← Back to Fala2Me

be responsible

[/bi rɪˈspɒnsəbəl/]
verb phrase
ser responsável
1. to have a duty or obligation to do something or to take care of something
She is responsible for managing the team.
Ela é responsável por gerenciar a equipe.
2. to be the cause of something, especially something bad
Who is responsible for this mess?
Quem é responsável por esta bagunça?
3. to be trustworthy and reliable
He is a responsible person who always meets deadlines.
Ele é uma pessoa responsável que sempre cumpre prazos.
4. to be accountable for one's actions
You are responsible for your own choices.
Você é responsável por suas próprias escolhas.
Synonyms
be accountablebe liablebe answerablebe in chargebe trustworthy
Antonyms
be irresponsiblebe unreliableshirk responsibilityevade responsibility

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
ser responsável
standard usage across Brazil
São Paulo
ser responsável
common in business and formal contexts
Rio de Janeiro
ser responsável
standard usage, sometimes informal: 'ser o responsável'
Portugal
ser responsável
formal and standard usage throughout Portugal

Related Idioms & Phrases

take responsibility
hold someone responsible
be held responsible
pass the buck
take the fall
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →