Você merece até a lua. (“You’re so great, you deserve everything.” Literally: “You deserve the moon.”)

Few things can help your Portuguese thrive like bonding with native speakers. So what’s the first step in successfully expanding your communication with others? Learning compliments in Portuguese.

One doesn’t need to be “fake” to observe someone and identify personal traits worth mentioning. Compliments are not only a gateway to others’ attention, but also to their culture and habits—you need to formulate them correctly according to the context and local use.

In this article, we’ll introduce you to a compilation of European Portuguese compliments and compliments in Brazilian Portuguese. If you practice them enough, they may make the Portuguese more open to dialogue and the Brazilian more prone to cooperate.

Hopefully, the 20+ options in this article will provide you with a good initial reference as a beginner- or intermediate-level speaker. We’ll cover how to value someone’s work, how to compliment a girl in Portuguese, some other European and Brazilian Portuguese compliments, and the best way to deliver compliments in a Portuguese-speaking country.

Table of Contents

1. Complimenting Someone’s Look
2. Complimenting Someone’s Work
3. Complimenting Someone’s Skills
4. How to Make Your Compliments Sound More Sincere
5. What to Expect After Giving Compliments
6. A raspa do tacho

1. Complimenting Someone’s Look

Before either person opens their mouth, one’s appearance can say a lot about them. In this vein, both girls and boys have a hard time resisting a good compliment in Portuguese! Looks aren’t everything, but they surely are something.

So how do you compliment someone in Portuguese about their looks? Here are some phrases you can remember:

• Você é linda/lindo. (“You are beautiful/handsome.”)
• Que bonita(o) está hoje. (“You look good today.”)
• Você tem um sorriso lindo. (“You have a beautiful smile.”)
• Você é muito charmoso(a). (“You’re very charming.”)
• Você é estiloso(a). (“You’re stylish.”)
• Que gatinho(a)! (“What a beauty!” Literally: “What a kitty!”)

(Que gatinha! [“What a kitty!”])

Many people struggle to come up with appropriate compliments for women in Portuguese. Pretty girls often get bored of being called pretty, for instance. Neither do people like to be judged only by their looks. So here are some more original ways to compliment a girl in Portuguese:

• Seu ____ é muito giro. (“You’re wearing a very fine _______.”) — Portugal only.
• Que elegância! (“You look elegant!”)
• Você tem um ótimo senso de humor! (“You have a great sense of humor!”)
• Adoro suas manias. (“I love your ways.” Literally: “I love your mania.”)
• Você me inspira. (“You inspire me.”)
• Você tem um coração lindo. (“You have a beautiful heart.”)

The following compliments aren’t strictly related to looks, but are examples of more original ways to compliment a girl in Portuguese.

You are the sunshine of my life.

Here’s a little selection for those who are madly in love. In any other context, these would sound cheesy. But in a moment of extreme intimacy and chemistry, just go for it.

• Você me faz querer ser uma pessoa melhor. (“You make me want to be a better person.”)
• Eu só tenho olhos para você. (“I only have eyes for you.”)
• Sua beleza é enigmática. (“You have an enigmatic beauty.”)
• Não existe nada que soe mal na sua voz. (“Nothing that is spoken in your voice sounds bad.”)

2. Complimenting Someone’s Work

Compliments in Portuguese are desirable in workplaces. Any manual on “how to be a boss” will recommend the reasonable use of compliments or the regular mentioning of employees’ best characteristics to motivate a team.

Not only is giving compliments a good management maneuver, but is there anything more flattering than receiving appreciation for a job well-done? That’s a very useful way to employ a compliment in Portuguese!

(Foi trabalho muito bem-feito! [“That was a very well-done job!”])

Giving a compliment in Portuguese about someone’s professional abilities is easier than flirting: the language is plain and the speaker only needs to worry about not sounding too informal.

• Bom trabalho! (“Good job!”)
• Matou dois coelhos com uma cajadada só! (“You were very efficient!” Literally: “You’ve killed two rabbits with only one stroke.” Equivalent to “kill two birds with one stone.”) — Less formal & Brazil only.
• Meus parabéns! (“Congratulations!”)
• Foi trabalho muito bem-feito! (“That was a very well-done job!”)
• O seu currículo é impressionante! (“You have an impressive resumé!”)
• Mandou bem! (“Good one!”) — Less formal

3. Complimenting Someone’s Skills

Friendship is a rich source of compliments in Portuguese. Here are some Portuguese compliments to express your confidence in someone:

• Você é um(a) ótimo(a) amiga(o)! (“You’re a great friend!”)
• Estou contigo e não abro! (“You can count on me.” Literally: “I’m with you and won’t open.”) — Brazil only.
• Você me faz feliz. (“You make me happy.”)
• És muito fixe. (“You’re very nice.”) — Portugal only.

In more general situations, here are some common ways to compliment someone’s skills:

• Você _______ muito bem! (“You are very good at ______!”)
• Você é muito ________! (“You are very ______!”)

The blank in the second sentence can be filled with adjectives, such as:

• Interessante (“Interesting”)
• Forte (“Strong”)
• Engraçado(a) (“Funny”)
• Divertido(a) (“Fun”)
• Sincero(a) (“Sincere”)
• Atlético(a) (“Athletic”)
• Alto astral (“Joyful”) — Informal.

Also, there are some types of compliments in Portuguese you can direct to people you’re not very close to in a social context. For instance, compliments to the chef in Portuguese:

• Meus cumprimentos ao chefe! (“I send my compliments to the chef!”)
• A comida estava excelente! (“The food was excellent!”)
• Você cozinha como um profissional! (“You cook like a professional!”)

(Meus cumprimentos ao chefe! [“I send my compliments to the chef!”])

4. How to Make Your Compliments Sound More Sincere

This section relates more to the delivery of compliments in Portuguese than to the vocabulary itself. Here are some tips on how to compliment in Portuguese in a way that’s believable and meaningful:

• Don’t be afraid to compliment too much, as long as your compliments are honest.
• Only say what you truly mean—or at least what you can support rationally.
• Don’t trade an interesting talk for cheap compliments.
• Match the emotion of your voice with the message you’re sending.
• Use proper posture. Look people in the eye while you give them compliments.

5. What to Expect After Giving Compliments

People in Brazil react differently to compliments in Portuguese than people in Portugal do. Apart from silly stereotypes, there are some cultural trends involved in this matter. Compliments in Portuguese culture are very interesting to get an initial reaction to, since the people here are more socially closed or shy than Brazilian people.

One might expect both Portuguese and Brazilian people to show appreciation for the compliment:

• Obrigadinho! (“Thank you very much!”) — Portugal only.
• São os seus olhos… (“It’s in your eyes…”)
• Muito amável! (“Thanks!” Literally: “Very lovely!”)
• Obrigado(a)! (“Thank you!”)
• Valeu! (“Thanks!”) — Informal & Brazil only.

Then, the target of the compliment might respond with a reciprocal compliment.

Considering that compliments in Portuguese culture are a way of bonding, the reception of the compliment tends to be different in Portugal and Brazil.

For example, a stranger who offers too many compliments in a first conversation is more likely to make a Portuguese person feel uptight, while a Brazilian person would feel more comfortable. The Portuguese tend to be a little “colder,” while Brazilians might create a type of “instant intimacy.”

This intimacy is often fake, but it’s a common cultural trait to treat a friendly stranger nominally as a member of the family. That is, to make someone feel comfortable in social environments and make the conversation more interesting (or at least more bearable, in bad cases).

(An apparent intimacy is sometimes only momentary…)

This might send the wrong message to a foreigner. For instance: a Brazilian who, in the first conversation, shares information that sounds too personal to a foreigner can be interpreted as real interest or flirting. Often, it means nothing, though.

Brazilian Portuguese compliments sometimes focus on things that Europeans would never mention. This piece of information is especially useful for flirty guys looking to compliment a girl in Portuguese. When getting in touch with the foreign culture, pay equal attention to the social dynamics and the compliments in Brazilian Portuguese.

Having said that, Portuguese people won’t usually react badly to compliments. They only take more time to establish confidence and are more literal in their approach. Compliments that are more specific will communicate better than broad ones.

6. A raspa do tacho

So, we’ve achieved a raspa do tacho—the end. This article has presented some of the most common and effective ways to give compliments in Portuguese.

Most of these are Brazilian Portuguese compliments, but can also be used in Portugal, Angola, and other Portuguese-speaking countries. This little guide will direct your steps toward success as you communicate with people from these countries.

Always remember that practice makes perfect, so you can always broaden your knowledge with new lessons, articles, audio files, and videos at PortuguesePod101.com.

Compliments in Brazilian Portuguese are a quick step to shorten distances between people. The most fascinating information about them actually shows up when the vocabulary is applied to real-life situations. The real dynamics with other cultures are very rich, and it’s where at least half of the interest in language use is.

What are common compliments in your language? Share them with us in the comments below!

Not everything will be hunky-dory during your visit to Brazil. When the time comes for you to express yourself, knowing a few angry phrases in Portuguese will be immensely helpful for you, especially if things get heated. Knowing these phrases will help you vocalize your anger or understand what’s being told to you in a not-so-happy fashion. But hey, there’s no need to shower anyone with Portuguese curse words!

While you can learn how to curse in Portuguese, the best way to express yourself in those heated moments is to have some milder angry phrases up your sleeve. Let’s help you with that!

It’s worth noting that some dirty words can be used in common sentences and be “stripped” of the profanity. But for now, let’s keep it simple. In our list below, we’ll only give one example of such a word.

With that, keep reading to learn how to let others know you’re angry in Brazilian Portuguese!

Table of Contents

1. Angry Imperatives
2. Angry Warnings
3. Describing How You Feel
4. Conclusion: How to Calm Yourself Down When You’re Angry

1. Angry Imperatives

1- “Shut your mouth!”

It’s almost comical that in many languages, Portuguese included, one of the first angry phrases to come out always involves telling someone to zip it. It can be a little rude, sure, but sometimes it’s necessary to let it fly and not hide your feelings. To tell someone to shut up, you can say Cala a Boca!

It’s a literal translation, word per word. Simple and straightforward, and it leaves no need for Portuguese swearing. However, you still have to be really careful about when and how you use this phrase. Because if you let it slip at the wrong time or in the wrong way, it’s time to say sorry.

2- “Enough!”

You’ve had enough. To tell someone to stop what they’re doing in Portuguese, just say Chega!

You can use this phrase in many different scenarios. For example, when somebody is complaining a lot and you can’t take it anymore. All of us have a friend who won’t stop complaining about the night out, the bar, the music, the food. Or maybe you’ve had to travel or deal with kids who won’t stop running, crying, and screaming. When that happens, all you can say is… CHEGA!

3- “Leave me in peace.”

This angry phrase is kind of like “Leave me alone,” but after saying this one, someone is more likely to just go and talk to someone else. To say this in Portuguese, it’s Me deixa em paz!

You’re infuriated with someone, and you really want them to know this. Paz is “peace,” and it can mean a lot of things in this case: being alone, continuing to do what you were doing, or even going to talk with somebody else.

4- “Get lost!”

The translation of vazamento is “leak,” but when you use vaza in an angry phrase, you’re telling someone to scram, get out, or disappear. It’s a colloquial expression to make it clear that you can’t stand that person and you want them to get lost.

2. Angry Warnings

Angry outbursts in Portuguese wouldn’t be complete without a few warning phrases to get started. Let’s see a few of the most common ones:

1- “Don’t be on top of me!”

You’re trying to establish some ground in an argument or discussion, and you don’t want anybody to mess with you. That’s when you say: Não vem para cima de mim!

The literal translation above gives a sense of what this phrase means in Portuguese, but the threatening tone is more like “Don’t mess with me.” If you say this, you’ll make it clear that this is your turf no matter what anyone else says.

You can mix some Portuguese curse words in here, and maybe you’ll hear that version. But trust me: keep it classy and the message will be the same.

2- “This is the last time I’ll say it!”

Every mom and dad in the world can relate to this sentence. In Portuguese, it’s the same structure: Esta é a última vez que eu vou falar!

After that, the only thing the kid can do is stop whatever he or she is doing.

3- “Not here!”

You’re explicitly saying that a certain action is forbidden in a determined place: Aqui não!

You can say or hear this Portuguese angry phrase in many situations. For example, a traffic officer warning you that you can’t park in a driveway; that’s a clear scenario. But you can also hear this phrase other times.

For example, when two teams are playing in a stadium and the home team wins, you can see a player telling the fans aqui não, meaning “not in our home.”

4- “I don’t want to see you even if you are painted in gold.”

In English, this one seems weird. But when you want to be crystal-clear about not wanting to see that person, you can say in Portuguese: Não quero te ver nem pintado de ouro!

It’s harsh, but it fits if you’ve had a bad breakup with your partner, a bad encounter with your boss, or any other very negative experience with a person who gets on your nerves.

5- “Where was your head at?”

Here’s another universal expression that’s so real when you’re talking to a friend who seems to have lost it. In Portuguese, you can say: Onde você estava com a cabeça?

This phrase can serve as a warning, or simply as an exclamation after you hear a surprising story your friend told you. “Onde você estava com a cabeça when you went on a date with that guy?” Or: “Are you crazy? Onde você estava com a cabeça?”

6- “Who do you think you are?”

Another classic. If someone says this phrase has never crossed his/her mind, you can call that person out for blatantly lying! In Portuguese, you say it like this: Quem você pensa que é?

You can use this phrase when you think somebody is thinking too highly of himself/herself. For example, people who are likely to use this phrase include a parent trying to put some sense into his sons, or a meddling coworker stepping where he/she shouldn’t be.

If you’re thinking about adding a “You think you’re better than me?” afterward, this, unfortunately, isn’t very common in Portuguese. A bunch of Portuguese swear words can follow, or not. It’s up to you.

7- “You screwed everything up!”

A project, a relationship, anything that wasn’t done properly by the other people involved. To voice your blame toward them, you can say Você ferrou com tudo!

You can use this phrase when you’re speaking to a coworker who didn’t manage a situation how he/she should have. I know that the word “screwed” is a little bit ugly, but rest assured that ferrar is not counted among the Portuguese swear words.

8- “It was.”

Yes, it seems weird, but Brazilians say “It was,” a lot. You have to understand what they mean by that and why it can be an angry phrase. First of all, in Portuguese, it’s: Já era.

Basically, you say this when something has reached a point of no return. For example:

• A: “Can we catch the bus that leaves at one p.m. (it’s already 1:03 p.m.) to Cristo Redentor?”
• B: “That bus já era.”

In the example above, the phrase isn’t used angrily. But try telling a client an insensitive joke and see him/her leave the room.

• You: “Can I try to win him back and still have a job?”
• Your boss: “Você (you) já era!”

9- “None of your business.”

When someone asks you about something that’s very personal or that you can’t really share with them, you can tell them loud and clear: Não é da sua conta.

For example, if somebody asks how much you make per month and you don’t feel like answering, this phrase is perfect.

10- “That goes on your tab.”

No, that’s not a phrase only a waiter can say. Essa vai para a sua conta can also be a direct way to point your finger at someone for messing something up. For example, when you’re playing soccer and your goalie doesn’t make an easy save. Let it rip!

11- “You don’t listen to me.”

Ahh, nothing tops a classic. If you’ve ever been in a serious relationship, you know this one is the bread-and-butter that starts, ends, or just brings all the flair in the middle of a fight. In Portuguese, it’s Você não me escuta.

But hey, Você não me escuta is not a monopoly for couples. You can say it to a friend who’s giving the wrong directions on a trip and not listening to what you’re saying about going the other way. That’s called versatility.

3. Describing How You Feel

Now, let’s learn how to actually describe your emotions. In this section, we’ll outline how to say “I am angry” in Portuguese a few different (and creative) ways.

1- “I’m pissed off.”

Yes, it seems like we’re resorting to Portuguese swear words. Not so fast, cowboy!

When you’re really pissed off, puta/puto (“prostitute,” both genders) transforms from a curse word into a description of when someone is really angry. In Portuguese, a common phrase is Estou muito puto/puta.

