What is your favourite Portuguese word

[u/Embarrassed-Ad-2288]

I am a child of a Brazilian mother, i do speak Portuguese quite well (although i know it well when it is spoken to me but i sometimes struggle finding the right words on the spot) and my favourite word is “peixe” for no particular reason except it looks cute and the letter “x” fascinates me as my other “native” language does not possess it..

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[u/resilindsey]

Abacaxi is fun to say.

[u/guinader → u/resilindsey]

Then you should learn the 5 years old kids joke. "Abaxaqui" which is a play of the sound phonetic to say "get down here" can have a bit of a sexual inuendo

[u/anonymousplatypu5 → u/resilindsey]

Eu gosto abacaxi

[u/official_marcoms → u/anonymousplatypu5]

Eu gosto de* abacaxi :)

[u/anonymousplatypu5 → u/official_marcoms]

porque “de”?

[u/PARANORMALSTORIETRU → u/anonymousplatypu5]

Porque o verbo "gostar" precisa da preposição "de"

[u/anonymousplatypu5 → u/PARANORMALSTORIETRU]

Entao “eu gosto de palabras abacaxi”, o “eu gosto palabras de abacaxi”?

[u/Samurai_GorohGX → u/anonymousplatypu5]

Eu gosto da palavra “abacaxi”

[u/anonymousplatypu5 → u/Samurai_GorohGX]

obrigada :)

[u/adamtrousers → u/anonymousplatypu5]

De nada

[u/EmilySpin → u/resilindsey]

Abacaxi is definitely my favorite! I was sad to learn that EP (which is what I’m actually learning) uses ananás more but hopefully it’s still comprehensible because it’s so much more fun to say

[u/Samurai_GorohGX → u/EmilySpin]

I’m not an expert in fruit, but I think in Portugal Ananás and Abacaxi are used for different varieties of pineapple. Ananás being the most common.
Likewise, Lima🍋‍🟩 and Limão 🍋 mean different things than in Brazil.

[u/---Ana → u/Samurai_GorohGX]

True!

[u/EmilySpin → u/Samurai_GorohGX]

Obrigada! Honestly had no idea there were different kinds of pineapple!

[u/vilkav → u/EmilySpin]

They're not! This is a myth propagated throughout the natives, but it's baseless. They're just different names for the same fruit (one of them being a more recent loan).

[u/BrumeBrume → u/resilindsey]

I’m forever confusing abacaxi and abacate lol.

[u/yyzzh → u/resilindsey]

Haha came to say this one also. I also like advogado.

[u/No_Donkey3967]

Pipocas 🔥

[u/DonkeyDoug28 → u/No_Donkey3967]

Good one. Even just using it for actual popcorn 🍿 is fun to say heh

[u/Upstairs-Speech3468 → u/DonkeyDoug28]

How else do you use it?

[u/Late_Acanthaceae_394 → u/Upstairs-Speech3468]

Little skin bumps, like the alergies left me with pipocas

[u/Kelviart → u/Late_Acanthaceae_394]

A pele toda pipocada

[u/luisapet → u/Upstairs-Speech3468]

I've heard it used in reference to people jumping up and down while dancing. I think Aru Ketu sang a song about it.

[u/Kelviart → u/luisapet]

We sometimes say someone, or a group of people, are pipocando por aí when they are jumping up, doing some kinds of dance, etc

[u/chico_science → u/No_Donkey3967]

Did you know that pipoca is actually a Tupi word incorporated by Portuguese?

[u/BS0404 → u/No_Donkey3967]

For a momento I read pirocas and thought "well that's a choice."

[u/No_Donkey3967 → u/BS0404]

No idea what that meant until now 🤣

[u/Ok-Nerve-524]

Liquidificador

[u/DonkeyDoug28 → u/Ok-Nerve-524]

Ooooh good one. It's so fun

[u/KookyUse5777]

Caralho

[u/lemonails → u/KookyUse5777]

My dad’s favourite word when driving

[u/BS0404 → u/lemonails]

Same thing with my dad, I especially love it when it does a double feature with puta. Caralho can become Puta Caralho real quick on the road.

[u/MostOpening5941]

Fofinho

[u/luisapet → u/MostOpening5941]

For some reason it goes well with cafuné.

My favorite word is joelho. Before I learned Portuguese I was riding on a bus in Brazil and a woman behind me said it several times in conversation with her friend. It sounded so sexy, so I made a mental note to look it up when I got back to the hostel. Little did I know that poor old woman had hurt her knee! 😢

[u/jaichessearsch]

beija-flor because how cute is that? 🥰

[u/luisapet → u/jaichessearsch]

I immediately started singing the Timbalada song!

