Pesquisar vs. investigar
Both pesquisar and investigar translate to to research or to investigate in English, but they differ in intensity and regional usage. generally, pesquisar implies searching for information, data gathering, or looking things up, while investigar implies a deeper inquiry, probing into causes, or scientific discovery. A key regional difference lies in academic titles: a scientist in Brazil is usually called a pesquisador, while in Portugal, they are often referred to as an investigador.
Pesquisar
A2This verb is widely used in Brazil for almost any type of search, from Googling a recipe to conducting a school project or checking prices. It focuses on the act of seeking and gathering existing information. In Portugal, pesquisar is also used (often for internet searches or database queries), but less frequently for high-level scientific work compared to Brazil.
Eu preciso pesquisar os preços antes de comprar o carro.
(I need to research the prices before buying the car.)
Os alunos vão pesquisar sobre a Segunda Guerra Mundial.
(The students will research World War II.)
Vou pesquisar o melhor restaurante da cidade no meu celular.
(I am going to look up the best restaurant in the city on my cell phone.)
O cientista passou anos a pesquisar uma nova vacina.
(The scientist spent years researching a new vaccine.)
Investigar
B1This verb implies a deeper, methodical examination to discover something hidden or to understand complex mechanisms. In Brazil, it is heavily associated with police work, detective work, or journalism. In Portugal, however, investigar is the standard term for high-level academic and scientific research; consequently, a professional researcher at a Portuguese university is called an investigador.
A polícia está a investigar o desaparecimento das joias.
(The police are investigating the disappearance of the jewelry.)
Em Portugal, o meu irmão trabalha como investigador de biologia.
(In Portugal, my brother works as a biology researcher.)
Os jornalistas decidiram investigar o escândalo de corrupção.
(The journalists decided to investigate the corruption scandal.)
Precisamos de investigar a causa raiz deste problema técnico.
(We need to investigate the root cause of this technical problem.)
Summary
Use pesquisar for general searching, price comparisons, school projects, and looking things up on the internet (especially in Brazil). Use investigar for solving crimes, finding root causes, or deep analysis. Remember that for the job title researcher, Brazilians favor pesquisador while the Portuguese favor investigador.