For example, something went wrong at work and the blame fell on you. Because you’re angry, you say Estou muito puto(a), and people understand that you’re mad, not that you’re exploring other ventures.

2- “My balls are full.”

Again, this one seems really rude, but Estou de saco cheio is a really common expression, and even Presidents use it. It means that you have no patience for anything.

You want a classic example that will make you understand?

Let me paint you a picture: Monday has arrived, it’s early, you have to work, and now you’re facing a really full subway. Done: Your saco cheio is at a record high.

3- “I’m without a head for it.”

This is similar to saco cheio, but more polished: Estou sem cabeça para isso.

Instead of lacking patience, you simply can’t do a specific task right that moment because it requires something that you don’t have.

• A: “Can you run those numbers and deliver a report?”
• B: “Estou sem cabeça para isso.“

4- “It can’t be done anymore.” / “I can’t do it anymore.”

When you can’t take it anymore or something isn’t possible, you say: Não dá mais.

This phrase is considerably more polished than Já era. For example, when your boss is saying that grammar errors on presentations can’t be accepted anymore:

“Não dá mais, the clients will leave if they see Brasil with a Z again!”

4. Conclusion: How to Calm Yourself Down When You’re Angry

Of course, it’s best that you don’t use any of these Portuguese angry phrases, but that’s not realistic. So before you start looking for articles about how to curse in Brazilian Portuguese, the best thing to do is to keep those words in mind, but when you’re on the verge of saying them, try to calm yourself.

There are many ways to do this.

First of all, a classic: Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and count to five. Try to forget about everything during those five seconds and then think of a good, positive solution. You can think of the other person’s point of view, try to reach a middle point, or just forget it. Let it go.

If that exercise isn’t doing much, get out and run, walk, bike, exercise, or just stare at the sun and smell the roses. That will leave you more time to think about things and relax to make a better-informed decision.

Last, but not least, do something you like if you feel burned or stressed out. Go to the movies, listen to your favorite artist, read a book, write in your journal, or even take a trip if you have more time.

The main thing is not to explode and worsen a situation, only to later regret the way you acted. Take your time to digest everything, and then find the best solution. This can be applied to anything: relationships, work, family… Use your Portuguese for the best!

With PortuguesePod101, you can learn vocabulary applicable to everyday situations, study the pronunciation of common words, and discover what words or phrases to use in specific situations. That way, you can learn faster and use your knowledge right away!

Before you go, let us know in the comments how you calm yourself down when angry or frustrated. We look forward to hearing from you!

What is the most defining moment you will face this year? From memories that you immortalize in a million photographs, to days you never wish to remember, one thing’s for certain: big life events change you. The great poet, Bukowski, said, “We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well, that death will tremble to take us.” The older I get, the more I agree with him!

Talking about significant events in our lives is part of every person’s journey, regardless of creed or culture. If you’re planning to stay in Brazil for more than a quick visit, you’re sure to need at least a few ‘life events’ phrases that you can use. After all, many of these are shared experiences, and it’s generally expected that we will show up with good manners and warm wishes.

Table of Contents

1. Life Events
2. Marriage Proposal Lines
3. Talking About Age
4. Conclusion

1. Life Events

Do you know how to say “Happy New Year” in Portuguese? Well, the New Year is a pretty big deal that the whole world is in on! We celebrate until midnight, make mindful resolutions, and fill the night sky with the same happy words in hundreds of languages. No doubt, then, that you’ll want to know how to say it like a local!

Big life events are not all about fun times, though. Real life happens even when you’re traveling, and certain terminology will be very helpful to know. From talking about your new job to wishing your neighbors “Merry Christmas” in Portuguese, here at PortuguesePod101, we’ve put together just the right vocabulary and phrases for you.

1- Birthday – aniversário

If you’re like me, any excuse to bring out a pen and scribble a note is a good one. When there’s a birthday, even better: hello, handwriting!

Your Brazilian friend will love hearing you wish them a “Happy birthday” in Portuguese, but how much more will they appreciate a thoughtful written message? Whether you write it on their Facebook wall or buy a cute card, your effort in Portuguese is sure to get them smiling! Write it like this:

Feliz Aniversário

Now that you know the words, I challenge you to put them to music and sing your own “Happy birthday” song in Portuguese! It’s not impossible to figure out even more lyrics, once you start discovering the language from scratch.

2- Buy – comprar

If there’s a special occasion, you might want to buy somebody a gift. As long as you’ve checked out Portuguese etiquette on gift-giving (do a Google search for this!), it will be a lovely gesture. If you’re not sure what to buy, how about the awesome and universally-appealing gift of language? That’s a gift that won’t stop giving!

3- Retire – aposentar-se

If you’re planning to expand your mind and retire in Brazil, you can use this word to tell people why you seem to be on a perpetual vacation!

Retirement is also a great time to learn a new language, don’t you think? And you don’t have to do it alone! These days it’s possible to connect to a vibrant learning community at the click of a button. The added benefit of a Daily Dose of Language is that it keeps your brain cells alive and curious about the world. After all, it’s never too late to realize those long-ignored dreams of traveling the globe…

4- Graduation – formatura

When attending a graduation ceremony in Brazil, be prepared for a lot of formal language! It will be a great opportunity to listen carefully and see if you can pick up differences from the everyday Portuguese you hear.

5- Promotion – promoção

Next to vacation time, receiving a promotion is the one career highlight almost everyone looks forward to. And why wouldn’t you? Sure, it means more responsibility, but it also means more money and benefits and – the part I love most – a change of scenery! Even something as simple as looking out a new office window would boost my mood.

6- Anniversary – aniversário

Some anniversaries we anticipate with excitement, others with apprehension. They are days marking significant events in our lives that can be shared with just one person, or with a whole nation. Whether it’s a special day for you and a loved one, or for someone else you know, this word is crucial to know if you want to wish them a happy anniversary in Portuguese.

7- Funeral – funeral

We tend to be uncomfortable talking about funerals in the west, but it’s an important conversation for families to have. Around the world, there are many different customs and rituals for saying goodbye to deceased loved ones – some vastly different to our own. When traveling in Brazil, if you happen to find yourself the unwitting observer of a funeral, take a quiet moment to appreciate the cultural ethos; even this can be an enriching experience for you.

8- Travel – viajar

Travel – my favorite thing to do! Everything about the experience is thrilling and the best cure for boredom, depression, and uncertainty about your future. You will surely be forever changed, fellow traveler! But you already know this, don’t you? Well, now that you’re on the road to total Portuguese immersion, I hope you’ve downloaded our IOS apps and have your Nook Book handy to keep yourself entertained on those long bus rides.

9- Graduate – formar-se

If you have yet to graduate from university, will you be job-hunting in Brazil afterward? Forward-looking companies sometimes recruit talented students who are still in their final year. Of course, you could also do your final year abroad as an international student – an amazing experience if you’d love to be intellectually challenged and make a rainbow of foreign friends!

10- Wedding – casamento

One of the most-loved traditions that humans have thought up, which you’ll encounter anywhere in the world, is a wedding. With all that romance in the air and months spent on preparations, a wedding is typically a feel-good affair. Two people pledge their eternal love to each other, ladies cry, single men look around for potential partners, and everybody has a happy day of merrymaking.

Ah, but how diverse we are in our expression of love! You will find more wedding traditions around the world than you can possibly imagine. From reciting love quotes to marrying a tree, the options leave no excuse to be boring!

11- Move – mudar-se

I love Brazil, but I’m a nomad and tend to move around a lot, even within one country. What are the biggest emotions you typically feel when moving house? The experts say moving is a highly stressful event, but I think that depends on the circumstances. Transitional periods in our lives are physically and mentally demanding, but changing your environment is also an exciting adventure that promises new tomorrows!

12- Be born – nascer

I was not born in 1993, nor was I born in Asia. I was born in the same year as Aishwarya Rai, Akon, and Monica Lewinsky, and on the same continent as Freddy Mercury. When and where were you born? More importantly – can you say it in Portuguese?

13- Get a job – conseguir um emprego

The thought of looking for a job in a new country can be daunting, but English speakers are in great demand in Brazil – you just have to do some research, make a few friends and get out there! Also, arming yourself with a few Portuguese introductions that you can both say and write will give you a confidence boost. For example, can you write your name in Portuguese?

14- Die – morrer

Death is a universal experience and the final curtain on all other life events. How important is it, then, to fully live before we die? If all you have is a passport, a bucket list, and a willingness to learn some lingo, you can manifest those dreams!

15- Home – casa

If home is where the heart is, then my home is on a jungle island completely surrounded by the turquoise ocean. Right now, though, home is an isolation room with a view of half a dry palm tree and a tangle of telephone wires.

If you’re traveling to Brazil for an extended stay, you’ll soon be moving into a new home quite unlike anything you’ve experienced before!

16- Job – trabalho

What job do you do? Does it allow you much time for travel, or for working on this fascinating language that has (so rightfully) grabbed your attention? Whatever your job, you are no doubt contributing to society in a unique way. If you’re doing what you love, you’re already on the road to your dream. If not, just remember that every single task is one more skill to add to your arsenal. With that attitude, your dream job is coming!

17- Birth – nascimento

Random question: do you know the birth rate of Brazil?

If you’re lucky enough to be invited to see a friend’s baby just after they are born, you’ll have all my respect and all my envy. There is nothing cuter! Depending on which part of the country you’re in, you may find yourself bearing witness to some pretty unexpected birth customs. Enjoy this privilege!

18- Engaged – comprometer-se

EE Cummings said, “Lovers alone wear sunlight,” and I think that’s most true at the moment she says “yes.” Getting engaged is something young girls dream of with stars in their eyes, and it truly is a magical experience – from the proposal, to wearing an engagement ring, to the big reveal!

In the world of Instagram, there’s no end to the antics as imaginative couples try more and more outrageous ways to share their engagement with the world. I love an airport flashmob, myself, but I’d rather be proposed to on a secluded beach – salt, sand, and all!

Engagement customs around the world vary greatly, and Brazil is no exception when it comes to interesting traditions. Learning their unique romantic ways will inspire you for when your turn comes.

Speaking of romance, do you know how to say “Happy Valentine’s Day” in Portuguese?

19- Marry – casar-se

The one you marry will be the gem on a shore full of pebbles. They will be the one who truly mirrors your affection, shares your visions for the future, and wants all of you – the good, the bad and the inexplicable.

From thinking up a one-of-a-kind wedding, to having children, to growing old together, finding a twin flame to share life with is quite an accomplishment! Speaking of which…

2. Marriage Proposal Lines

Ah, that heart-stopping moment when your true love gets down on one knee to ask for your hand in marriage, breathlessly hoping that you’ll say “Yes!” If you haven’t experienced that – well, it feels pretty darn good, is all I can say! If you’re the one doing the asking, though, you’ve probably had weeks of insomnia agonizing over the perfect time, location and words to use.

How much more care should be taken if your love is from a different culture to yours? Well, by now you know her so well, that most of it should be easy to figure out. As long as you’ve considered her personal commitment to tradition, all you really need is a few words from the heart. Are you brave enough to say them in Portuguese?

3. Talking About Age

Part of the wonder of learning a new language is having the ability to strike up simple conversations with strangers. Asking about age in this context feels natural, as your intention is to practice friendly phrases – just be mindful of their point of view!

When I was 22, I loved being asked my age. Nowadays, if someone asks, I say, “Well, I’ve just started my fifth cat life.” Let them ponder that for a while.

In Brazil, it’s generally not desirable to ask an older woman her age for no good reason, but chatting about age with your peers is perfectly normal. Besides, you have to mention your birthday if you want to be thrown a birthday party!

4. Conclusion

Well, there you have it! With so many great new Portuguese phrases to wish people with, can you think of someone who has a big event coming up? If you want to get even more creative, PortuguesePod101 has much to inspire you with – come and check it out! Here’s just some of what we have on offer at PortuguesePod101:

• Free Resources: Sharing is caring, and for this reason, we share many free resources with our students. For instance, start learning Portuguese with our basic online course by creating a lifetime account – for free! Also get free daily and iTunes lessons, free eBooks, free mobile apps, and free access to our blog and online community. Or how about free Vocabulary Lists? The Portuguese dictionary is for exclusive use by our students, also for free. There’s so much to love about PortuguesePod101…!
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Learning a new language can only enrich your life, and could even open doors towards great opportunities! So don’t wonder if you’ll regret enrolling in PortuguesePod101. It’s the most fun, easy way to learn Portuguese.

Did you know that every minute of the day, one billion tons of rain falls on the earth? Hard to believe, considering the climate crisis! Of course, all that rain is not equally shared across the planet.

So, would you mention this fascinating fact to your new Brazilian acquaintance? Well, small talk about local weather is actually a great conversation-starter. Everyone cares about the weather and you’re sure to hear a few interesting opinions! Seasons can be quite unpredictable these days and nobody knows the peculiarities of a region better than the locals.

PortuguesePod101 will equip you with all the weather vocabulary you need to plan your next adventure. The weather can even be an important discussion that influences your adventure plans. After all, you wouldn’t want to get caught on an inflatable boat with a two-horsepower motor in Hurricane Horrendous!

Table of Contents

1. Talking about the weather in Brazil
2. Words for the first day of spring
3. Do You Know the Essential Summer Vocabulary?
4. Must-Know Autumn vocabulary
5. Winter
6. PortuguesePod101 can prepare you for any season.

1. Talking about the weather in Brazil

If you’re like me, your day’s activity plan is likely to begin with a strong local coffee and a chat about what the sky is doing. After all, being prepared could be the difference between an amazing day and a miserable one! Luckily, it’s not difficult to comment on Brazilian weather – just start with these simple words and phrases.

1- The rain is falling on the street – Está chovendo na rua.

Watercolor artists, take out your paints! You might not be able to venture out on foot today, but just embrace the rain as part of your Brazilian experience. When the rain stops, the air will be clean and colours vibrant.

2- The snow has covered everything – A neve cobriu tudo.

A fresh blanket of snow is irresistibly beautiful. Pull on your boots and beanie, and leave your tracks in this foreign landscape. Don’t resist the urge to build a snowman – you need this!

3- Fluffy cloud – nuvem fofa

When you’re waiting for a warm beach day, fluffy white clouds in a blue sky are a good sign. Don’t forget your sunscreen, as clouds will intensify the UV rays hitting your skin.

4- The water froze on the glass – A água congelou no copo.

Night temperatures can get chilly and might freeze the condensation on your windows. A good way to clear them up is with warm salt water.

5- The heavy rain could cause flash flooding – Esta chuva forte poderia causar uma inundação repentina.

If you’re visiting Brazil in the wet season, it’s important to stay informed when heavy rain sets in, so keep an eye on the weather radar. Avoid river activities and rather spend this time making a home-cooked meal and brushing up on your Portuguese weather words.

6- Flood – inundação

If you do get caught in a flood, your destination should no longer be ‘home’, but the nearest high ground.

7- The typhoon has hit – O tufão chegou.

Not all countries experience typhoons, but you need to know when to prepare for one! It will be very scary if you’ve never experienced one before. Your local neighbours are the best people to advise you on where to take shelter, as they’ve been doing it for generations. Be sure to get the low-down at the first sign of rough weather!

8- Check the weather report before going sailing – Verifique o boletim metereológico antes de sair para velejar.

When planning an outdoor activity, especially on a body of water, always be prepared for a change in the weather. Ask your hotel receptionist or neighbour where you can get a reliable daily weather report, and don’t forget your sweater!

9- Today’s weather is sunny with occasional clouds – O tempo de hoje está ensolarado com nuvens eventuais.

Sunny weather is the dream when traveling in Brazil! Wake up early, pack the hats and sunblock and go and experience the terrain, sights and beautiful spots. You’ll be rewarded with happy vibes all around.

10- Rainy – chovendo

Remember when you said you’d save the Portuguese podcasts for a rainy day? Now’s that day!

11- Scenic rainbow – arco-íris cênico

The best part about the rain is that you can look forward to your first rainbow in Brazil. There’s magic in that!

12- Flashes of lightning can be beautiful, but are very dangerous – Os lampejos de relâmpago podem ser bonitos, mas são muito perigosos.

