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Slang and colloquial expressions
Below you can find some Brazilian slang
and colloquial expressions that are likely to be heard in movies and in the
streets. There are many more slangs (used by young people, surfers, underworld
types) that are not included here. Be careful because some language might be
offensive (in context) or be spoken only.
|
Portuguese |
English |
|
abacaxi = pepino = dífícil de resolver |
a problem
hard to solve |
| alemão |
a very blond
guy |
| apê =
apartamento |
apartment |
|
babaca = bocó = bobo/a |
stupid, idiot |
| baita =
grande |
big, huge |
| baleia |
a fat person |
| bicho |
lad, chap |
|
biruta = louco/a |
crazy, no brains |
|
bóia = comida |
food |
|
boneca = muito bonita |
a pretty girl |
|
brega = cafona = fora de moda |
old-fashioned, bad taste |
|
bugiganga |
things with
low/no value |
|
bunda-mole
= banana |
coward |
| burro/a |
stupid |
|
cabeça-dura |
stubborn |
|
cabreiro/a = chateado/a |
upset |
|
cadê = onde está/estão |
where is/are |
| caipira =
jacu |
a shy person,
hillbilly |
|
camisinha = preservativo |
condom |
| canhão
|
an ugly woman |
|
cara |
lad, chap |
|
careta = quadrado/a = antiquado/a |
conservative,
old-fashioned |
| carrapato |
a clingy
person |
| casório =
casamento |
wedding |
|
cheio/a de bosta de galinha |
a very fussy
person |
|
crânio = inteligente |
ace, intelligent |
|
dedo-duro |
loud mouth, teller |
|
dondoca = boneca = madame (ironic) |
an idle woman |
|
encanado/a = vidrado/a = apaixonado/a |
in love |
|
fajuto/a = de má qualidade |
cheaply made |
|
farol = sinal = semáforo |
traffic
lights |
| faturar
= ganhar |
to get, to
gain, to win |
|
ferrado/a = fodido/a = perdido/a |
in deep
trouble |
| furacão |
a very
efficient person |
|
galera = turma |
gang, folks |
|
galinha = piranha = garota de programa |
a girl that
sleeps around, slut, hooker |
|
garanhão |
womanizer |
|
gatinha |
pretty, good
looking (girl) |
|
gato, gatão, pão |
a handsome
man |
| gostosa |
a
pretty/tasty woman |
| gostoso |
tasty,
pleasurable |
|
grana = cachê = dinheiro |
money, stakes |
|
grilado/a = preocupado/a = chateado/a |
upset, preocupied |
|
grilo = problema |
problem |
|
gringo/a = estrangeiro/a |
foreigner |
|
guri – guria = garoto/a = menino/a |
boy
–
girl |
|
invocado/a = irritado/a = de mau-humor |
irritated,
bad tempered, rude |
|
janta = jantar |
dinner,
supper |
|
japa = japonês |
Japanese man |
|
joão-ninguém = pé-rapado |
a poor man,
low class, low income |
|
jururu
= quieto/a = triste |
quiet, sad |
| legal, bacana |
nice, great, cool |
|
lelé da cuca = biruta |
crazy |
|
lero lero = conversa fiada |
foolish talk |
| macaquinho/a |
a child that
can climb everywhere, hipper |
|
malandro/a = pilantra |
crook |
|
manda-chuva = chefe |
boss |
|
mano/a = irmão/irmã |
brother – sister |
|
manteiga derretida |
a person that
cries easily, cry baby, sensitive |
|
mauricinho – patricinha |
a rich
boy/girl |
|
mino/mina = garoto/a = namorado/a |
boyfriend,
girlfriend |
| moleza |
very easy (to
do) |
| palito |
a very thin
person |
|
pão-duro |
stingy |
|
papagaio = matraca |
a talkative person |
|
papo furado = conversa fiada |
foolish talk,
bull shit |
| perua |
a very
extravagant woman |
|
pirado/a = louco/a |
crazy |
|
preto/a = feio/feia |
bad
(situation) |
|
quebrado/a = exausto/a |
exhausted,
very tired |
| puxado |
hectic, tough |
|
quebra-pau = briga |
fight, quarrel |
|
sacana = picareta |
crook |
|
super (superlegal, supercaro) |
extremely, very |
|
tartaruga = lesma |
a very
slow
person |
|
tira = policial |
policeman |
|
toró = chuva forte |
heavy rain |
|
troço = negócio = coisa |
stuff, thing |
|
xonado/a = apaixonado/a |
in love |
Phrases
|
Portuguese |
English |
|
Brigadão! = Muito obrigado/a! |
Many thanks!
