time expression (apenas um minuto, apenas agora), apenas + quantity (apenas duas pessoas), or apenas + adjective (apenas comum). It can appear before the word it modifies or at the end of a clause for emphasis.

apenas also features in the common collocation não apenas... mas também, meaning “not only... but also.” For example: Não apenas ele chegou, mas também trouxe as fotos. This construction is widely used in both formal and informal writing.

In terms of Nuance, apenas often signals restraint or precision, and it is frequently preferred in formal writing or careful speech. In everyday conversation, speakers may opt for só or somente as a more casual or direct alternative, depending on register and emphasis.

Regional notes: while widely understood across Portuguese-speaking regions, the choice among apenas, só, and somente can vary by country and context, with apenas tending to be more formal or precise.

See also: in other Romance languages, cognate forms with similar meanings exist, such as “apenas” in Spanish and Galician, which carry closely related senses of “barely” or “only.”