Lightning is one of the most fascinating weather phenomena you can witness without really being in danger – at least if you’re sensible and stay indoors! Did you know that lightning strikes the earth 40-50 times per second? Fortunately, not all countries experience heavy electric storms!

13- 25 degrees Celsius – vinte e cinco graus Celsius

Asking a local what the outside temperature will be is another useful question for planning your day. It’s easy if you know the Portuguese term for ‘degrees Celsius’.

14- His body temperature was far above the usual 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit – A temperatura corporal dele estava muito acima da temperatura normal de 98.6 graus Fahrenheit.

Although the Fahrenheit system has been replaced by Celsius in almost all countries, it’s still used in the US and a few other places. Learn this phrase in Portuguese in case one of your companions develops a raging fever.

15- Today the sky is clear – Hoje o céu está limpo.

Clear skies mean you’ll probably want to get the camera out and capture some nature shots – not to mention the great sunsets you’ll have later on. Twilight can lend an especially magical quality to a landscape on a clear sky day, when the light is not filtered through clouds.

16- Light drizzle – garoa leve

Days when it’s drizzling are perfect for taking in the cultural offerings of Brazil. You could go to the mall and watch a Brazilian film, visit museums and art galleries, explore indoor markets or even find the nearest climbing wall. Bring an umbrella!

17- Temperature on a thermometer – temperatura no termômetro

Because of the coronavirus, many airports are conducting temperature screening on passengers. Don’t worry though – it’s just a precaution. Your temperature might be taken with a no-touch thermometer, which measures infrared energy coming off the body.

18- Humid – úmido

I love humid days, but then I’m also a water baby and I think the two go
together like summer and rain. Find a pool or a stream to cool off in – preferably in the shade!

19- With low humidity the air feels dry – Com baixa umidade, o ar fica seco.

These are the best days to go walking the hills and vales. Just take at least one Brazilian friend with you so you don’t get lost!

20- The wind is really strong – O vento está muito forte.

A strong wind blows away the air pollution and is very healthy in that respect. Just avoid the mountain trails today, unless you fancy being blown across the continent like a hot air balloon.

21- Windy – ventando

Wind! My least favourite weather condition. Of course, if you’re a kitesurfer, a windy day is what you’ve been waiting for!

22- Wet roads can ice over when the temperature falls below freezing – As estradas molhadas podem se cobrir de gelo quando a temperatura cai abaixo do ponto de congelamento.

The roads will be dangerous in these conditions, so please don’t take chances. The ice will thaw as soon as the sun comes out, so be patient!

23- Today is very muggy – Hoje está muito abafado.

Muggy days make your skin feel sticky and sap your energy. They’re particular to high humidity. Cold shower, anyone? Ice vest? Whatever it takes to feel relief from the humidity!

24- Fog – neblina

Not a great time to be driving, especially in unknown territory, but keep your fog lights on and drive slowly.

25- Hurricane – ciclone

Your new Brazilian friends will know the signs, so grab some food and candles and prepare for a night of staying warm and chatting about wild weather in Brazil.

26- Big tornado – tornado grande

If you hear these words, it will probably be obvious already that everyone is preparing for the worst! Definitely do whatever your accommodation hosts tell you to do when a tornado is expected.

27- It’s cloudy today – Hoje está nublado.

While there won’t be any stargazing tonight, the magnificent clouds over Brazil will make impressive photographs. Caption them in Portuguese to impress your friends back home!

28- Below freezing temperatures – temperaturas abaixo do ponto de congelamento

When the temperature is below freezing, why not take an Uber and go shopping for some gorgeous Brazilian winter gear?

29- Wind chill is how cold it really feels outside – Sensação térmica é como realmente se sente em um lugar aberto.

Wind doesn’t change the ambient temperature of the air, it just changes your body temperature, so the air will feel colder to you than it actually is. Not all your Brazilian friends will know that, though, so learn this Portuguese phrase to sound really smart!

30- Water will freeze when the temperature falls below zero degrees celsius – A água congelará quando a temperatura estiver abaixo dos zero graus Celsius.

If you’re near a lake, frozen water is good news! Forgot your ice skates? Don’t despair – find out where you can hire some. Be cautious, though: the ice needs to be at least four inches thick for safe skating. Personally, I just slide around on frozen lakes in my boots!

31- Waiting to clear up – esperando limpar

Waiting for the weather to clear up so you can go exploring is frustrating, let’s be honest. That’s why you should always travel with two things: a scintillating novel and your Portuguese Nook Book.

32- Avoid the extreme heat – evite as ondas de calor

Is the heat trying to kill you? Unless you’re a hardened heatwave hero, definitely avoid activity, stay hydrated and drink electrolytes. Loose cotton or linen garb is the way to go!

33- Morning frost – geada pela manhã

Frost is water vapour that has turned to ice crystals and it happens when the earth cools so much in the night, that it gets colder than the air above it. Winter is coming!

34- Rain shower – chuva rápida

Rain showers are typically brief downpours that drench the earth with a good drink of water.

35- In the evening it will become cloudy and cold – À tarde vai ficar nublado e frio.

When I hear this on the Portuguese weather channel, I buy a bottle of wine (red, of course) and wood for the fireplace. A cold and cloudy evening needs its comforts!

36- Severe thunderstorm – tempestade de trovão forte

Keep an eye on the Brazilian weather maps if it looks like a big storm is coming, so you’ll be well-informed.

37- Ice has formed on the window – Gelo se formou na janela.

You could try this phrase out on the hotel’s helpful cleaning staff, or fix the problem yourself. Just add a scoop or two of salt to a spray bottle of water – that should work!

38- Large hailstones – Está caindo granizo.

As a kid, I found hail crazy exciting. Not so much now – especially if I’m on the road and large hailstones start pummeling my windscreen!

39- Rolling thunder – trovão ressonante

The rumble of rolling thunder is that low-volume, ominous background sound that goes on for some time. It’s strangely exciting if you’re safely in your hotel room; it could either suddenly clear up, or escalate to a storm.

40- Sleet – granizo

Sleet is tiny hard pieces of ice made from a mixture of rain and melted snow that froze. It can be messy, but doesn’t cause major damage the way hail does. Pretty cool to know this word in Portuguese!

2. Words for the first day of spring

You know the feeling: your heart skips a beat when you wake up and spring has sprung! Spring will reward you with new blossoms everywhere, birdsong in the air, kittens being born in the neighborhood and lovely views when you hit the trails. Pack a picnic and ask a new Brazilian friend to show you the more natural sights. Don’t forget a light sweater and a big smile. This is the perfect time to practice some Portuguese spring words!

3. Do You Know the Essential Summer Vocabulary?

Summer! Who doesn’t love that word? It conjures up images of blue skies, tan skin, vacations at the beach and cruising down the coast in an Alfa Romeo, sunglasses on and the breeze in your hair. Of course, in Brazil there are many ways to enjoy the summer – it all depends on what you love to do. One thing’s for sure: you will have opportunities to make friends, go on picnics, sample delicious local ice-cream and maybe even learn to sing some Portuguese songs. It’s up to you! Sail into Brazilian summer with this summer vocab list, and you’ll blend in with ease.

4. Must-Know Autumn vocabulary

Victoria Ericksen said, “If a year was tucked inside of a clock, then autumn would be the magic hour,” and I agree. Who can resist the beauty of fall foliage coloring the Brazilian landscape? Birds prepare to migrate; travelers prepare to arrive for the best weather in Brazil.

The autumnal equinox marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator, making day and night almost equal in length. The cool thing about this event is that the moon gets really bright – the ‘harvest moon’, as it’s traditionally known.

So, as much as the change of season brings more windy and rainy days, it also brings celebration. Whether you honor Thanksgiving, Halloween or the Moon Festival, take some time to color your vocabulary with these Portuguese autumn words.

5. Winter

Winter is the time the natural world slows down to rest and regroup. I’m a summer girl, but there are fabulous things about winter that I really look forward to. For one, it’s the only season I get to accessorize with my gorgeous winter gloves and snug down coat!

Then, of course, there’s ice skating, holiday decorations and bonfires. As John Steinbeck said, “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?” Get ready for the cold season with our list of essential Winter words!

6. PortuguesePod101 can prepare you for any season.

Now that you know how to inquire and comment on the weather in Brazil, you
can confidently plan your weather-ready travel itinerary. How about this for an idea: the next
time you’re sitting in a Brazilian street café, try asking someone local this question:

“Do you think the weather will stay like this for a few days?” If you loved learning these cool Portuguese weather phrases with us, why not take it a step further and add to your repertoire? PortuguesePod101 is here to help!

When constructing sentences in any language, we tend to focus a lot on the big “building blocks,” like the subject, verb, and object. But there are many other small elements that have a part to play! Conjunctions are one of those essential parts, since they connect words and clauses, making sentences coherent. Portuguese conjunctions are handy words to learn, and you’ll soon be using them all the time!

Conjunctions might appear very simple at first. And the truth is, they are! But that doesn’t mean they don’t have a very important role in languages. After all, even if you understand all the grammar rules and acquire an impressive vocabulary, without conjunctions, you can’t communicate fluently.

Hopefully you agree with us that conjunctions are important. But perhaps now you’re wondering what those small yet powerful words are. Conjunctions are connecting words, such as “and,” “or,” “nor,” and “if.” There’s quite a large list of conjunctions, which are used in different contexts.

In this article, we’ll cover the different kinds of Portuguese conjunctions, help you understand the difference between simple conjunctions and conjunctive phrases, and show you a lot of examples! By the end, you’ll have the resources to express your thoughts in Portuguese with much more ease.

→ Before you continue, you may find it useful to study our short vocabulary list on Connecting Words!

Table of Contents

1. The Basics of Portuguese Conjunctions
2. Portuguese Conjunctions to Add Information
3. Portuguese Conjunctions to Express Alternatives
4. Portuguese Conjunctions to Express Condition
5. Portuguese Conjunctions to Express Conclusion
6. Portuguese Conjunctions to Express Opposition
7. Portuguese Conjunctions that Act as Complementizers
8. Portuguese Conjunctions to Express Concessions
9. Portuguese Conjunctions to Express Cause
10. Even More Portuguese Conjunctions
11. Continue Learning Portuguese with PortuguesePod101

1. The Basics of Portuguese Conjunctions

First things first. Let’s get to understand what conjunctions are and what you can expect from them.

1 – What are Conjunctions?

Conjunctions connect other words, phrases, and clauses. They tend to be invariable grammatical particles, which means they are not modified in number, gender, or mode. In other words, they’re very useful but quite simple!

As an English speaker, you’re already quite familiar with the role conjunctions play. Take a look at these examples:

• She likes to dance and sing.
• I am a good cook, but my desserts are not great.
• We had to sleep early, so we turned off the lights.

The words in blue are conjunctions in English. As you can see, they’re very commonly used words. You’ll use conjunctions in Portuguese the same way, although more often than in English.

Another important thing to note is that conjunctions express different things: cause, purpose, opposition, condition, and more. In this article, we’ll go through the most commonly used types of conjunctions, which will allow you to express your thoughts coherently.

2 – Simple Conjunctions and Conjunctive Phrases

Simple conjunctions are exactly what we were talking about before: single words that have a connective function. Conjunctive phrases are two or more words that, together, behave as a conjunction.

Here are some examples of sentences using conjunctive phrases:

• Farei uma reunião com os professores para que não haja nenhum mal-entendido.
  “I’ll have a meeting with all the professors so that there is no misunderstanding.”
• Já que você não quer mais, vou comer o bolo.
  “Since you don’t want it anymore, I’ll eat the cake.”
• Podemos sair agora, uma vez que a babá chegou.
  “We can go now, since the nanny has arrived.”

Pretty straightforward, right? Now that we’ve clarified what Portuguese conjunctions and conjunctive phrases are, let’s see the most common ones in our Portuguese conjunctions list!

2. Portuguese Conjunctions to Add Information

We’ll begin with the most common conjunctions in Portuguese. These words are called conjunções aditivas (“additive conjunctions”), and their purpose is to add more information to your sentence. Take a look:

1- E (“And” )

• Eu posso escutar podcasts e cozinhar ao mesmo tempo.
  “I can listen to podcasts and cook at the same time.”
• Você gosta do verão e da primavera, certo?
  “You like summer and spring, right?”

2- Nem (“Nor” )

• Sua mãe não ligou nem mandou mensagem.
  “Your mother hasn’t called nor sent a message.”
• Não como peixe nem frutos do mar.
  “I don’t eat fish nor seafood.”

3- Não só…mas também (“Not only…but also” )

• Ele não só ganhou o prêmio, mas também o bônus.
  “Not only did he get the prize, but also the bonus.”

You can also use another conjunctive phrase to express a similar idea: não só…como também (“not only…also” ).

• Vocês não só são bonitas, como também são muito engraçadas.
  “You are not only pretty, you are also very funny.” [plural feminine form]

Gosto de café e gosto de leite. (“I like coffee and I like milk.” )

3. Portuguese Conjunctions to Express Alternatives

In life, we face a lot of choices. From what we’re having for breakfast to what movie we’ll watch tonight, alternatives are everywhere! Here are some of the conjunções alternativas (“alternative conjunctions” ) you will encounter every time you face those moments of choice.

1- Ou (“Or” )

• Você quer sair ou assistir a um filme?
  “Do you want to go out or watch a movie?”
• Eles preferem sopa ou salada?
  “[Do] they prefer soup or salad?”

2- Ou…ou (“Either…or” )

• Ou saímos agora ou perderemos o show.
  “Either we leave now or we miss the show.”
• Ou ela termina esse projeto ou aceita o emprego ou volta para a universidade.
  “Either she finishes this project or she accepts the job or she goes back to university.”

When repeating the word ou (“or” ) to indicate alternatives, it’s translated in two ways: as “either” the first time it’s used and as “or” the subsequent times.

3- Senão (“Otherwise” )

• Durma cedo, senão vai perder o ônibus.
  “Sleep early, otherwise you will miss the bus.”
• Coma tudo, senão não tem sobremesa.
  “Eat it all, otherwise there is no dessert.”

Senão can also act as another kind of conjunction, called an adversative conjunction, which we’ll see a bit later. In these cases, it works as “but.”

• Ele ganhou não por sua habilidade, senão por seu carisma.
  “He won not because of his abilities, but due to his charisma.”

4- Nem…nem (“Neither…nor” )

Nem is a versatile little word. We already saw it before, being used by itself as an additive conjunction. Now, take a look at how it can be used to talk about negative alternatives.

• Nem meu pai nem minha mãe sabem resolver esta questão.
  “Neither my father nor my mother know how to solve this question.”

As you can see, nem translates to both “neither” and “nor,” depending on the position of the word in the sentence. It can also be used several times within the sentence.

• Não bebo nem café nem chá nem bebidas alcóolicas.
  “I don’t drink neither coffee nor tea nor alcoholic beverages.”

5- Quer…quer (“Whether…or” )

• Quer você ganhe o prêmio, quer não, estou orgulhoso.
  “Whether you win the prize or not, I am proud.”
• Quer chova, quer faça sol, estaremos lá!
  “Whether there be rain or sunshine, we’ll be there!”

Vermelha ou verde? (“Red or green?” )

4. Portuguese Conjunctions to Express Condition

Expressing condition is essential in social interactions. In conversations with friends, family, and loved ones, there are always circumstances where we have to employ a bit of quid pro quo, right? Maybe you need to convince someone to do the dishes after preparing a nice dinner, or vice-versa. For these kinds of situations, conjunções condicionais (“conditional conjunctions” ) are the way to go.

1- Se (“If” )

• Eu lavo a roupa se você varrer o chão.
  “I’ll do the laundry if you sweep the floor.”
• Se não tiver comida, posso pedir uma pizza.
  “If there is no food, I can order a pizza.”

→ Practice your pronunciation by listening to a Portuguese dialogue that uses the conjunction se, on PortuguesePod101.com!

2- Desde que (“As long as” )

• Compre o que quiser, desde que esteja dentro do orçamento.
  “Buy whatever you want, as long as it is within budget.”
• Ela vai organizar o evento, desde que você pague adiantado.
  “She will organize the event, as long as you pay in advance.”

