Quick answer
Reservar secures future availability; alugar creates paid temporary use.
A reliable test is to identify the job of the word before translating from English.
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What each word does
alugar
to rent
Use alugar for paying for temporary use of a home, vehicle, equipment, or other property.
reservar
to reserve or book
Use reservar for holding a room, table, seat, or service for later use.
How to choose
- alugar: Choose alugar if the sentence points to paying for temporary use of a home, vehicle, equipment, or other property.
- reservar: Choose reservar if the sentence points to holding a room, table, seat, or service for later use.
Examples
Alugamos um carro por três dias.
We rented a car for three days.
Reservei um quarto para sexta-feira.
I booked a room for Friday.
Common trap
You may reservar a car before the trip and alugar it when the rental begins. The booking is not the rental itself.
Practice it in context
Pick one sentence from your real life and write it twice: once with alugar, then once with reservar. If both versions feel possible, name the meaning shift.
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