= Thanks very much! |
|
Deixa pra lá! |
Forget it! |
| E
aí, meu irmão? |
How are you
doing, my friend/brother? |
|
É isso aí! |
That’s it! |
|
É/Foi o maior barato. |
It is/It was
great/funny. |
|
Foi
uma curtição. |
It was
enjoyable/great. |
|
Já era! |
It’s gone/over! |
|
Morou/Sacou? = Entendeu? |
Did you
understand? |
|
Não tô nem aí! = Não estou nem aí! |
I don’t
care/I don’t give a damn! |
|
Ô, meu. Que é isso? = Que é isso, meu! |
Hey, what’s
your problem chap/lad? |
|
Ô, Vera, onde cê tá? = onde você está? |
Hey, Vera,
where are you? |
|
Qualé a sua? = Qual é a sua? |
What is your
problem? |
|
Que barato! |
How funny! |
|
Que gracinha/belezinha! |
How
cute/sweet! |
| Que legal! |
How
nice!/Great! |
|
Tá legal = Tá jóia. = Tá bom = Tá bem. |
It’s okay/Alright. |
|
Tô fora! |
I'm out/Don't
count on me. |
|
Tô sem saco. |
I don't
feel like it/I have no desire. |
|
Tudo jóia? = Tudo beleza? = Tudo bem? |
Everything okay? |
|
Valeu! = Falou! |
Many thanks!
= Thanks very much! |
Verbs
|
Portuguese |
English |
| abrir
o bico = chorar |
to cry, to
tell a secret |
| abrir
um berreiro = chorar |
to cry |
|
alugar alguém |
to tease
someone |
|
arranhar o inglês |
to scrape by
in English, to speak broken English |
| bater papo |
to chat |
| bater papo |
not to
understand anything |
|
botar = colocar = pôr |
to put |
|
cair a ficha |
finally
understand something |
|
calar/fechar o bico = calar a boca |
to shut up |
|
chiar = reclamar |
to complain |
|
curtir |
to enjoy |
|
dar um fora |
to make
mistakes |
|
dar um pulo (na farmácia) |
to go quickly
(to the pharmacy) |
|
dar uma passada (em) |
to drop by |
|
dar zebra |
to have an
unexpected result |
|
encher o saco |
to bother, to
annoy |
|
estar com a macaca |
to be bad
tempered |
|
estar desligado/a = estar distraído/a |
to be
absent-minded |
|
estar ligado/a = estar atento/a |
to keep one’s eyes
open |
|
estar na cara |
to be obvious |
|
estar no mundo da lua |
to be
absent-minded |
|
estar/ficar puto/puta da vida =
estar/ficar pê da
vida |
to be/get
very angry/upset |
|
fazer bicos |
to have small
jobs |
|
fazer
cera = enrolar |
to do
something very slowly |
|
ficar = namorar sem
compromisso |
to
go out with someone just for fun,
to have an affair |
|
ficar sem graça |
to feel
ashamed/embarrassed |
|
ficar
frio/a = ficar calmo/a |
to keep calm |
|
fuçar (em) = mexer (em) |
to touch
everything |
|
furar fila |
to cut the
line |
|
malhar |
to work out,
to exercise |
|
mandar brasa = manda ver |
to go on, to
carry one |
|
mandar-se = ir embora |
to leave |
|
manjar = entender = conhecer |
to understand, to
know |
|
paquerar |
to flirt |
|
pegar no batente = trabalhar bastante |
to work hard |
|
pegar no pé de alguém |
to cling on to
someone, to tease |
| penar |
to suffer |
|
pinchar = jogar fora |
to throw away |
| pirar =
enlouquecer |
to get crazy |
|
ralar = trabalhar = sofrer |
to work hard,
to suffer |
| rangar =
comer |
to eat |
|
secar alguém = encarar |
to stare
someone |
|
ser
chegado (em) = gostar |
to like, to
enjoy |
|
tirar a água do joelho = mijar = urinar |
to pee |
| topar |
to agree (to
do something) |
| trampar =
trabalhar |
to work |
|
transar |
to make love |
Remark: You can find many more verbs in my
Verb Idioms book, which has not been published
yet.
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Copyright © 2011 by Sonia Celegatti Althoff - All rights
reserved (www.sonia-portuguese.com)
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