The conjunctive phrase contanto que (“as long as” ) can be used interchangeably.

• Podemos assar um bolo, contanto que a cozinha continue arrumada.
  “We can bake a cake, as long as the kitchen remains tidy.”

3- A não ser que (“Unless” )

• Não me ligue a não ser que haja uma emergência.
  “Don’t call me unless there’s an emergency.”
• Preciso ir embora, a não ser que eu cancele a consulta.
  “I need to leave, unless I cancel the appointment.”

The conjunctive phrase a menos que (“unless” ) can also be used in these cases.

• Temos que sair, a menos que a aula tenha sido adiada.
  “We have to leave, unless the class has been postponed.”

5. Portuguese Conjunctions to Express Conclusion

To wrap up an idea or a thought, use the conjunções conclusivas (“final conjunction” ).

1- Então (“So,” “Therefore” )

• Hoje é meu aniversário, então vamos comemorar.
  “Today is my birthday, so let’s celebrate.”
• Vamos dormir tarde, então então me ligue de manhã.
  “We’re going to sleep late, so don’t call me in the morning.”

2- Logo (“So,” “Therefore” )

• Não concordo com isso, logo prefiro não me envolver.
  “I don’t agree with that, so I prefer not to get involved.”
• Você conhece o Luís há anos, logo faz sentido que você faça o convite.
  “You have known Luís for years, therefore it makes sense that you invite him.”

3- Portanto (“Therefore,” “So” )

• Tenho muito trabalho para fazer, portanto, não espere por mim.
  “I have a lot of work to do, so don’t wait for me.”
• Esse carro é muito caro, portanto, não posso comprar agora.
  “This car is very expensive, therefore, I can’t buy it now.”

The conjunctions above can be used interchangeably most of the time. The most commonly used one is então, in both written and spoken Brazilian Portuguese.

Other conjunctions you can use in the same way and with the same meaning are: por isso, por conseguinte, and assim.

No story is complete without a conclusion!

6. Portuguese Conjunctions to Express Opposition

Another very handy and commonly used group of conjunctions! After all, we can’t communicate without a dose of opposition, right? Take a look at the most useful conjunções adversativas (“adversative conjunctions” ) in Portuguese.

1- Mas (“But” )

• Ele gosta de bolo, mas não quis comer uma fatia.
  “He likes cake, but he didn’t want to eat a slice.”
• Vou me atrasar, mas chego para o jantar!
  “I’m going to be late, but I’m coming for dinner!”

2- Porém (“However,” “But” )

• Ela acordou cedo, porém chegou atrasada.
  “She woke up early, but arrived late.”
• A encomenda já foi enviada, porém não tenho o código de rastreamento.
  “The order has already been shipped, however, I don’t have the tracking code.”

3- Todavia (“However,” “Still,” “Yet” )

• Eles não acreditaram na história, todavia, ela manteve sua versão dos fatos.
  “They did not believe the story, yet she kept her version of the facts.”
• O acordo, todavia, não aconteceu.
  “The agreement, however, did not happen.”

This conjunction can also be used at the beginning of a sentence, without the comma.

• Todavia o acordo não aconteceu.
  “However, the agreement did not happen.”

The conjunction entretanto (“however” ) can be used in the same way.

• Não foi possível, entretanto, encontrar os documentos.
  “It was not possible, however, to find the documents.”
• Entretanto, não foi possível encontrar os documentos.
  “However, it was not possible to find the documents.”

→ Discover different ways to use mas (“but” ) in this vocabulary list on PortuguesePod101.com.

7. Portuguese Conjunctions that Act as Complementizers

“Complementizer” is just a fancy grammatical term for words that introduce a complement in sentences. In English, the most common complementizers are “that” and “if.” For example:

• I hope that she comes.
• I wonder if she will come.

Let’s look at their Portuguese counterparts, called conjunções integrantes.

1- Que (“That” )

• É importante que você diga a verdade.
  “It’s important (that) you tell the truth.”
• Eu acho que eles ganharam.
  “I think (that) they won.”

Unlike the English word “that,” que can’t be omitted in sentences. As a result, it’s used quite often. Que is also often used to replace other conjunctions, making it a handy go-to even for native speakers.

2- Se (“If,” “Whether” )

• Não sei se ele já chegou.
  “I’m not sure whether he’s arrived yet.”
• Vou perguntar se eles querem ir.
  “I will ask if they want to go.”

Instead of expressing alternatives, when se (“if” ) is used as a complementizer, it introduces an indirect question.

→ This vocabulary list by PortuguesePod101.com shows several examples of how que (“that” ) is used in sentences.

Think of complementizers as a bridge.

8. Portuguese Conjunctions to Express Concessions

This group of conjunctions serve to introduce a contrasting or contradicting idea. As you can imagine, they’re very useful when trying to explain a decision or an unexpected event. In Portuguese, they’re called conjunções concessivas (“concessive conjunctions” ).

1- Ainda que (“Even if,” “Although” )

• Ainda que chova, vamos passear.
  “Even if it rains, we will go for a walk.”
• Ele vai no jantar, ainda que não esteja muito animado.
  “He will go to the dinner, although he is not very excited.”

You can also use the conjunctive phrase mesmo que interchangeably:

• Mesmo que chova, vamos passear.
  “Even if it rains, we will go for a walk.”
• Mesmo que as pessoas mudem, os amigos são para sempre.
  “Although people change, friends are forever.”

2- Embora (“Although,” “Even though” )

• Embora estivesse atrasado, ele preparou um delicioso lanche.
  “Although he was late, he prepared a delicious snack.”
• O dia estava agradável, embora tenha chovido.
  “The day was pleasant, even though it rained.”

3- Se bem que (“Even though,” “Although” )

• Ele não confirmou presença, se bem que parecia bem animado com a festa.
  “He didn’t confirm his presence, although he seemed very excited about the party.”
• As aulas estão boas, se bem que já foram melhores.
  “The classes are good, although they have been better.”

9. Portuguese Conjunctions to Express Cause

These conjunctions, called conjunções causais (“causal conjunctions” ) introduce a sentence or clause that explains the cause of what was stated before. Very handy for explaining how you came to a decision or took a certain action.

1- Porque (“Because” )

• Não pude esperar mais porque meu filho estava cansado.
  “I couldn’t wait any longer because my son was tired.”
• Ela tirou uma boa nota porque estudou muito.
  “She got a good grade because she studied hard.”

Notice the correct way of writing porque in these situations. In Portuguese, there are different ways of writing the word depending on the meaning or use. But the conjunction form should always be written like this, with no accent marks and no spaces.

2- Visto que (“Since,” “As,” “Seeing” )

• Não quero mais alugar o carro, visto que a taxa é muito alta.
  “I don’t want to rent the car anymore, since the rate is very high.”

You can also use the conjunctive phrases uma vez que (“since” ) and já que (“since” ) to express the same thing.

• Ela não quer viajar, uma vez que ainda está se recuperando.
  “She doesn’t want to travel, since she is still recovering.”
• Vocês podem dividir o prêmio, já que tiveram a mesma pontuação.
  “You can share the prize, since you had the same score.”

Now you know what conjunctions to use to explain what happened!

10. Even More Portuguese Conjunctions

We already saw a number of important conjunctions in Portuguese, organized by the function they have. Now, let’s take a look at some extra useful conjunctions that you might encounter.

1- Enquanto (“While” )

Expresses time.

• Vou tomar banho enquanto você cozinha.
  “I’ll take a shower while you cook.”

2- Desde que (“Since” )

Expresses time.

• Desde que comecei a trabalhar, não tenho tempo para a academia.
  “Since I started working, I haven’t had time for the gym.”

3- Conforme (“As” )

Expresses conformity.

• Eu resolvi o exercício conforme foi explicado.
  “I solved the exercise as was explained.”

4- Como (“As,” “Like,” “As well as” )

Como is another one of those versatile conjunctions. It can have different roles and is also part of several conjunctive phrases.

→ Expressing comparison:

• Alice, como sua mãe, gosta de plantar.
  “Alice, like her mother, likes to plant.”

The conjunctive phrases bem como and assim como have the same meaning.

• Alice, bem como sua mãe, gosta de plantar.
  “Alice, like her mother, likes to plant.”
• Alice, assim como sua mãe, gosta de de plantar.
  “Alice, like her mother, likes to plant.”

→ Expressing cause:

• Como perdi o ônibus, cheguei atrasada.
  “As I missed the bus, I was late.”

→ Expressing conformity:

• Hoje não haverá aula, como anunciado na segunda-feira.
  “There will be no class today, as announced on Monday.”

→ Expressing condition:

• Comprarei o livro como não seja muito caro.
  “I’ll buy the book if it isn’t too expensive.”

5- Quanto mais…mais (“The more…the more” )

Expresses the idea of proportionality.

• Quanto mais o tempo passa, mais eu gosto de você.
  “The more time passes by, the more I like you.”

Quanto mais me exercito, mais energia tenho. (“The more I exercise, the more energy I have.” )

11. Continue Learning Portuguese with PortuguesePod101

Now that you’re familiar with the most important Portuguese conjunctions and conjunctive phrases, get out in the world and put it into practice! You’re ready to create even more complex sentences, linking ideas and clauses in a coherent way. And remember, whenever you need to refresh your memory, come back to this article for a quick lesson.

Was this article helpful to you? Did we miss any important conjunction you were hoping to learn about? Let us know in the comments; we would really like to hear from you.

Now don’t stop learning! There are more free Portuguese resources and a variety of vocabulary lists to train your ear, all available on PortuguesePod101.com. Go ahead and choose your favorite tools to expand your learning opportunities.

If you want to take your learning experience further, members of PortuguesePod101.com get access to the largest language lesson library in the world, with thousands of real lessons by real teachers. Perfect for anyone who wants to learn from anywhere, feel motivated, and be ready to speak Portuguese with confidence.

Do you sometimes wish the weekends had more days? When are your next vacations? Do you know your best friend’s birthday? If you want to answer any of those questions in Portuguese, you first need to learn how to talk about dates in Portuguese. Then, you’ll be able to do many more things, like making plans, arranging meetings and celebrating anniversaries!

Talking about dates is a part of everyday interactions. Every time you need to solve some bureaucracy, you need to write your date of birth or indicate today’s date. When making plans with your friends, you better know the days of the week to avoid mix-ups. And if you are a history buff, then you know dates are a must-know! 

Today, you will learn how to write the date in Portuguese, as well as how to talk about it. And of course, if we are talking about dates, we also need to talk about numbers, so you will see plenty of them in this article. To make sure you know how to use all of that properly, we will also go through common phrases related to Portuguese dates and times, including useful questions and answers. 

If you are ready to celebrate important dates with your family, friends or significant other, or anxious to learn how to book appointments and meetings in Portuguese… let’s get started!

Learn how to talk about your busy schedule in Portuguese!

Table of Contents

1. How to Tell the Date
2. How to Say the Days
3. How to Say the Months
4. How to Say the Years
5. Fix the Date of Appointments in Portuguese
6. Must-Know Phrases to Talk about Dates
7. Continue Learning Portuguese With PortuguesePod101

1. How to Tell the Date

Depending on where you are from, you might be used to a different way of telling the date when compared to Brazil or Portugal. But once you get used to the correct format of Portuguese dates, things are straightforward enough.

2 – Format of Dates in Portuguese: Day/Month/Year

Before anything else, let’s take a look at the basic Portuguese vocabulary related to dates.

Dia	“Day”
Mês	“Month”
Ano	“Year”
Semana	“Week”
Dia da semana	“Weekday”
Fim de semana Final de semana	“Weekend”
Data	“Date”

When writing or talking about dates in Portuguese, the usual order is Day, Month and Year. If you are filling a form, you will usually see the date using slashes as separators: DD/MM/YY. 

In more formal texts, it is normally written down in the same way it is said: day + de (“of”) + month + de (“of”)  + year.

Here are some examples to make it clear:

• 07/09/1822 – Brazilian Independence Day
• 25 de abril de 1974 – Revolução dos Cravos (“Carnation Revolution” in Portugal)
• 12 de junho – Dia dos Namorados (“Valentine’s Day” in Brazil)

2 – Talking About Dates

Imagine you are in the doctor’s office, and she asks you what your date of birth is. In this case, you could simply answer using the format discussed above: day, month, year.

But in most situations, you’ll probably be using the date in the middle of a sentence. In those situations, there are some things to pay attention to:

1. Preposition
2. Use of the word dia (“day”)
3. How to say the numbers
4. Consider adding the day of the week

We will go point by point to make sure each item is clear.

1. Preposition

Take a look at the sentences below.

• Eu nasci em 15 de abril de 1995. 
  “I was born on April 15, 1995.”

• Eles se conheceram no dia 25 de dezembro.
  Literally: “They met on the (day) 25th of December.”

• Eles viajarão em maio. 
  “They will travel in May.”

• Minha mãe nasceu em 1960. 
  “My mother was born in 1960.”

Did you notice what these sentences have in common? Hint: look at the preposition.

In Portuguese, before each date, we use the preposition em (“in”) or its contraction em + o = no (“in” + masculine definite article “the”).

2. Add the Word Dia

It’s very common to use the word dia (“day”) before the date if talking about a particular day. 

• Eu tenho consulta no dia 14 [deste mês]. 
  “I have an appointment on the (day) 14th [of this month].”

Just like in English, if you only say the day without any extra information, people will assume you are talking about the 14th of this month – or the next month, if we are already past the 14th.  

Also note that dia is a masculine word. For this reason, you need to use no (contraction em + o) before the word dia.

3. How to Say the Numbers

In Portuguese, we almost always use cardinal numbers to talk about dates (both days and years). The only exception is the first day of each month, for which we use the ordinal number.

• Dia 24 (vinte e quatro) de janeiro.
  “Day 24 (twenty-four) of January ”

• Dia 1º (primeiro) de abril –  Dia da Mentira
  “Day 1st (first) of April – April Fool’s day”

4. Add the day of the week

Sometimes it is a good idea to add the day of the week to make things clearer. For example, if you are scheduling a lunch with a friend or a job interview, you can say the day of the week before the date.

• Está marcado para quarta-feira, dia 02 de junho.
  Literally: “It is scheduled for Wednesday, (day) 2nd of June.”

• Nos encontraremos na segunda-feira, dia 31 de outubro.
  “We will meet on Monday, (day) 31st of October.”

When using the day of the week in front of the date, the preposition may change a bit. In most cases, you will still use the preposition em. However, it needs to agree on gender with the day of the week. We will look into the days of the week in-depth later in this article. For now, just remember that for feminine days of the week, the contraction is na (em + a), and for the masculine days, use the contraction no (em + o).

➜ Hint: when you can substitute the preposition for “in” or “on” in English, it is a safe bet to use em and its contractions.

In some other cases, you will need to use the preposition para (“to”). 

➜ Hint: use para + article when you would use “to” in English. 

3 – Mixing and Matching

Here are some of the several ways you can talk about dates using the information we’ve seen so far.

Talking about the day:

• Hoje é o dia 09.
  “Today is the 9th.” or literally: “Today is the day 9.”

• Amanhã é domingo.
  “Tomorrow is Sunday.”

• Nas quartas-feiras, ele vai ao teatro.
  “On Wednesdays, he goes to the theater.”

Talking about the month:

• Estamos em maio.
  “We are in May.” or “It is May.”

• Ele nasceu em novembro.
  “He was born in November.”

Talking about the year:

• Estamos em 1845. 
  “We are in 1845.” or “It is 1845.”

• Eu me formei em 2020.
  “I graduated in 2020.”

• No ano de 1990, muitas coisas aconteceram.
  “In the year 1990, many things happened.”

And putting it together, we have:

• Hoje é dia 15 de novembro.
  Literally: “Today is day 15 of November.”

• Estamos em julho de 2009.
  “It is July 2009.” or literally: “We are in July of 2009.”

• Nos mudamos em 9 de março de 2019.
  “We moved on March 9th, 2009.” or literally: “We moved on 9 of March of 2019.”

