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Switching things out with 'mudar de' and 'trocar de'

In English, when you switch one thing for another, you usually use a possessive pronoun or a definite article. You change "your" mind, change "your" clothes, or change "the" channel. In Portuguese, you often drop those extra words entirely.

Instead, Portuguese expresses this kind of switch by using the verbs mudar or trocar followed by the preposition de and just the noun. There is no need to translate words like "my", "your", or "the".

Word list
mudar de roupaA2 to change just the noun, no possessive trocar de roupaA2 to change just the noun, no possessive mudar de ideiaB1 to change one's mind just the noun, no possessive mudar de opiniãoB1 to change one's mind just the noun, no possessive mudar de canalB2 to change the channel just the noun, no article trocar de canalB2 to change the channel just the noun, no article
Changing your clothes

When you want to say that you are getting changed or changing your clothes, you can use either mudar de roupa or trocar de roupa. Notice how the Portuguese phrase uses just the noun without any possessive pronoun attached to it.

Vou trocar de roupa antes de sair.
(I am going to change my clothes before leaving.)
Ela precisa mudar de roupa porque está chovendo.
(She needs to get changed because it is raining.)
Changing your mind

When it comes to changing your mind or your opinion, Portuguese generally uses mudar. You will use mudar de ideia or mudar de opinião. Just like with clothing, you do not translate the English possessive pronoun.

Eu ia ao cinema, mas mudei de ideia.
(I was going to the cinema, but I changed my mind.)
O gerente mudou de opinião sobre o projeto.
(The manager changed his mind about the project.)
Switching channels

This pattern also applies to switching between things in your environment, such as television channels. You can use mudar de canal or trocar de canal. The preposition de emphasizes the transition from one channel to another.

Você pode mudar de canal por favor?
(Can you change the channel please?)
Nós trocamos de canal durante os comerciais.
(We changed the channel during the commercials.)
Watch out: articles are still sometimes used

Because this construction means you are swapping one thing for another of the same kind, you will hear it in many everyday phrases like mudar de emprego (to change jobs) or trocar de carro (to change cars).

However, it is worth noting that you can still use definite articles in some contexts. Saying mudar o canal or trocar o canal is perfectly grammatical and also common. But using de with just the noun is a highly idiomatic way to talk about switching things out, so learning it will make your Portuguese sound very natural.

Summary

When you are talking about swapping one thing for another, use mudar or trocar followed by de and just the noun. You do not need to add possessive pronouns or definite articles for phrases like changing clothes, changing your mind, or changing the channel.