Vocabulary · Brazilian Portuguese
Bad words in Brazilian Portuguese
These words are rude, some very rude. They're here so you can understand them in films, football and conversation. The badges show how careful to be.
These are the bad words in Portuguese you'll hear in Brazil, in films, at the football, among friends and on the street, so you can recognise them when they come. Each Portuguese swear word comes with what it means, how rude it is and, where there is one, a safer word to say instead.
33 words, each with audio · Quiz
Bad words in Portuguese, with audio
Mild, fine almost anywhere
| Listen | Portuguese | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| pôStrength: mild | come on, manA softened porra, so common it barely counts as swearing. | Pô, cara, chegou atrasado de novo!Come on, man, you're late again! | |
| que sacoPortugal: que chaticeStrength: mild | what a pain, how annoying | Que saco, a internet caiu de novo!What a pain, the internet's down again! | |
| nossaStrength: mild | wow, goshFrom Nossa Senhora, “Our Lady”. | Nossa, que trânsito hoje!Gosh, the traffic today! | |
| eitaStrength: mild | whoa, yikes | Eita, derrubei o café no teclado!Whoa, I spilled coffee on the keyboard! | |
| vixeStrength: mild | uh-oh, jeezFrom Virgem Maria; also spelled vixi. | Vixe, esqueci a carteira em casa!Uh-oh, I left my wallet at home! |
Swear words
| Listen | Portuguese | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| a merdaStrength: rude | shitQue merda! is “this sucks!” Actors say merda for luck, like “break a leg”. | Merda, o celular caiu na água!Shit, my phone fell in the water! | |
| porraStrength: rude | damn it!, fuck!Brazil's everyday swear: anger, surprise, even delight. | Porra, esqueci a chave de novo!Damn it, I forgot the key again! | |
| caralhoStrength: very rude | holy shit!, fuck!Also an intensifier: bom pra caralho, “bloody good”. | Caralho, que susto você me deu!Holy shit, you scared me! | |
| caceteStrength: rude | damn!, hell!A little softer than caralho. | Cacete, o pneu furou de novo!Damn, the tyre's flat again! | |
| puta que pariuStrength: very rude | holy shit!, for fuck's sake!Shortened to pqp in texts and softened to putz. | Puta que pariu, perdi o voo!For fuck's sake, I missed the flight! | |
| fodaStrength: rude | fucking hard; fucking greatTá foda is “it's tough”; o show foi foda, “the show was awesome”. | Tá foda achar apartamento nessa cidade.It's damn hard finding a flat in this city. | |
| foda-seStrength: very rude | fuck it, who caresAimed at a person, it's a strong insult. | Foda-se, vou pedir pizza mesmo.Fuck it, I'm ordering pizza anyway. |
Insults
| Listen | Portuguese | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| idiotaStrength: rude | idiot, stupid | Não seja idiota, leva o guarda-chuva.Don't be stupid, take the umbrella. | |
| burro, burraStrength: rude | dumb, stupid (literally “donkey”)Often said of yourself. | Fui burro de não salvar o arquivo.I was dumb not to save the file. | |
| babacaPortugal: parvoStrength: rude | jerk | Ele foi muito babaca com o garçom.He was a real jerk to the waiter. | |
| o otárioStrength: rude | sucker, foolSomeone easily fooled. | Ele me fez de otário e sumiu.He played me for a fool and vanished. | |
| chato, chataStrength: mild | annoying, boringQue chato! also means “what a shame”. | Para de ser chato e vem com a gente!Stop being a pain and come with us! | |
| a malaStrength: mild | a bore, a pain (person)Literally “suitcase”. Uma mala for anyone, man or woman: ele é uma mala. | Não chama ele, ele é muito mala.Don't invite him, he's such a pain. | |
| imbecilStrength: rude | moron, imbecile | Que motorista imbecil, quase bateu no meu carro!What a moron of a driver, he nearly hit my car! | |
| vagabundo, vagabundaStrength: rude | lazy bum; cheap, shoddyCareful: vagabunda aimed at a woman is a sexist insult, never to be used. | Comprei um carregador vagabundo e já quebrou.I bought a cheap charger and it's already broken. | |
| vai se ferrarStrength: rude | screw you, get lostA softened vai se foder; between friends, often a joke. | Vai se ferrar, você comeu meu lanche!Screw you, you ate my sandwich! | |
| vai à merdaStrength: very rude | go to hell, piss offAlso vai pra merda. | Vai à merda, me deixa em paz!Piss off, leave me alone! | |
| vai tomar no cuStrength: very rude | up yours, fuck offAmong the strongest; football crowds shout it at referees. | A torcida mandou o juiz tomar no cu.The crowd told the referee to fuck off. | |
| filho da putaStrength: very rude | son of a bitch, bastard | Algum filho da puta roubou minha bicicleta!Some bastard stole my bike! |
Softer swaps
| Listen | Portuguese | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| poxaStrength: mild | oh man, darnSay it instead of porra. | Poxa, que pena que você não veio!Oh man, what a shame you didn't come! | |
| carambaStrength: mild | jeez, wowInstead of caralho. | Caramba, como esse menino cresceu!Wow, hasn't that boy grown! | |
| caracaStrength: mild | whoa, jeezInstead of caralho. | Caraca, olha o tamanho dessa fila!Jeez, look how long this queue is! | |
| drogaStrength: mild | dammit, drat (literally “drug”)Instead of merda. | Droga, a bateria do celular acabou!Dammit, my phone battery died! | |
| putzStrength: mild | geez, oh noInstead of puta que pariu. | Putz, esqueci seu aniversário!Oh no, I forgot your birthday! |
In texts
| Listen | Portuguese | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| pqp, short for puta que pariuStrength: very rude | holy shit!, for fuck's sake! | Pqp, o metrô parou de novo!In full: Puta que pariu, o metrô parou de novo!For fuck's sake, the metro's stopped again! | |
| krl, short for caralhoStrength: very rude | holy shit!, fuck! | Krl, vc viu o gol?In full: Caralho, você viu o gol?Holy shit, did you see the goal? | |
| fdp, short for filho da putaStrength: very rude | son of a bitch, bastard | Algum fdp riscou meu carro.In full: Algum filho da puta riscou meu carro.Some bastard scratched my car. | |
| vsf, short for vai se foderStrength: very rude | fuck offBetween close friends it can be a joke; at anyone else, a strong insult. | Vsf, vc tá de brincadeira!In full: Vai se foder, você tá de brincadeira!Fuck off, you're kidding me! |
How Brazilians use them
How rude depends on who and how
The same word changes with the moment: porra shouted after a missed goal is everyday swearing among friends, while aimed at a person it's an attack. Who you're with, where you are and your tone matter as much as the word.
At a situation or at someone
Swearing at a situation (Porra, esqueci a chave!) is common and usually forgiven. Swearing at someone (Vai se ferrar!) is another thing altogether, and even a mild word can start a fight.
Brazil and Portugal: false friends
Some everyday words in Portugal are offensive in Brazil. Rapariga means “girl” in Portugal but is an insult in Brazil, and puto, a “kid” in Portugal, means “pissed off” in Brazil (tô puto). Bicha is a “queue” in Portugal but a homophobic slur in Brazil, never to be used.
Softer swaps
Brazilians soften swear words the way English says darn or gosh: poxa for porra, caramba for caralho, droga for merda, putz for puta que pariu. These you can say almost anywhere.
Practise
Quick quiz · question 1 of 8
What does idiota mean?
Questions
What is the most common swear word in Brazil?
Porra is probably the one you'll hear most, for anger, surprise and even delight, and pô is its softened form. Caralho and puta que pariu (pqp) are close behind.
What does porra mean?
As an exclamation, porra is “damn it!” or “fuck!”: Porra, esqueci a chave! Its literal meaning is sexual, but in everyday use it just shows frustration or surprise.
What does pqp mean?
Pqp is puta que pariu, a strong “holy shit!” or “for fuck's sake!” said at a situation. It's very rude, even typed short.
What is vulgar in Portuguese?
The word is vulgar, as in English, and a swear word is a palavrão. The most vulgar are caralho, puta que pariu, vai tomar no cu and filho da puta; porra and merda are rude but everyday.
Is it OK for a foreigner to swear in Portuguese?
Understanding these words matters more than using them. A poxa or a nossa sounds natural from anyone, but save the stronger ones for people you know well, because from a foreigner they can sound harsher than meant.
More Portuguese words
Meet these words in real Brazilian stories
A list gets you started; a story makes the words stick. Read Brazilian books and stories at your level, tap any word for its meaning in that sentence, and it becomes a card you review later.
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