Tenho que terminar este projeto até dia 10, sexta-feira. (“I have to finish this project by 10th, Friday.”)

2. How to Say the Days

1 – The Numbers

The first thing you need to know to talk about days is the numbers from 1 to 31.

As mentioned before, in Portuguese we use cardinal numbers (the most basic form of the numbers). The only exception is when referring to the first day of the month. In this case, we use the ordinal form: primeiro (“first”).

Number	1	2	3	4	5
Dia (“Day”)	Primeiro	Dois	Três	Quatro	Cinco

Number	6	7	8	9	10
Dia (“Day”)	Seis	Sete	Oito	Nove	Dez

Number	11	12	13	14	15
Dia (“Day”)	Onze	Doze	Treze	Quatorze	Quinze

Number	16	17	18	19	20
Dia (“Day”)	Dezesseis	Dezessete	Dezoito	Dezenove	Vinte

Number	21	22	23	24	25
Dia (“Day”)	Vinte e um	Vinte e dois	Vinte e três	Vinte e quatro	Vinte e cinco

Number	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dia (“Day”)	Vinte e seis	Vinte e sete	Vinte e oito	Vinte e nove	Trinta	Trinta e um

➜ Listen to how you can pronounce the Numbers 1-10 and Numbers 11-100 with PortuguesePod101.

2 – Weekdays and Weekends

Now that you know how to say the days, what about the dias da semana (“days of the week”)?

You will see that it’s very easy to remember these days of the week in Portuguese, since they follow a simple format. For Monday through Friday, simply use the ordinal numbers! Since Sunday is the first day of the week, Monday is the second, and so on. 

Let’s start with the weekdays, called dias úteis in Portuguese (literally meaning “useful days”).

Dias úteis	Weekdays	Common abbreviation
segunda-feira	Monday	2a
terça-feira	Tuesday	3a
quarta-feira	Wednesday	4a
quinta-feira	Thursday	5a
sexta-feira	Friday	6a

Some things to note:

• Monday through Friday are feminine words in Portuguese.
• Days of the week are written in lower case in Portuguese, as shown in the table.
• Weekdays always end up with -feira (a word that comes from the Latin feria, and refers to days other than Sunday). Most romance languages use the Latin names for the days of the week, which make reference to pagan gods. Portuguese is an exception, due to Christian influence in Portugal.
• However, in everyday situations, it’s quite common to also say only the first part: segunda, terça, quarta, quinta and sexta. 

Now, time to learn about the best part of the week: o fim de semana or o final de semana (“the weekend”). Note that both words below are masculine.

Fim de semana	Weekend	Common abbreviation
sábado	Saturday	sab.
domingo	Sunday	dom.

Sábado comes from the Sabbath. Domingo comes from the latin Dominicus (Dominica), meaning “the Lord’s Day”.

Dia 17 é uma quinta-feira. (“The 17th is a Thursday.”)

➜ Practice the pronunciation for the days of the week  and superpower your Portuguese language learning with this free vocabulary list on Talking about the Days on PortuguesePod101.

3. How to Say the Months

Now, it’s time to get acquainted with the 12 months of the year. Notice that, just like the days of the week, months do not begin with a capital letter in Portuguese. 

Meses	Months
janeiro	January
fevereiro	February
março	March
abril	April
maio	May
junho	June
julho	July
agosto	August
setembro	September
outubro	October
novembro	November
dezembro	December

Some other good-to-know Portuguese words related to months are:

• Trimestre (“Quarter”)
• Semestre (“Semester”) 
• Estação, estações (“Season”, “seasons”)

And here are some examples of Portuguese sentences using the months:

• Meu aniversário é em dezembro.
  “My birthday is in December.”

• Ele viajou em janeiro.
  “He traveled in January.”

• A minha estação do ano favorita começa em março.
  “My favorite season starts in March.”

• Nós nos formamos em julho de 2025.
  “We graduated in July 2025.”

O verão começa no dia 21 de dezembro. (“Summer starts on December 21st.”)

➜ Do you want to hear how each month is pronounced in Portuguese? Head to this vocabulary list on Talking About Months in Portuguese. 

4. How to Say the Years

We are back to numbers! When talking about years, there is a large variety of possible numbers, so we can’t cover each one individually. Luckily, the same format applies to most numbers – and consequently, to years. 

We will cover some examples of how to pronounce some different years. If you need more information, you can always check our in-depth article on Numbers in Portuguese.

Year	Portuguese Pronunciation
753	Setecentos e cinquenta e três
1500	Mil e quinhentos
1712	Mil setecentos e doze
1989	Mil novecentos e oitenta e nove
2021	Dois mil e vinte e um

As you can see by the examples above, the years are pronounced as any other cardinal number. Unlike in English, in Portuguese, we do not combine smaller numbers. For example:

• 1912 can be pronounced as “nineteen twelve” in English. In Portuguese, that does not happen.

However, years in the 20th century can be shortened, as in the examples below:

• Nos anos 80… (“In the 80s…”)
• Ele lançou seu primeiro álbum em 95. (“He released his first album in 95.”)

And since we just mentioned centuries, here is another difference between Portuguese and English. In English, we use ordinal numbers followed by the word “century”. In Portuguese, we start with the word século (“century”) followed by the number. The number can be ordinal or cardinal, depending on the following rules.

• For numbers smaller than, and including, 10: the century is read as an ordinal number.
• For numbers above 10: the century is read as a cardinal number.

Traditionally, Roman numerals are used to talk about centuries. However, it is becoming increasingly more common to use our good old Arabic numbers. Let’s look at some examples.

• Os acontecimentos do século 10º (pronounced as décimo).
  Os acontecimentos do século X (pronounced as décimo).
  “The events of the 10th century.”

• No começo do século 21 (pronounced as vinte e um).
  No começo do século XVIII (pronounced as vinte e um).
  “At the beginning of the 21st century.”

• O Brasil foi colonizado no século 16 (pronounced as dezesseis).
  O Brasil foi colonizado no século XVI (pronounced as dezesseis).
  “Brazil was colonized in the 16th century.”

Finally, here are some extra sample sentences using years in Portuguese. 

• 2020 foi um ano bissexto. 
  “2020 was a leap year.”

• Meu filho nasceu em 1999. 
  “My son was born in 1999.”

• Meus filmes preferidos são da década de 1980. 
  “My favorite movies are from the decade of 1980.”

• Se eu pudesse viajar no tempo, iria para os anos 30. 
  “If I could travel back in time, I would go back to the 30s.”

• Nos casamos em 2010. Já faz quase 15 anos! 
  “We got married in 2010. It’s been almost 15 years!”

Nos casamos em Abril de 2010, cinco anos atrás. (“We got married in April 2010, five years ago.”)

5. Fix the Date of Appointments in Portuguese

Now that you know how to talk about dates, it’s time to put it to use. There are many practical applications to dates in everyday life, like booking appointments and making plans. 

Here are some important Portuguese words and phrases to do so:

• Consulta (“Appointment”)
• Agendamento (“Scheduling”, “appointment”)
• Reserva (“Booking”)
• Encontro (“Date”, romantic)
• Reunião (“Meeting”)
• Disponibilidade (“Availability”)
• Marcar (“To book”, “to schedule”)
• Agendar (“To schedule”)

• Gostaria de marcar uma consulta com o doutor na próxima semana.
  “I would like to make an appointment with the doctor next week.”

• Vocês têm disponibilidade para o próximo mês?
  “Do you have availability for the next month?”

• Qual é a data mais próxima para um agendamento?
  “What is the closest date for an appointment?”

• Gostaria de agendar uma mesa para sexta-feira. 
  “I would like to schedule a table for Friday.”

• É possível reservar um quarto para duas pessoas para o fim de semana que vem? 
  “Is it possible to book a room for two people for next weekend?”

• Tenho um encontro amanhã.
  “I have a date tomorrow.”

• Já podemos marcar a próxima reunião para Dezembro. 
  “We can already schedule the next meeting for December.”

A simple phone conversation to schedule an appointment with your doctor could go like this: 

• Alô, boa tarde. Eu gostaria de marcar uma consulta com a doutora Ana. (“Hello, good afternoon. I would like to make an appointment with Dr. Ana. (feminine)”)
• Claro. Para que dia? (“Of course. For what day?”)
• Ela tem disponibilidade para a próxima semana? (“Does she have availability for next week?”)
• Não, a primeira data disponível é o dia 10 do mês que vem. (“No, the first available date is the 10th of next month.”)
• Dia 10 é uma quarta-feira? (“Is the 10th a Wednesday?”)
• Exatamente. Ela tem disponibilidade de manhã e de tarde. (“Exactly. She has availability in the morning and in the afternoon.”)
• Ok, então podemos marcar para o dia 10, às 11 horas. (“Okay, so we can schedule it for the 10th, at 11 o’clock.”)
• Perfeito. Está marcado. (“Perfect. It is scheduled.”)
• Obrigado! (“Thank you! (masculine)”)

Schedule your appointments like a pro!

6. Must-Know Phrases to Talk about Dates

1 – Talking about Past and Upcoming Dates

We have already seen several ways to say “the next” in the previous examples in this article. But to make it easier for you, here are all the ways to talk about the upcoming dates. 

• Amanhã (“Tomorrow”)
• Depois de amanhã (“Day after tomorrow”)
• Na próxima semana, no próximo mês, no próximo ano (“Next week, next month, next year”)
• Na semana seguinte, no sábado seguinte (“The following week, the following Saturday”)

What about past dates? Here are the most important words and expressions to use:

• Ontem (“Yesterday”)
• Anteontem (“Day before yesterday”)
• Na semana passada, no mês passado, no ano passado (“Last week, last month, last year”)
• Dias atrás, meses atrás, anos atrás (“Days ago, months ago, years ago”)

2 – Important Everyday Phrases

In daily interactions, you will probably ask and answer questions related to dates in Portuguese. You will see that it isn’t too hard at all – especially once you learn these basic Portuguese phrases.

• Que dia é hoje? (“What day is today?”)
• Hoje é o dia 25. (“Today is the 25th.”)

• Que dia da semana é hoje? (“What day of the week is today?”)
• Hoje é quinta-feira. (“Today is Thursday.”)

• Quando as suas aulas começam? (“When do your classes start?”)
• Elas já começaram na semana passada. (“They already started last week.”)

• Quando você estará de férias? (“When will you be on vacation?”)
• No mês que vem, daqui a duas semanas. (“Next month, in two weeks.”)

• Quando é o seu aniversário? (“When is your birthday?”)
• Meu aniversário é em maio. (“My birthday is in May.”)

• Qual é a sua data de nascimento? (“What is your date of birth?”) – formal situations
• Dia 30 de outubro de 1990. (“October 30th, 1990.”)

• Que dia podemos nos encontrar? (“What day can we meet?”)
• Pode ser depois de amanhã. (“It can be the day after tomorrow.”)

3 – Important Dates in Brazil

Now you know all the most important vocabulary, phrases and expressions to talk about Portuguese dates! But before you go, learn the name of some of the most relevant holidays in Brazil.

• Carnaval (“Carnival”)
  Date changes every year

• Páscoa (“Easter”)
  Date changes every year

• Dia das Mães (“Mother’s Day”)
  Segundo domingo de maio (“Second Sunday of May”)

• Férias de Julho (“July vacations”)

• Dia dos Pais (“Father’s Day”)
  Segundo domingo de agosto (“Second Sunday of August”)

• Férias de final de ano (“End-of-year vacations”)

• Natal (“Christmas”)
  25 de dezembro (“December 25th”)

• Virada de ano, Réveillon (“New Year’s Eve”)
  31 de dezembro (“December 31st”)

• Ano-Novo (“New Year”)
  Dia 1º de janeiro (“January 1st”)

Desfile de Carnaval. (“The Carnival parade.”)

7. Continue Learning Portuguese With PortuguesePod101

In this complete guide on Portuguese dates, we covered how to talk about days, days of the week, months and years. You can now ask and answer common questions on the topic, make plans and book appointments. Hopefully, you also learned how to write the date in Portuguese, so you can deal with date-related bureaucracy. 

Do you feel ready to have conversations about Portuguese dates and times? Do you think the article covered everything you needed to know about the topic? Please let us know in the comments!

Now, continue learning Portuguese with the hundreds of free Portuguese resources and the many vocabulary lists available on PortuguesePod101.com. Go ahead and choose your favorite tools to expand your learning opportunities.

If you want to take your Portuguese language learning experience further, members of PortuguesePod101.com get access to the largest language lesson library in the world, with thousands of real lessons by real teachers. Perfect for anyone who wants to learn from anywhere, feel motivated, and be ready to speak Portuguese with confidence. And in the meantime, continue exploring PortuguesePod101!

Whether it’s a Christmas celebration, a birthday party, or a simple barbecue (churrasco!), there’s a family gathering just about every month in Brazil. Yes, those events where small cousins are running around, grandmother asks about your love life, and there’s more food than people can handle.

Learning how to talk about family in Portuguese is essential, even if you don’t attend one of these family gatherings in Brazil (which we recommend you do!). After all, this is a topic that always comes up in conversations. People will ask you about your family, or tell you stories about their own family involving multiple relatives.

In this article, we’ll go over the vocabulary you need to know to talk about all kinds of families, as well as family-related words in Portuguese. We’ll also see some examples of sentences and questions related to family in Portuguese. But first, let’s go over family values in Portuguese-speaking Brazil and more information on family structures. Ready?

Table of Contents

1. An Introduction to Brazilian Families
2. The Basics of the Nuclear Family
3. The Relatives You See at Christmas
4. The New Family: Couples
5. Extending the New Family: In-laws
6. Blended Families
7. Showing Affection: Endearment Terms
8. Learn More Portuguese with PortuguesePod101

1. An Introduction to Brazilian Families

Brazilians tend to have very tight-knit relationships with their families. Family definitely continues to be a strong institution in Brazil, and that’s why it’s always one of the first topics in a conversation. Overall, Brazilians are collectivistic, and it’s not uncommon to see several generations living in the same household or very close by.

Of course, we can’t forget that the local culture also lends a lot of importance to celebrations where the whole family comes together to enjoy each other’s company, great food, and music.

Although the family size in Brazil has diminished over the past several years, it’s still common to see numerous families with plenty of children, cousins, uncles, and aunts. This is especially true in smaller cities and rural areas; families in cosmopolitan regions tend to have fewer children.

Unlike in some other cultures, there aren’t different ways to refer to family members in Portuguese based on their age. What does happen a lot in Brazil is the use of a diminutive suffix at the end of words to indicate affection. You’ll see some examples further along. In addition to that, there are other endearment terms and nicknames that Brazilians use to refer to family members with extra fondness.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Portuguese is a language that tends to use the masculine form when dealing with plurals. This characteristic relates directly to Brazilian society, which is largely patriarchal. We’ll discuss the plurals a bit later in this article as well!

Three generations: avô (“grandfather”), pai (“father”), and filho (“son”).

2. The Basics of the Nuclear Family

Let’s start with the basic vocabulary for talking about your immediate family in Portuguese. It might look like a lot of new words, but we’ll put it all in context with some example sentences!

We’ll start by answering the most important question: How do you say “family” in Portuguese?

Família	“Family”
Parentes	“Relatives”
Mãe	“Mother”
Pai	“Father”
Pais	“Parents”
Irmã	“Sister”
Irmão	“Brother”
Irmãos	“Siblings”
Filho	“Son”
Filha	“Daughter”
Filhos	“Children”

As you can see in the vocabulary table above, when we’re talking about the plural for parents, children, or siblings, we use the masculine form:

• Pai (“father” ) → Pais (“parents” )
• Irmão (“brother” ) → Irmãos (“brothers” or “siblings” )
• Filho (“son” )→ Filhos (“sons” or “children” )

However, if you already know that the siblings or children are all female, then you can use the feminine plural irmãs (“sisters”). If you don’t know, or if there are both male and female siblings, then use the masculine form irmãos (“brothers”). In fact, this plural rule applies to all plurals in Portuguese, so keep that in mind going forward!

Now that you already know the family terms in Portuguese for talking about siblings or children, how can you add more details? Take a look at the words and expressions below.

