What does “dar conta” mean in Brazilian Portuguese?

Dar conta (de algo) is one of Brazilian Portuguese’s most-used everyday phrases, meaning to manage, cope, or keep up with something. Não dou conta (“I can’t handle it”) is the exasperated version — the phrase reaches for when a mischievous cat, a stack of homework, or a week that’s gone sideways is simply too much. It’s less about ability and more about being overwhelmed.

The clip is a cat repeatedly popping open a cabinet its owner keeps locking — she sighs eu não dou conta, eu não dou conta twice in a row. The same construction flips positive too: dou conta (“I can manage / I’ve got this”) and dar conta do recado (“get the job done”), literally “account for the errand.”