Real Brazilian Portuguese & Culture
A Gíria Brasileira I have talked a lot about Brazilian Slang on this site, but I’m not sure if I have mentioned the Portuguese word for slang! The word for slang in Portuguese is gíria, as in “Ele fala muita gíria.” – “He uses a lot of slang.” In general, Brazilians use a lot of slang, mostly [...]
How do you say cool, sweet, sick, awesome, amazing, rad, dope in Brazilian Portuguese? Here are a few ways with examples: legal This is the most common way to say “cool” in Portuguese slang. Don’t get confused because it also means “legal” as in legality. This word is used way too much by gringos trying [...]
Portuguese Mau Vs. Mal The difference between the words ‘mau’ and ‘mal’ has always confused people, even Brazilians! The two words are pronounced identically, it’s when they are written that one needs to be careful. In general, “mau” means “bad” and “mal” means “badly.” Examples: O lobo mau está de mau humor. – The bad wolf is in a bad mood. Ela está dirijindo mal porque está se sentindo mal. - She [...]
Portuguese Que Phrases I am not going labor over translating these phrases literally because the literal translations may only confuse you, or at times, make you afraid to ever use these phrases. Some of them are innocent, others are not so innocent, and I will indicate that. In Brazilian portuguese, que phrases are very common. [...]
Brazilian Portuguese Slang Brazilian Portuguese is quite a complex language as those of you know who have tried to tackle it before. I have made some lists of Brazilian Portuguese slang (Gírias) before, but this post will deal specifically with idiosyncratic expressions and colloquialisms in Brazilian Portuguese, basically things that won’t be found in a Portuguese language book. [...]
Véi in Portuguese What does Véi mean in Portuguese? I think that Portuguese learners should get to know this word, as it is how many people refer to each other in Brazil. I call everyone véi: my mom, my friends, my pastor, my dog – and that’s what they call me (except for my dog, he [...]
What is a Gaúcho? Next on my Brazilian dialect series, is probably one of the most different of Brazilian states, “Gauchês,” spoken by those who live in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (and parts of Mato Grosso do Sul), the southernmost state in Brazil. Those who live in Rio Grande do Sul are [...]
Pernambuquês: The Portuguese of Pernambuco Pernambuco is a state in the northeast region of Brazil and Pernambucanos have great accents that are as phonetic as you’ll get with Brazilian portuguese. Pernambucanos, like other states in Brazil, also have their own vocabulary that is distinct to the region. For example, the word escroto to me means something sketchy or someone who’s [...]
How Do People Speak in Rio de Janeiro? The biggest tourist hot spot in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, has its own slang and almost overall dialect. Living in São Paulo and being around the Paulistanês “language” all the time, to me it’s quite refreshing to go to Rio and listening to Carioquês and its malandro nature. Cariocas (the Portuguese word for [...]
Paulistanês: Speaking Like You’re From São Paulo City The funny thing about people who live in the city of São Paulo is that they think everyone else has an accent except for them. And travelling to other parts of Brazil, I’ve learned most other people around the country realize they have a regional accent, except paulistanos who [...]
WHAT DOES ARRASAR MEAN? The Portuguese word arrasar has a few similar negative meanings, and also a few positive meanings. 1. Destroy, devastate (literally or emotionally) As chuvas arrasaram a Região Serrana do Rio. The rains devastated Rio’s mountain region. A namorada arrasou o garoto quando acabou o namoro. The girlfriend destroyed the boy when she ended the [...]
Colloquial Portuguese: Putting “Não” At The End of Sentences One of the most important things to bear in mind when learning Portuguese is that there is a big difference between written Portguese, which is more formal and sticks to the grammar books, and oral Portuguese, which is a whole different story. One place where this [...]
Lack of Concern How do you express the idea that you don’t care, or that something doesn’t matter to you in Brazilian Portuguese? Here are some common expressions: “Eu não ligo com essa coisas.” [Insert hand gesture here] I don’t care about that stuff. “Não me importa.” – “i don’t care” “Não tô nem aí.” - “i don’t give [...]
Portuguese Surfing Vocabulary: A Guide To “Surfistês Brasileiro” Basic Surfing Vocab o surfista – surfer a prancha de surfe (or just prancha) – surfboard pranchão – long board cera para a prancha, parafina – board wax leash (pronounced “lésh” in “surfistês brasileiro” – brazilian surfer language), or cordinha - board leash roupa de neoprene (known more commonly [...]
Portuguese Beach Vocabulary Brazilians are very serious about their beaches, partially because they have so many beautiful ones to choose from. From Amapa to Rio Grande do Sul, there are thousands of miles of coastline. I have visited so many stunningly beautiful beaches in Brazil, but still have many left to see, including those on Fernando [...]
Here’s the Portuguese word of the day! If you have any words that you would like to nominate for this word of the day series, let me know! portugueseblogger@gmail.com “CAMELÔ” camelô - n. street vendor
What is a Capixaba? Espírito Santo (literally means “Holy Spirit”) is a small state on the coast, squished between Bahia, Rio de Janeiro & Minas Gerais. It’s a state a lot of people say has no accent really, because each part of the state borders another state with such strong cultural and linguistic traits that [...]
In Brazilian Portuguese, the following words describe the level of intimacy in relationships: Ficante - From the verb “ficar” (to hook up) we have the word “ficante,” which is someone you are casually hooking up with. This may be seen as the stage between someone being your friend vs. boyfriend/girlfriend. You can also describe this with “amizade [...]
Popular Brazilian Portuguese Common & Colloquial Phrases II The following is a vocab list of some popular Brazilian Portuguese expressions that you will hear all the time in Brazil: “na verdade” - actually, in truth Example: “Na verdade, eu não gosto de massa.” – Actually, I don’t like pasta.” “daqui a pouco” – in a little while, in a bit [...]
How To Speak Portuguese Like A Mineiro Translated from Mineirês, the cartoon above reads: M1 – Antes de ontem achei um quilo de carne dentro do forno. Comi tudo. Que azia que deu. M2 – Nossa senhora. Doido demais. M1 – Só pinga com mel pra descer do estômago. M2 – Isso mesmo. M1 – Olha, pra você ver, guardei um pouco embaixo da cama que é pra eu comer amanhã. M2 – *Silêncio* Vish, divide aí. Have [...]