Mais novo / nova	“Younger”
O mais novo/a mais nova, caçula	“The youngest”
Mais velho / velha	“Eldest”
O mais velho / a mais velha	“The eldest”
Do meio	“Middle” (child or sibling)
Filho único / filha única	“Single child” (male) / (female)
Gêmeos / gêmeas	“Twins”

Great, you’ve just learned a bunch of new vocabulary! You might be wondering how these new words look in a real-life sentence. We’ve got you covered:

• Meu filho mais novo (“My youngest son” )
• Ele é o caçula. (“He is the youngest.” )
• Eu sou a irmã do meio. (“I am the middle daughter.” )
• Ela é a filha mais velha. (“She is the oldest daughter.” )
• Tenho dois irmãos mais velhos. (“I have two older siblings/brothers.” )
• Eu vivo com meus pais. (“I live with my parents.” )
• Ele não tem filhos. (“He doesn’t have children.” )
• Os almoços de família são sempre cheios de parentes. (“The family lunches are always full of relatives.” )

When talking to a Portuguese speaker, the conversation about family could go a bit like this:

A: Como está a sua família? (“How’s your family?” )
B: Estão todos bem. E sua mãe? (“Everyone is doing well. How about your mother?l” )
A: Ela está melhor, obrigado. Você tem irmãos, não é? (“She is better, thank you. You have siblings, right?” )
B: Tenho sim! Um irmão mais novo e uma irmã mais velha. (“I do! A younger brother and an older sister.” )
A: Legal! Eu sou filho único. Meus pais nunca quiseram mais filhos. (“Cool! I am an only child. My parents never wanted more children.” )

3. The Relatives You See at Christmas

As we explained before, Brazilians tend to be very close to their relatives, and family gatherings or reunions are a big affair.

Avó	“Grandmother”
Avô	“Grandfather”
Avós	“Grandparents”
Bisavó	“Great-grandmother”
Bisavô	“Great-grandfather”
Bisavós	“Great-grandparents”
Neto	“Grandson”
Neta	“Granddaughter”
Netos/Netas	“Grandchildren”
Tio	“Uncle”
Tia	“Aunt”
Tios	“Uncles” or plural form of “uncles + aunts”
Tias	“Aunts”

Note that the first plurals in the table above sound “feminine,” even though the plural favors males as explained previously. This is only a matter of making the word sound more pleasant.

/!\ Tio (“uncle” ) and tia (“aunt” ) are also used to informally refer to friends’ parents or other adults.

Primo	“Cousin” (male)
Prima	“Cousin” (female)
Primos	“Cousins”
Sobrinho	“Nephew”
Sobrinha	“Niece”
Sobrinhos	“Nephews” or plural form of “nephews + nieces”
Sobrinhas	“Nieces”
Madrinha	“Godmother”v
Padrinho	“Godfather”
Padrinhos	“Godparents”
Afilhado	“Godson”
Afilhada	“Goddaughter”

Check out some examples of dialogues including questions and answers using the new vocabulary.

A: Você tem padrinhos? (“Do you have godparents?” )
B: Sim! Minha madrinha é uma amiga da minha avó. Meu padrinho é meu tio, irmão mais velho do meu pai. (“Yes! My godmother is one of my grandmother’s friends. My godfather is my uncle, my father’s oldest brother.” )
A: Legal! Quantos tios você tem, só um? (“Cool! How many uncles do you have, only one?” )
B: Por parte de pai, só um. Por parte de mãe, tenho um tio e dua tias. (“From my father’s side, only one. From my mother’s side, I have one uncle and two aunts.” )

Another example dialogue:

A: Como foi a festa de aniversário do seu sobrinho? (“How was your nephew’s birthday party?” )
B: Foi muito boa! Todos meus primos estavam lá, então deu pra ver todo mundo! (“It was very good! All of my cousins were there, so I could see everyone!” )
A: E seus avós, eles foram? (“How about your grandparents, did they go?” )
B: Minha avó, sim. Mas meu avô ficou em casa cuidando da minha bisavó. (“My grandmother did. But my grandfather stayed home taking care of my great-grandmother.” )
A: Ah, entendi. (“Oh, I see.” )
B: Mas minha avó ficou feliz de ver todos os netos e netas. (“But my grandmother was happy to see all of her grandchildren.” )

Avó e netos (“Grandmother and grandchildren” )

→ Listen to the pronunciation for the must-know family terms on PortuguesePod101!

4. The New Family: Couples

Beyond the immediate family ties, you also have to learn how to talk about the new family members a married person acquires!

With the new words you’ll see below, you’ll be able to talk about love and passionate relationships. This way, if you need to DTR (define the relationship) in Portuguese, you’ll have nothing to fear!

Here’s how to talk about newly acquired members of the family in Portuguese, and how to define certain relationships.

Casal	“Couple”
Esposo / Marido	“Husband”
Esposa / Mulher	“Wife”
Casados	“Married”
Noivo	“Fiancé” / “Groom”
Noiva	“Fiancée” / “Bride”
Noivos	“Engaged couple”
Namorado	“Boyfriend”
Namorada	“Girlfriend”
Namorados	“Dating couple”
Parceiro	“Partner” (male)
Parceira	“Partner” (female)
Ex	“Ex”
Divorciado	“Divorced” (male)
Divorciada	“Divorced” (female)
Amante	“Lover”
Amantes	“Lovers”
Viúvo	“Widower”
Viúva	“Widow”

Here’s a dialogue example filled with real-life phrases you might hear in Portuguese:

A: Finalmente vou conhecer a sua namorada? (“Will I finally meet your girlfriend?” )
B: Namorada, não. Mas a minha noiva sim! (“Girlfriend, no. But my fiancée, yes!” )
A: Não acredito! (“I don’t believe it!” )
B: Acredite! Tenho uma foto dela, olha. (“Believe it! I have a picture of her, look.” )
A: Ah, muito mais bonita do que sua ex-esposa. Fazem um casal lindo! (“Oh, she is much prettier than your ex-wife. You make a beautiful couple!” )

O casal chegou! (“The couple arrived!” )

→ If love is in the air, you might want to learn these love phrases with PortuguesePod101!

5. Extending the New Family: In-laws

Once the family expands, you’ll have to get used to many more family members! Nothing to worry about, though. In real life, the in-laws tend to be less scary than in the movies.

In Portuguese, it’s not as easy as simply adding “-in-law” to already familiar words. So take your time to practice and understand these different words for the extended family in Portuguese!

Sogro	“Father-in-law”
Sogra	“Mother-in-law”
Sogros	“Parents-in-law” or plural for “father-in-law + mother-in-law”

Genro	“Son-in-law”
Nora	“Daughter-in-law”
Cunhado	“Brother-in-law”
Cunhada	“Sister-in-law”

For example:

• Manda um beijo para a sua sogra. (“Send a kiss to your mother-in-law.” )
• Quantos cunhados você tem? (“How many brothers-in-law do you have?” )
• Meu genro é muito inteligente. (“My son-in-law is very smart.” )

5. Blended Families

Like in many other countries, the family structure is changing rapidly in Brazil. The term “blended family” refers to cases where one or both of the spouses have children from other relationships. That means more family relations and more words to discover!

Here’s a list of words you can use to describe these family ties in Portuguese:

Padrasto	“Stepfather”
Madrasta	“Stepmother”
Enteado	“Stepson”
Enteada	“Stepdaughter”
Enteados	“Stepchildren”
Meia-irmã	“Half-sister”
Meio-irmão	“Half-brother”
Meio-irmãos	“Half-siblings”
Irmã do outro casamento	“Stepsister,” literally translating to “sister from another marriage”
Irmão do outro casamento	“Stepbrother,” literally translating to “brother from another marriage”
Irmãos do outro casamento	“Step-siblings”

As you can see, the terms for step-siblings are a mouthful. As a result, they’re not used very often, and it’s common to just use the words irmão (“brother”), irmã (“sister”), or irmãos (“siblings” ) to refer to step-siblings.

Here are some examples:

• Eu gosto da minha madrasta. (“I like my stepmother.” )
• Nossos meio-irmãos são mais novos. (“Our half-siblings are younger.” )
• A sua enteada tem quantos anos? (“How old is your stepdaughter?” )

A família foi para a praia (“The family went to the beach” )

6. Showing Affection: Endearment Terms

As we said before, family relations are very important and central to Brazilian culture. Therefore, it’s not surprising that there are plenty of endearment terms used to refer to some of the family members we covered in this article.

Why don’t we play a game, then? Take a look at the words below and try to guess what family member each term refers to. After you’re done, scroll down to get the answers!

Mamãe

Papai

Vovó

Vovô

Dinda

Dindo

Bisa

Biso

Titio

Titia

Hey, no cheating!

But if you’re done, here’s the translation for each word:

Mamãe	“Mommy”
Papai	“Dad”
Vovó	“Grandma”
Vovô	“Grandpa”
Dinda	Endearment term for “godmother”
Dindo	Endearment term for “godfather”
Bisa	Endearment term for “great-grandmother”
Biso	Endearment term for “great-grandfather”
Titio	Endearment term for “uncle”
Titia	“Auntie,” endearment term for “aunt”

In addition to the terms listed above, it’s very common to use the diminutive ending to convey affection. For the cases we’re discussing in this article, the endings are:

• -inho for masculine words
• -inha for feminine words

And here are some examples of endearment terms with the diminutive ending.

• Mãe (“mother” ) → Mãezinha
• Pai (“father” ) → Paizinho
• Avó (“grandmother” ) → Vózinha
• Avô (“grandfather” ) → Vôzinho
• Vovó (“grandma” ) → Vovózinha
• Vovô (“grandpa” ) → Vovôzinho
• Prima (“cousin” female ) → Priminha
• Primo (“cousin” male ) → Priminho
• Tia (“aunt” ) → Tiazinha
• Tio (“uncle” ) → Tiozinho
• Neta (“granddaughter” ) → Netinha
• Neto (“grandson” ) → Netinho

In some places in the north and/or the northeast of Brazil, you can also hear the following endearment terms:

• Mainha (“mom”; exclusive to the Northeast)
• Painho (“dad”; exclusive to the Northeast)
• Mana / Maninha (“sis” / “sister” )
• Mano / Maninho (“bro” / “brother” )
• Maninha (“little sister” )
• Maninho (“little brother” )

/!\ While in the north and northeast of Brazil, mano and mana are used to refer to blood relations, those words can also be used as slang throughout Brazil. Context will be your best friend when you encounter those words!

Avôzinho e netinho (“Grandfather and his little grandson” )

7. Learn More Portuguese with PortuguesePod101

We hope this complete guide to talking about family in Portuguese was helpful to you! Now you’re ready to engage in conversation about family members and tell old family tales like a native Portuguese speaker. If you want to take it a step further, practice the pronunciation of the terms and words you learned today.

Were the examples we presented useful? Did we miss any important words you wanted to learn? Let us know in the comments! And remember that you can come back to this article whenever you need to and refresh your memory.

Now it’s time to continue on your language-learning journey! There are more free Portuguese resources and a variety of vocabulary lists available on PortuguesePod101.com. Go ahead and choose your favorite tools to expand your learning opportunities.

If you want to take your learning experience further, members of PortuguesePod101.com get access to the largest language lesson library in the world, with thousands of real lessons by real teachers. Perfect for anyone who wants to learn from anywhere, feel motivated, and be ready to speak Portuguese with confidence. And in the meantime, continue exploring PortuguesePod101!

Travel: Is there any other activity that demands so much planning, money, and time…or that generates so many interesting and fulfilling discoveries?

Yes, traveling can be both a pleasure and a challenge. Leisure in newfound places walks hand in hand with language and cultural barriers. Learning Portuguese basics for travel can be helpful, but it might not be enough to help you generate a truly rich and comfortable experience.

There are many sources online with common Portuguese travel phrases, but many of them fail to illustrate the nuances of the daily vernacular you’ll actually be hearing on your trip. It’s not uncommon to learn some Portuguese travel phrases but neglect to brush up on local manners and signs of politeness. After all, there are many unspoken rules and other subtleties to be mindful of…

In this article, we’ll present to you a list of Portuguese travel phrases that go beyond the basics. This includes some less common phrases as well as cultural information that will allow you to speak in a more flexible and comprehensive manner during your travels in Brazil!

Table of Contents

1. Basic Portuguese for Travel
2. Portuguese Travel Phrases for Transportation
3. Portuguese Travel Phrases for Shopping
4. Portuguese Travel Phrases for Restaurants
5. Asking for and Giving Directions
6. Emergencies
7. Flattery Phrases
8. Useful Phrases to Go Through Language Problems
9. Conclusion

1. Basic Portuguese for Travel

To travel in Portuguese-speaking countries, one must be well-equipped with some fundamental words and expressions.

A- Greetings

Because first impressions are very important, let’s start with some concise greetings. 

• Oi! – “Hi!”
• Olá! – “Hello!”
• Bom dia. – “Good morning.”
• Boa tarde. – “Good afternoon.”
• Boa noite. – “Good evening.”

B- Informal greetings

Friends often greet each other in a very casual manner. 

These phrases sound caring, but they’re not always met with answers or reciprocity. In fact, their informal meaning is closer to “hi,” or even just to signal that you see the other person. Generally, you’ll use these phrases to greet people with whom you’ve had plenty of interactions already.

• Tudo bem? – “How are you doing?”
• Beleza? – “Howdy?”
• E aí? – “What’s up?”
• Salve! – “Ay!”

C- Short answers

Essential communication is at the core of basic Portuguese phrases for travel. Therefore, these short answers will come in handy in a variety of situations.

• Sim – “Yes”
• Não – “No”
• Talvez – “Maybe”
• Pode ser? – “Why not?”
• Eu gostei. / Eu não gostei. – “I liked it.” / “I didn’t like it.” 
• Bom – “Good”
• Ruim – “Bad”
• Bem – “Well” 
• Mal – “Badly”

D- Being polite

Learning some basic etiquette rules can make a big difference in how you’re received when approaching people during your travels. Being polite to a friend, a host, or a stranger shows them that you care to interact properly according to local customs—and this might make them more open to helping you.

• Obrigado. (male) / Obrigada. (female) – “Thank you.”
• Me desculpe. – “I’m sorry.” 
  • Often, people simply say desculpa, which is informal.  
• Peço perdão. – “I beg your pardon.”
  • This is a less common and more formal expression.
• Com licença. – “Excuse me.”
• Por favor. – “Please.”
• Prazer em conhecê-lo. (male) / Prazer em conhecê-la. (female) – “Pleased to meet you.”

Finally, here’s a bonus phrase you’ll definitely need when traveling in a Portuguese-speaking country:

• Você pode tirar uma foto minha, por favor? – “Would you please take a picture of me?”

2. Portuguese Travel Phrases for Transportation

Whether you depend on taxis, subways, trains, or buses for transportation, you can count on the following phrases:

A- Taxi, please!

• Vamos para a [Avenida Presidente Vargas], por favor. – “We are heading to [Presidente Vargas Avenue] please.”
• Você aceita cartão de crédito? – “Do you accept credit card?”
• Você pode esperar um minuto, por favor? – “Could you hold on for a minute, please?”
• Vamos fazer uma parada em outro lugar antes. – “We’re making a stop-by in another place first.”
• Aqui está bom. – “Here is fine.”

Taxis are often an expensive form of transportation in Brazil, though the recent diffusion of ride apps has pushed fare prices down in the last couple of years.  

B- Traveling by bus

A mere bus can take you to so many places…

• Pode me avisar quando estiver perto do [Parque do Ibirapuera]? – “Would you let me know when we get close to [Ibirapuera Park]?”
• Em que ponto eu desço para chegar no [Elevador Lacerda]? – “Where should I get off to get to [Lacerda Elevator]?”
• Quero visitar o [MASP]. Quanto tempo demora até lá? – “I’d like to visit [MASP]. How long does it take until we reach it?”
• Você tem troco para vinte reais? – “May I have change for twenty reais?”
• Este ônibus vai até a estação de metrô/estação de trem? – “Does this bus get to the subway/train station?”
• Até que horas este ônibus funciona? – “When does this bus stop?”

