comportar

Comportar is a Portuguese verb that can be used intransitively in reflexive form as comportar-se, and transitively in non-reflexive uses. Its meanings span behaving, implying or entailing something, and containing or accommodating physical capacity. In everyday speech, the most common sense is the reflexive one: to behave in a certain way. For example: ele se comportou bem durante a reunião (he behaved well during the meeting).

Beyond behavior, comportar also means to entail, involve, or require something. In this sense, a decision or action can comportar riscos, custos, ou consequências (to entail risks, costs, or consequences). Another sense, more technical or figurative, is to contain or hold within a certain capacity: este equipamento comporta até 2 litros (this equipment holds up to 2 liters) e.g., a container or device that can accommodate a given amount.

Etymology and related terms: the verb comes from Latin comportare, formed from com- “together” and portare “to carry,” sharing roots with portar, port, and other port-related terms. The noun form is comportamento (behavior).

Grammar: comportar follows regular -ar verb conjugation. It appears in both plain transitives and reflexive constructions (comportar-se). The reflexive form is standard for the sense of behavior, while the transitives are used for entailment or capacity.

See also: comportamento, portar-se, comportamento social. In usage, contextual cues determine whether the sense is behavioral (reflexive) or referential to inclusion, involvement, or capacity (transitive).