Turn this distinction into automatic recall
Falando teaches Brazilian Portuguese through grammar, vocabulary, audio, examples, and spaced review, so confusing pairs stop feeling like guesses.
Quick answer
Custo links resources to producing or obtaining something; despesa records money spent or owed.
A reliable test is to identify the job of the word before translating from English.
What each word does
custo
cost
Use custo for resources required to produce, acquire, operate, or achieve something.
despesa
expense
Use despesa for an outflow or charge recorded in a budget or accounting period.
How to choose
- custo: Choose custo if the sentence points to resources required to produce, acquire, operate, or achieve something.
- despesa: Choose despesa if the sentence points to an outflow or charge recorded in a budget or accounting period.
Examples
O custo de produção aumentou.
The production cost increased.
A viagem gerou despesas extras.
The trip generated extra expenses.
Common trap
Accounting uses stricter classifications than everyday speech. A payment can be a despesa without being a direct production custo.
Practice it in context
Pick one sentence from your real life and write it twice: once with custo, then once with despesa. If both versions feel possible, name the meaning shift.
Turn this distinction into automatic recall
Falando teaches Brazilian Portuguese through grammar, vocabulary, audio, examples, and spaced review, so confusing pairs stop feeling like guesses.