The bus is the most common form of public transportation in Brazilian cities and between municipalities. Commercial flights are not an affordable option for long-distance travel for most of the country’s population.

Some cities offer air-conditioned buses, and some places also have vans and microbuses for public transportation, which are called micro-ônibus or peruas.

C- Riding the train

• Onde eu posso comprar o bilhete? – “Where can I buy a ticket?”
• Eu vou querer dois bilhetes, por favor. – “Two tickets, please.”
• A que horas passa o ultimo trem? – “When does the last train arrive?”
• De que lado fica a saída para a rua [Domingos de Moraes]? – “How can I get from here to [Domingos de Moraes] street?”
• Onde fica o mapa das linhas do metrô? – “Where is the map of the subway lines?”
• Esta é a linha verde do metrô? – “Is this the green subway line?”
• Esta é a plataforma correta para ir até [o Flamengo]? – “Is this the right platform to [Flamengo]?”

Trains in Brazil are reserved for urban and freight transportation only. The railways were a popular long-distance transport decades ago, before cars became popular in the country.

3. Portuguese Travel Phrases for Shopping

So many options to choose from, so many phrases to learn… Don’t panic, let’s be practical.

Our social interactions while shopping tend to be brief and no-nonsense, so an elaborate vocabulary isn’t necessary to get what you need. For example: If you spot a nice fruit, you can point at it, ask for the price using gestures, and finish the purchase. Or, if shopping online, you could use a digital translator.

On the other hand, it might not always turn out this way. Buying a gift for a friend in a foreign country, for instance, could be confusing. It’s not always easy to explain your interests or to formulate questions to a native speaker.  

Here are just a few survival phrases in Portuguese for making the most of your trip to the store or mall: 

• Quanto custa isto? – “How much does it cost?”
• Qual peça você recomenda? – “What piece/item do you recommend?”
• Qual é a lembrança mais popular da loja? – “What is this store’s most popular souvenir?”
• Vocês aceitam pagamento por PayPal? – “Can I use PayPal for payment?”
• O preço está em reais ou em dólares? – “Is the pricing in reais or in dollars?”
• Você tem esta camiseta em tamanho médio? – “Does this T-shirt come in medium size?”
• Será que este item chega até terça-feira? – “Might this item be in stock by Tuesday?”

4. Portuguese Travel Phrases for Restaurants

The most common activity we can all relate to? Eating. Whether you’re ordering food or asking your waiter/waitress a question, this basic Portuguese travel phrases list for restaurants has got you covered. 

• Uma mesa para quatro, por favor. – “Table for four, please.”
• Posso ver o menu, por favor? – “May I see the menu, please?”
• Água, por favor. – “Water, please.”
• Uma cerveja, por favor. – “Beer, please.”
• Um copo de suco de laranja, por favor. – “A glass of orange juice, please.”
• Vocês têm opções vegetarianas/veganas? – “Do you have vegetarian/vegan options?”
• A sobremesa está inclusa? – “Does it include the dessert?”
• Sou alérgico a glúten. (male) / Sou alérgica a glúten. (female) – “I am allergic to gluten.”
• Garçom! – “Waiter!”
• Garçonete! – “Waitress!”
• Pode dividir a conta em dois? – “Would you split the bill?”
• Está delicioso! – “It’s delicious!”
• Como se chama este prato? – “What do you call this dish?”
• Não acredito que isso é peixe… – “I can’t believe it’s fish…”

5. Asking for and Giving Directions

How can I get to Christ, the Redeemer?

Some of the most important Portuguese phrases for travelers are those used to ask for and give directions. Finding yourself lost with no means of communication never makes for a nice vacation or business trip! 

• Onde fica o banheiro? – “Where is the toilet?”
• A estação [Santa Cruz] fica aqui perto? – “Is [Santa Cruz] station nearby?”
• Onde fica a estação de metrô mais próxima? – “Where is the nearest metro station?”
• Pode me dizer para que lado é o Jardim Botânico? – “Could you tell me which way to Jardim Botânico?”
• Como eu faço para chegar ao [Cristo Redentor]? – “How can I get to [Christ, the Redeemer]?”
• Vire à direita. – “Turn right.”
• Vire à esquerda. – “Turn left.”
• Siga em frente. – “Go ahead.”
• Siga reto. – “Go straight.”
• Atravesse a rua. – “Cross the street.”
• Para o outro lado – “To the other side”

6. Emergencies

To get help, one must learn to ask for it.

Travels are full of discoveries and opportunities for adventure. Of course, there’s always room for unexpected events…some of which might not be pleasant. Here are some crucial Portuguese basics for travel to help you out in an emergency: 

• Ajuda, por favor! – “Help, please!”
• Você pode me ajudar? – “Can you help me?”
• Chame uma ambulância. – “Call an ambulance.”
• Chame a polícia. – “Call the police.”
• Chame os bombeiros. – “Call the firemen.”
• Tem algum médico aqui? – “Is there a doctor around here?”
• Perdi meu passaporte. – “I lost my passport.”
• Roubaram minha carteira. – “Someone stole my wallet.”

The most useful emergency numbers for travelers in Brazil are:

Police: Call 190 to report emergencies, and 197 to make inquiries and give information to the police.

Medical ambulance: Medical emergencies can be reported through calls to 192.

Fire service: Call 193.

Don’t forget to read our vocabulary list for useful phone call phrases, so you can act correctly on the spot if needed. Also, check the emergency phone numbers in Portugal and Angola.

7. Flattery Phrases

Embrace the confetti and throw some of it too: it makes people happier.

Flattery often pays off for tourists and foreigners. Pick people from any culture you want: they’ll most likely react in a positive way to flattery, especially if it’s genuine. To use a Brazilian expression for this universal vanity: Everyone likes to get some confetti thrown at them.

So, basic Portuguese travel phrases for flattery might open doors and build bridges between people! You can use them at the gym, during a meeting with friends, on a date, or in other contexts. Just use them at your discretion.

• As pessoas no Brasil são muito gentis. – “People in Brazil are very kind.”
• Eu adoro os brasileiros. – “I love Brazilians.”
• Eu gosto muito da comida portuguesa. – “I like Portuguese food very much.”
• Eu amo Angola. – “I love Angola.”
• Eu amo o seu país. – “I love your country.”
• Quero ser seu amigo. (male) / amiga. (female) Você tem Instagram? – “I want to be your friend. Do you use Instagram?”
• Eu quero morar aqui. – “I want to live here.”
• Você é lindo! (male) / Você é linda! (female) – “You are pretty!”

8. Useful Phrases to Go Through Language Problems

One common error that learners of a foreign language make is “overthinking” instead of talking intuitively, because they want to speak everything perfectly. This pretension might be an obstacle to developing oral fluency.

Sometimes, just learning the phrases isn’t enough and we need to ask native speakers for help. But why not at least do it correctly and in the foreign language? This self-improving and humble attitude is very constructive toward a speedier learning process.

• Você fala inglês? – “Can you speak English?”
• Não estou te entendendo. – “I don’t understand you.”
• Pode repetir? – “Can you repeat?”
• Fale mais devagar, por favor. – “Please speak slowly.”
• Você pode escrever, por favor? – “Would you write it down, please?”
• Como se lê isto? – “How do you read this?”
• Você pode soletrar para mim? – “Could you spell it out for me?”
• Eu não falo português muito bem. – “I don’t speak Portuguese very well.”
• Eu não falo nada de português. – “I don’t speak Portuguese at all.”

9. Conclusion

In this article, you learned a lot of basic Portuguese travel phrases that will keep you busy for some time and hopefully provide you with good cultural insight. The best part is that you have access to these expressions for free—all it takes is a few clicks or taps on your computer or cellphone. 

It’s a good idea to write down these expressions and practice them often. Indeed, reading and understanding content is nice, but active learning is the best way to build complex knowledge.

Are there any travel phrases you would still like to know or a situation we didn’t cover? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll get back to you! 

PortuguesePod101 provides many resources that are guaranteed to put you on a thrilling and productive learning path. Apart from vocabulary lists that are easy to consult and focused on practical situations, PortuguesePod101 provides a variety of multimedia lessons and content for Portuguese learners at every level. By subscribing to a Premium PLUS account, you also gain access to private lessons to boost your conversation skills and help you absorb important cultural information.

Check out PortuguesePod101’s resources for free and take your Portuguese studies to the next level!

Learning the numbers in Portuguese solves many problems. You can ask for caipirinhas (a Brazilian cocktail) for you and your buddies. Or count the goals in a soccer match. Or know how much a ticket from Sao Paulo to Rio will cost… You can also negotiate your salary, answer how many months (or years) you plan to stay in the country, and tell people your age.
Like in any other language, it’s important that you learn at least the numbers to ten in Portuguese right at the start. That will solve some communication problems when you’re speaking to a Brazilian or Portuguese person who doesn’t speak English.

Exciting, isn’t it? When do we begin? Well, sit down, take it easy, breathe—count to ten.

→ Want to review numbers vocabulary in Portuguese before reading this article? PortuguesePod101 has you covered!

Table of Contents

1. Portuguese Numbers 1-10
2. Portuguese Numbers 10-20
3. Portuguese Numbers 10-100
4. Numbers Up to 1000
5. How to Give Your Phone Number
6. How to Use Numbers When Shopping
7. Saying Prices
8. Learn Numbers in Portuguese and Much More with PortuguesePod101

1. Portuguese Numbers 1-10

First of all, we’ll go over the basic numbers that even kids know how to count. Baby steps before bigger plans. You’ll have to lay these bricks in order to reach bigger numerical structures.

Numbers in Portuguese are called números. If you’re familiar with any of the other Romance languages, this word may sound familiar to you. And so should this list of numbers in Portuguese from one to ten:

• 1     Um
• 2     Dois
• 3     Três
• 4     Quatro
• 5     Cinco
• 6     Seis
• 7     Sete
• 8     Oito
• 9     Nove
• 10     Dez

An interesting thing to note is that the number one in Portuguese transcends its function as a number for English speakers. Um is also used as an indefinite article in Portuguese, playing the role of “a(n)” in English.

So, when um acts as an indefinite article, it can be declined to its feminine form, based on the noun it’s referring to. Uma is the preferred form for counting feminine nouns. For instance:

• Ele colheu uma banana da bananeira.
  “He picked a banana from the banana tree.”
• Olho para a cesta e vejo: uma, duas, três maçãs…
  “I look at the basket and see: one, two, three apples…”
• Rolamos sobre um monte de folhas.
  “We roll over a pile of leaves.”

The other number that can decline to its feminine form is dois (which is duas in its feminine form). However, it isn’t used as an indefinite article.

Oh! And since we’ve started from the basics, let’s not forget the smallest of all integers—zero. Well…you can call it zero. The only significant detail with this one is the pronunciation: the “e” sounds like it does in the word “bell.”

Baby steps – We’ll get to the big ones soon.

2. Portuguese Numbers 10-20

Now that we’ve covered the very basics, giving you a strong foundation, we’re going to go through a rocky path of numbers that may sound pretty irregular to foreign speakers—but at least there aren’t many of them.

The thing is, they kind of make logical sense to foreigners, but not all of them.

From ten to twenty, half of the numbers in Portuguese sound irregular and the other half remind learners of the “-teen” numbers:

• 10      Dez
• 11      Onze
• 12      Doze
• 13      Treze
• 14      Catorze or Quatorze
• 15      Quinze
• 16      Dezesseis
• 17      Dezessete
• 18      Dezoito
• 19      Dezenove
• 20      Vinte

Actually, you may see that 11 (onze), 12 (doze), 13 (treze), and 14 (quatorze) are a combination of the first four integers with dez (10). It may seem a little off the first time you hear them, but don’t let the “e” at the end of these numbers (or the different spelling) confuse you!

3. Portuguese Numbers 10-100

Now, what about the large numbers in Portuguese? How do they work?

Portuguese is really logical sometimes (only sometimes), and luckily for you, that includes numbers. Once you’ve memorized 0-19, it gets simpler from 20 on.

Starting with 20 (vinte), all you have to do is “add” the numbers by placing “and” between the parts of the sum.

So, 21 is vinte e um (“twenty and one”), 22 is vinte e dois (“twenty and two”), and so on.

The logic behind the units is easier to get. To put this knowledge into practice, you can start by counting in Portuguese using the sets of tens:

• 30      Trinta
• 40      Quarenta
• 50      Cinquenta
• 60      Sessenta
• 70      Setenta
• 80      Oitenta
• 90      Noventa
• 100      Cem

These work just like vinte (20). For instance, 34 is trinta e quatro and 79 is setenta e nove.

When you get over 100, you just have to add more numbers the same way. For example: cento e cinquenta e seis is 156.

It’s just a matter of adding numbers up with figures above twenty.

4. Numbers Up to 1000

By now, counting numbers in Portuguese is probably as easy as eating breakfast for you. But we’re headed to the top! It’s time to cover numbers above 100 in Portuguese.

The following numbers in Brazilian Portuguese will help you keep track of your monthly expenses and read the cost of travel tickets. Once again, you can detect a pattern from hundred to hundred:

• 100      Cem
• 200      Duzentos
• 300      Trezentos
• 400      Quatrocentos
• 500      Quinhentos
• 600      Seiscentos
• 700      Setecentos
• 800      Oitocentos
• 900      Novecentos
• 1000      Mil

Banking in Portuguese: The joy of counting sets of hundreds in a foreign language.

5. How to Give Your Phone Number

Learning numbers in Portuguese is very useful. But the key to understanding a new language in its subtleties is to interact with speakers of that language and to start networking. That means getting to know people. Going out is a great way to start taking new, adventurous steps into a foreign culture and meeting interesting people.

While you’re talking with new people, there may come a time when you want to exchange phone numbers with them. To help you be prepared for that situation, here are some phrases you can use to give your number in Portuguese, or to ask someone for theirs.

• O meu número é…
  “My number is…”
• Qual é o seu número de telefone?
  “What is your phone number?”
• Me passa o seu número?
  “Can you give me your number?”

As for how to say numbers in Portuguese, the numbers are usually spoken individually in Brazil. In European countries, they’re grouped into sets of tens or hundreds.

• O meu número é nove, sete, oito, seis, cinco, sete, sete, zero.
  “My number is 9786-5770.”

Eventually, though, digits can also be grouped into two sets. This usually happens when there’s a zero in the combination:

• O meu número é nove, sete, oito, seis, cinco, sete, setenta.
  “My number is 9786-5770.”

Sure, there are some exceptions to this “formula” of Portuguese phone numbers, but there aren’t many. One exception would be the prefix 0800 in Brazil. This prefix is used for free hotlines, and it’s called zero oitocentos (“zero-eight hundred”).

Also, there’s a deep-rooted term in Brazil that’s frequently referred to in telephone numbers. This term is meia, and it can make a Portuguese-learner feel like an alien.

Meia is a word that means both “sock” and “half” in Portuguese. What number do you think it is?

If we’re dealing with telephone numbers, which range from 0 to 9, perhaps five would be a good approximation—but it isn’t. Meia is equivalent to six.

Indeed, it’s the abbreviation of meia dúzia (“half a dozen”), which equals six. The word is linked to how people used to measure things by the dozen, especially groceries. Even today, many egg cartons still hold a dozen eggs.

Most students learn this one the hard way, so consider this a valuable lesson!

“Did you say meia?”

6. How to Use Numbers When Shopping

You may notice that when shopping in Brazil, it can be a struggle to get coins and small change from the cashier. Indeed, Brazilians don’t care much about using coins. The local coins, centavos, are represented after the comma in the price, but they aren’t taken seriously. Since the 1 centavo coin has been abolished, it’s impossible to pay exact prices that aren’t round (that don’t end with 5 or 0) with physical currency.

So, buyers and sellers often round up the price to a number ending in 0 or 5 to make it easier to get a proper real bill.

Here’s an example of a conversation you may have when shopping:

A: Boa tarde! Quanto está custando este celular novo da vitrine?
B: Este celular sai por R$850. A compra também pode ser parcelada em dez vezes de R$85.

