comportar

Senses

1. 1.

   to hold, to accommodate, to fit

   to have capacity for a certain number of people or things

2. 2.

   to behave, to conduct oneself

   used reflexively (comportar-se) to describe how someone acts

3. 3.

   to allow, to permit

   to admit or tolerate something (less common)

Examples

• "Esta sala comporta até 50 pessoas."

  This room holds up to 50 people.

• "As crianças se comportaram muito bem na festa."

  The children behaved very well at the party.

• "O estádio comporta mais de 60 mil torcedores."

  The stadium accommodates more than 60 thousand fans.

Usage

Most commonly used in two ways: (1) non-reflexively to mean "to hold/accommodate" (e.g., a venue's capacity), and (2) reflexively as "comportar-se" meaning "to behave." The reflexive form is very common in everyday speech, especially when talking about children's behavior. Note that "comportamento" (behavior) is the related noun.