Mudar X Trocar

Many people have asked me before: “what is the difference between the verb Mudar and the verb Trocar? ”

It will depend on the context. Mudar and Trocar, in most cases, are interchangeable, meaning only ‘to change‘ or ‘to switch‘. You can say:

1. Eu vou mudar/trocar de roupa. = I’m going to change clothes.
2. Eu mudei de ideia. = I changed my mind.
3. Troca de canal, por favor. = Switch the channel, please.

(Mudar/Trocar = To change / To switch)

But Mudar is also to move out:

1. Eu vou me mudar para outra cidade. = I’m going to move to another city.
(Mudar = To move out / To move house)

And Trocar is also to exchange:

1. Eu vou trocar o dinheiro. = I’m going to exchange the money.
2. Eu vou trocar o presente na loja. = I’m going to exchange the present in the shop.
(Trocar = To exchange)

I hope this information can help. If you want to say to change, say any of them. But meaning to move out, you say Mudar (follow the letter M). If you want to say to exchange, say Trocar.