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
Durar gives the span of what exists or happens; demorar gives the time needed by an action or person.
A reliable test is to identify the job of the word before translating from English.
What each word does
durar
to last
Use durar for the total length of an event, object, or condition.
demorar
to take time
Use demorar for the time needed to complete an action or reach a result.
How to choose
- durar: Choose durar if the sentence points to the total length of an event, object, or condition.
- demorar: Choose demorar if the sentence points to the time needed to complete an action or reach a result.
Examples
A reunião durou uma hora.
The meeting lasted one hour.
Demorei uma hora para chegar.
It took me an hour to arrive.
Common trap
A film dura two hours. A person demora two hours para assistir if that is how long the action takes.
Practice it in context
Pick one sentence from your real life and write it twice: once with durar, then once with demorar. 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.