trocar

Senses

1. 1.

   to exchange, to swap

   to give something and receive something else in return

2. 2.

   to change

   to replace one thing with another (clothes, diapers, money, etc.)

3. 3.

   to mix up, to confuse

   to mistake one thing for another

Examples

• "Vou trocar este presente porque não serviu."

  I'm going to exchange this gift because it didn't fit.

• "Ela trocou de roupa antes de sair."

  She changed clothes before going out.

• "Sempre troco os nomes dos meus primos gêmeos."

  I always mix up my twin cousins' names.

Usage

Very common verb with multiple uses. "Trocar de" is used with certain nouns (trocar de roupa, trocar de ideia). "Trocar por" means to exchange for something specific. A common collocation is "trocar uma ideia" (to have a chat, informal). Learners often forget the preposition "de" when changing from one state to another.