A: “Good afternoon! How much does this new cell phone from the store display cost?”
B: “This cell phone costs R$850. We can also set the payment for ten installments of R$85.”

It’s common practice in Brazilian retail to set payment installments for a wide array of products. The payment plan can sometimes reach tens of installments, which may appear odd to many foreigners. However, these installment plans are very common, especially for electronic equipment, furniture, paying tuition, housing, cars, and loans.

A: Está um pouco caro para mim… Por quanto [dinheiro] você consegue me fazer estes dez livros?
B: O preço completo é de R$400, mas consigo fazer R$350.

A: “That’s a bit pricey… Can you lower the price for these ten books?”
B: “The full price would be R$400—I can make it R$350.”

Now let’s talk about discounts. Everybody is happy when they see that interesting items are on sale. But before you can really enjoy a sale, you have to understand its terms. If you see some indication of a 50% discount in the display window, but you’re not sure it applies to the shoes you want to buy, you can confirm the information with the seller by asking:

• Este sapato também custa metade do preço na promoção?
  “Does this shoe also cost half the price on sale?”

In terms of fractions, metade (“half” ) is the only one you’ll see when shopping. Other discount amounts are usually given as a percentage.

7. Saying Prices

There’s a certain way to say numbers in Portuguese when giving prices—and it’s slightly different from how it’s done in English.

In Brazil, the values before and after the comma are joined by the word e (“and”). In Portugal, they’re joined by the word com (“with”).

“Este sapato também custa metade do preço na promoção?”

8. Learn Numbers in Portuguese and Much More with PortuguesePod101

Now you have the basic and intermediate figures, and that’s a good starting point when learning how to say numbers in Portuguese. If you decide to go even further and learn the sets of thousands, you’ll be able to negotiate payment for jobs, speak properly with your bank manager, and engage in some interesting calculations.

But what about the Portuguese numbers’ pronunciation? And other relevant cultural information you’ll need to understand the reality of Portuguese-speakers and their countries of origin?

Private lessons from a private teacher will increase your potential and let you learn more easily about numbers in Portuguese and a whole set of topics for everyday life. That’s the aim of lessons from PortuguesePod101.

The interface is simple to use and the content is planned and designed to retain your attention in a fun and constructive manner. Try and exercise your domain over numbers in Portuguese, and you’ll be on cloud nine!

Before you go, let us know in the comments how you’re doing with Portuguese numbers so far! We’ll be glad to answer any questions.

Happy Portuguese learning!

Did you know that Brazil is the country with the fourth-largest number of Internet users in the world? Take that huge number of people online, add to it the natural creativity and humor of Brazilians, and you get a whole new world of Portuguese slang and expressions!

Some Brazilian internet slang is more common with the younger crowds, while other slang phrases are used by people of all ages. Besides that, many expressions born online and in memes end up in the daily vocabulary of Brazilians, even if just for a few months. In this article, we’ll focus more on long-lasting expressions, abbreviations, and slang words. But if you’re curious enough, you can always continue keeping up-to-date with new memes and engage with Portuguese speakers online.

To make sure you’re up-to-speed with all the abbreviations, codes, and expressions in the Brazilian internet scene, be sure to check this guide and come back whenever you need to. After going through this guide, you’ll be able to handle your internet-based conversations and understand all the Brazilian online gírias, or “slang,” like a local!

Table of Contents

1. Abbreviations Used in Portuguese Texting
2. Laughing the Brazilian Way
3. Portuguese Internet Slang Derived from English
4. Internet Slangs Popular on Social Media
5. Popular Emojis in Brazil
6. Learn More Portuguese with PortuguesePod101

1. Abbreviations Used in Portuguese Texting

Vc tá no trabalho hj? ( “Are you at work today?” )

Texting is all about speed in Brazil. Abbreviations are everywhere, since they make it much quicker to write sentences. In Portuguese, it works the same way it does in English: we make the words smaller by substituting whole syllables for just one or two letters.

1 – Basic Words

The most commonly used abbreviations in Portuguese text slang are used by people of all ages in Brazil, and can be seen everywhere online from social media comments to Whatsapp messages. Considering the huge number of Brazilians connected to the internet, chances are you’ll encounter these abbreviations in your next text conversation!

Abbreviation	Stands for	Translation	Example
vc / cê / c	você	“You” [singular]	Vc vai? “Are you going?”
vcs	vocês	“You” [plural]	Vcs já sabem “You already know.”
ñ / n	não	“No”	Ñ sei “I don’t know.”
bj / bjo	beijo	“Kiss”	Manda um bj pra ele “Send him a kiss.”
bjs / bjos	beijos	“Kisses”	Tchau, bjos “Bye, kisses.”
bjks	beijocas	“Small kisses”	Até mais, bjks “See you, kisses.”
td	tudo	“All” / “Everything”	Td bem? “How are you?”
mt	muito	“A lot” / “Very” / “Much” / “Many”	Mt lindo “Very beautiful”
oq	o quê	“What”	Vai fazer oq amanhã? “What will you do tomorrow?”
q	que	“That”	Ele disse q não viria “He said that he wouldn’t come.”
pq	por que / por quê / porque / porquê	“Why” / “Because”	E pq ele não veio? “Why didn’t he come?”
sdd / sdds	saudade / saudades	There isn’t a translation for this word! But it means something similar to “miss you.”	Oi amiga, sdds! “Hi friend, miss you.”
kd	cadê	“Where”	Kd vc, não te vejo! “Where are you, I can’t see you!”
tbm / tb	também	“Too” / “As well”	Eu vou tbm “I’ll go too.”
vdd	verdade	“True”	É vdd? “Is it true?”
ctz	certeza	“Certain” / “For sure”	É vdd, ctz “It’s true, for sure.”
cmg	comigo	“With me”	Ela tá cmg “She is with me.”
ctg	contigo	“With you”	Ele tá ctg? “Is he with you?”
ngn	ninguém	“No one”	Não tem ngn na aula “There is no one in class.”
qto	quanto	“How much”	Qto custa? “How much does it cost?”
qdo / qnd / qd	quando	“When”	Qdo vamos? “When are we going?”
gnt	gente	“People” / “Guys”	Tem mt gnt aqui “There are a lot of people here.” Gnt, vamos! “Guys, let’s go!”
msm	mesmo	“Same”	Digo o msm “I say the same.”
add	adicionar	“To add” (on social media)	Me add no Face “Add me on Facebook.”
qq	qualquer	“Any”	Eu posso ir qq hora “I can go any time.”
hj	hoje	“Today”	Hj é feriado “Today is a holiday.”
eh	é	“Is”	A festa eh hj? “Is the party today?”
neh	né	“Isn’t it”	Legal, neh? “Cool, isn’t it?”
soh	só	“Only” / “Just” / “Alone”	Soh curiosidade “Just curiosity”
d+	demais	“Cool” / “Awesome” / “Too much”	Que d+ “That’s awesome.” Sdds d+ “Miss you too much.”
t+	até mais	“See you soon”	Beijos, t+ “Kisses, see you.”
uau	onomatopoeia	“Wow”	Uau, sério? “Wow, really?”

Man checking wristwatch

2 – Abbreviations of Expressions

The following abbreviations are a bit more popular among younger people. These are common Brazilian Portuguese text slang expressions that are used online, on social media, and when texting!

Abbreviation	Stands for	Translation	Example/Explanation
mds	Meu Deus	“My God” / “OMG”	Mds, é vdd? “OMG, is it true?”
sqn	só que não	Similar to “Said no one ever”	Amo segundas, sqn “I love Mondays, said no one ever.”
ac	acompanhando	“Following”	This is used in comments on Facebook, when you want to continue reading the comments in a post.
tmj	(es)tamo(s) junto(s)	“We’re together” / “I’m with you” / “I’m here for you”	Difícil mesmo, mas tmj! “It’s really complicated, but I’m here for you.”
blz	beleza	“Cool” / “Deal”	Vamos outro dia, blz? “Let’s go on another day, cool?”
flw	falou	“Bye” / “Ok”	Até mais, flw! “See you, bye!” Vou dormir agora, flw? “I’m going to sleep now, ok?”
vlw	valeu	“Thanks” / “Owe you one”	Vlw, miga! “Thanks, friend!”
sla	sei lá	“I don’t know”	Ah, sla! “Ah, I don’t know.”
brinks	brincadeira	“Kidding” / “Just kidding”	É brinks “Just kidding.”
tranks	tranquilo	“All good” / “No problem”	– Obrigada! “Thanks!” – Tranks “No problem.”
miga / migo	amiga / amigo	“Friend”	Miga, sdds! “Friend, miss you!”
kra	cara	“Dude”	Cara, vc ñ sabe o q aconteceu! “Dude, you don’t know what happened.”
bb	bebê	“Baby”	Td bem, bb? “How are you, baby?”
kbça	cabeça	“Head”	This is an ironic name for someone, implying they aren’t very smart or that they did something silly.
mec	–	“Cool” / “All good”	Tô mec, e você? “I’m good, and you?”
fds / findi	fim de semana	“Weekend”	Vai fazer o q esse findi? “What are you doing this weekend?”
fds	f*da-se	“F*ck it”	This is a swear word that expresses annoyance or exasperation. Watch the context to differentiate it from the previous use of fds.
pqp	p*** que pariu	“Holy s***”	This is a swear word that expresses surprise or frustration.
fdp	filho/filha da p***	“Son of a b****”	This is a swear word used against other people.
kct	c*cete	Works like a “WTF”	Kct, sério? “WTF, really?”
aff	–	–	This can express both shock or boredom (like a sigh).
putz	–	–	This is another interjection that can express shock or surprise.

/! Note /!

You might have noticed that the different conjugations of the verb estar can appear in two ways: the original version and a shortened version.

está → tá
estou → tô
estamos → tamos

These aren’t slang words per se, and they’re very common in both spoken Portuguese and in text messages or social media.

2. Laughing the Brazilian Way

A guide to Brazilian Portuguese internet slang could never be complete without an in-depth look at how Brazilians laugh online. With the vast numbers of Brazilians on the internet, the particular way in which they laugh has caused plenty of confusion online. Let’s unpack the top ways in which Brazilians laugh online and get you laughing along!

• kkk

The award for most confusing laughter has to go to kkk—and all of its variations with an increasing number of k’s, depending on how much fun you’re having! And no, don’t worry, this is not a racist salute in any way.

For some reason, in Brazil, the idea of laughing with a “qua-qua-qua” sound is an old one, as you can hear in this song of the iconic Brazilian singer Elis Regina.

• rsrs

This is an abbreviation of the word risos (“laughter”).

• huahuahuahua

This is another common way of laughing, derived from the traditional “hahaha.”

• hdashdjkasdjshdsdjasd

Randomly pressing letters on the keyboard is also common!

• Other honorable mentions

huehuehue, hauhauhauhau, spoaskoaksak, kjkjkjkjkjkjkj, haushhaushshsuah

Can you tell Brazilians are happy people? A simple “LOL” is not enough to express all the dimensions of fun!

3. Portuguese Internet Slang Derived from English

Many commonly used internet slang words in Portuguese actually originate from English words! And we’re not talking about the abbreviations that come straight from the English language and are used in the same context, like BFF, OMG, or plz. After all, in Brazil, things go a step further!

Most of the cases below are used as verbs, adding a Portuguese ending to an English word. This kind of expression is quite common, and there’s always a new one being added to the Brazilian internet vocabulary! Let’s take a look at the most popular ones.

Expression	Translation	Example/Explanation
stalkear	“To stalk”	Eu stalkeei ela no Instagram “I stalked her on Instagram.”
crushear	“To have a crush”	Tá crusheando, né? “You have a crush, don’t you?”
trollar	“To troll”	O pessoal não cansa de trollar na internet People don’t get tired of trolling online.”
shippar	“To ship”	Eu shippo muito esse casal “I ship this couple very much.”
flopar	“To fail” / “To be unsuccessful”	O novo album dessa banda flopou “This band’s new album was a fail.”
hypado	“Hyped”	Esse restaurante tá muito hypado “This restaurant is too hyped.”
zapzap	“Whatsapp”	Originally, this is what older people called Whatsapp.
Face	“Facebook”	Me add no Face! “Add me on Facebook.”
Insta	“Instagram”	Posta no Insta “Post it on Instagram.”

Sometimes the Expressions Make No Literal Sense!

4. Internet Slangs Popular on Social Media

You may not know, but Brazil is a fertile land for memes! As a result, many Portuguese expressions are born online and can even reach the streets being used in real life. Here are some popular internet-born slang words and expressions that you might hear from locals in an informal conversation.

Expression	Literal translation	Explanation	Example
dar biscoito / querer biscoito	“To give a cookie” / “To want a cookie”	This is used when someone is seeking attention or compliments.	Olha quantas fotos ele postou, ele quer biscoito. “Look how many pictures he posted, he wants attention.”
tá na Disney	“He/she is in Disney”	This phrase expresses that someone is saying something out of reality, as if they were in a cartoon or movie.	Você quer comprar esse carro? Tá na Disney? “You want to buy this car? Are you crazy?”
Deus me livre mas quem me dera	“God forbid, but I wish”	This is a paradoxical expression that refers to those situations where you want something but rationally you know you shouldn’t. There is a song with this name!	Todo mundo está namorando. Deus me livre, mas quem me dera. “Everyone is dating now. I don’t want it but also, I do.”
fada sensata	“Wise fairy”	This is used as a compliment, mostly for women, based on their wise actions or comments.	Ela pediu demissão. Fada sensata. “She quit her job, smart woman.”
dar PT	“To have a total loss”	PT is short for Perda Total (“total loss”). This expression is used when someone gets very drunk.	Dei PT na festa de ontem “I was blackout drunk at the party yesterday.”
10/10	“10 out of 10”	This one is a compliment on someone’s appearance.	Scarlett Johansson é muito 10/10 “Scarlett Johansson is gorgeous.”
mitar	“To be a myth”	This is used when someone does something amazing.	Ele mitou muito na apresentação “He was amazing at the presentation.”
Meldels	“My God”	This is another way of expressing surprise, just like OMG, but in a funnier way.	Meldels, é verdade isso? “OMG, is it true?”
menine	“Boy or girl”	This is a unissex way of referring to somebody.	Menine, você não vai acreditar! “Hey you, you won’t believe this!”
berro	“Scream”	This expresses a strong reaction to something surprising or very funny.	– Você viu o vídeo da festa? – Berro! – “Have you seen the video of the party?” – “OMG!”
socorro / scrro / scrr	“Help”	This is used when reacting to something very funny.	– Olha esse meme! – Scrr! Hahahaha – “Look at this meme.” – “LOL!”

→ Continue learning what’s popular in Brazil with the Top 5 Culture Icons You Need to Know About, on PortuguesePod101!

5. Popular Emojis in Brazil

Wondering what the most popular emojis are in Brazil? Since they’re such an important part of texting, it’s good to know what’s commonly used when talking to locals!

1. Red heart ❤️
2. Heart eyes 😍
3. Clapping hands 👏
4. Cat with heart eyes 😻
5. Please / Thank you 🙏
6. Music 🎶
7. Smiling moon, which can imply flirting 🌚
8. Peace sign ✌️
9. Eyes 👀

Now You’re Ready to Text Like a Brazilian!

6. Learn More Portuguese with PortuguesePod101

Feeling ready to confidently text in Brazilian Portuguese? Feel free to come back to this article whenever you need to brush up on your Portuguese internet slang. New expressions and abbreviations might pop up from time to time, so the best way to keep up-to-date is engaging with Portuguese speakers online!

Do you think we forgot any important slang words or phrases? Did the examples help you understand when to use each expression? Let us know in the comments below!

Now it’s time to continue on your language-learning journey! There are more free Portuguese resources and a variety of vocabulary lists available on PortuguesePod101. Go ahead and choose your favorite tools to expand your learning opportunities.

If you want to take your learning experience further, members of PortuguesePod101.com get access to the largest language lesson library in the world, with thousands of real lessons by real teachers. Perfect for anyone who wants to learn from anywhere, feel motivated, and be ready to speak Portuguese with confidence.