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
Degradar causes decline; degredar imposes exile.
A reliable test is to identify the job of the word before translating from English.
What each word does
degradar
to degrade or deteriorate
Use degradar for lowering quality, dignity, rank, or environmental condition.
degredar
to exile or banish
Use degredar for condemning someone to forced residence away from their home.
How to choose
- degradar: Choose degradar if the sentence points to lowering quality, dignity, rank, or environmental condition.
- degredar: Choose degredar if the sentence points to condemning someone to forced residence away from their home.
Examples
O descarte irregular degradou o rio.
Illegal dumping degraded the river.
A antiga sentença mandava degredar o condenado.
The old sentence ordered the convict into exile.
Common trap
Degredar is mainly historical or legal-literary today. Degradar is the current verb for deterioration and humiliation.
Practice it in context
Pick one sentence from your real life and write it twice: once with degradar, then once with degredar. 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.