Quick answer
Aprovar accepts a result or proposal after evaluation; autorizar grants permission for an action.
A reliable test is to identify the job of the word before translating from English.
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What each word does
aprovar
to approve or pass
Use aprovar for judging a proposal, result, product, or candidate acceptable.
autorizar
to authorize
Use autorizar for giving someone formal permission or legal power to act.
How to choose
- aprovar: Choose aprovar if the sentence points to judging a proposal, result, product, or candidate acceptable.
- autorizar: Choose autorizar if the sentence points to giving someone formal permission or legal power to act.
Examples
O conselho aprovou o novo orçamento.
The council approved the new budget.
A gerente autorizou o pagamento.
The manager authorized the payment.
Common trap
A plan can be aprovado but still await someone to autorizar its execution.
Practice it in context
Pick one sentence from your real life and write it twice: once with aprovar, then once with autorizar. If both versions feel possible, name the meaning shift.
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