motivar

Senses

1. 1.

   to motivate

   to give someone a reason or incentive to do something

2. 2.

   to inspire

   to fill someone with enthusiasm or determination

3. 3.

   to cause, to bring about

   to be the reason or cause for something

Examples

• "O professor sempre consegue motivar os alunos a estudarem mais."

  The teacher always manages to motivate the students to study more.

• "A crise econômica motivou muitas mudanças na empresa."

  The economic crisis brought about many changes in the company.

• "Preciso de algo para me motivar a ir à academia todos os dias."

  I need something to motivate me to go to the gym every day.

Usage

Common in both formal and informal contexts. Often used reflexively (motivar-se = to motivate oneself). Frequently appears with prepositions: motivar alguém a + infinitive (motivate someone to do something) or motivar alguém para + noun (motivate someone for/toward something). The noun form is "motivação."