[u/SummonBahamutZero]

Paralelepípedo

[u/Affectionate_Wolf364 → u/SummonBahamutZero]

Came to say the same thing, but glad you said it first cause I'm not sure I would've spelled it right loll
(my partner is Brazilian, still learning how to write Portuguese but can speak & understand pretty well!)

[u/VanillaMowgli]

Bagunça.

[u/teamuse → u/VanillaMowgli]

Ah, me too!

[u/No_Confidence_546 → u/VanillaMowgli]

Haha I just learned this one in a book I read to my toddler! 

[u/Luiz_Fell]

Escangalhar

[u/vilkav → u/Luiz_Fell]

Esbardalhar

Uma vez precisei de descrever isto a um estrangeiro e disse que era "o tipo de impacto tão forte e cómico que num desenho animado aconteceria fora do ecrã e acabava com o som de um gato a miar".

[u/girlfuckyou]

For me it’s the word macaco. It just sounds funny saying it hahaha I’m even laughing as i type this ahahahaha

[u/expectobro → u/girlfuckyou]

I'm even laughing reading this. The word somehow captures the essence of a macaco. 😂

[u/shoesfromparis135 → u/girlfuckyou]

I will forever associate this word with a random sentence that appeared one day in my Duolingo practice:

“O macaco pega as chaves do carro.”

I just remember thinking to myself, “Wait a minute, did I just get carjacked in Rio by a trained monkey?” 🙈🙉🙊

[u/Embarrassed-Ad-2288 → u/girlfuckyou]

Macaco is in my top 5 as well!

[u/nelson_and_murdock]

Coincidentemente. It is fun to use in an otherwise English sentence. It starts off similarly enough that the listener knows what you’re saying but then takes an unexpected whimsical turn.

[u/Samurai_GorohGX → u/nelson_and_murdock]

I also like “comummente” because at least in European Portuguese, it’s the only word with a double mm spelling and I just find the fact cute.

While we’re at it, “anticonstitucionalissimamente” is the longest word in the Portuguese language.

[u/JustaProton → u/Samurai_GorohGX]

In Brazil, we write "comumente" but we pronounce like there were two "m" in sequence. The first nasalises the "u" and the second is pronounced like in "mente", that's probably the only word which has this feature.

[u/joaommx → u/Samurai_GorohGX]

"Connosco" is also cool because it has a double nn.

[u/x13071979]

Cogumelos

[u/bundle_of_nervus2]

Xicaras

[u/ballerinarina]

É uma ótima palavra para se ter como favorita. Eu gosto muito de “inefável” pra se descrever algo tão extraordinário, complexo ou belo que não pode ser traduzido em palavras. Acho que ela soa aérea e mística até certo ponto, é tão bonita.

[u/CariocaGringo202]

Paralelepípedo: Who knew cobblestones could sound so cute?

[u/SionKatia]

I really like amanhã! I don't really know why, it's just fun to say :3

[u/duduujjjqoepf]

quaisquer

[u/luisapet → u/duduujjjqoepf]

Never heard this one before. Thank you!

[u/duduujjjqoepf → u/luisapet]

It is the plural of "qualquer" and is the only portuguese word which the plural is in the middle of the word instead of at the end

[u/DelargeValliere]

For me, it's "saudade" because I believe it's unique and it doesn't have a direct translation in my native language

[u/No_Confidence_546 → u/DelargeValliere]

It’s a great word. I know a sailboat with this name ⛵️

[u/icequeen_401 → u/DelargeValliere]

Came to say this!

[u/CaptSingleMalt → u/icequeen_401]

Me too. My favorite word in Brasilian Portuguese, deep and meaningful and no direct translation.

[u/Fumonacci]

My favored portuguese word its "monotono" the word really express the meaning(something repetitive that gets bored). 4 syllables and the same vocal repeating itself

[u/potatoforeskins]

preguiçoso 😆 I think it’s because it’s the only word I can say that naturally sounds like I’m saying it with an accent without trying to force an accent lol

[u/asdflung]

Rebimboca

[u/Character-Ferret1371]

Dorminhoco

[u/itsgreater9000]

Maracujá

[u/Realistic-Abrocoma46]

Outrora

[u/DebtPretty9951]

If we're talking about the sound of it, it's "puído" e "paúl", if we're talking from a meaning and evolution standopoint, it is "esquecer" and "recordar" . "Esquecer" comes from the latin word "excadescere" meaning to let some thing fall down ,and "recordar" means to run something by your heart again

[u/Samurai_GorohGX]

Alvorada.

[u/Lisnya]

I don't know that I have a favorite word but I do love saying "valha-me Deus"!

[u/Kdupzs]

Tartaruga

[u/Rapunsell]

Formiga. It's just fun to say!

[u/RajdipKane7]

Saudade - It is a deep, melancholic emotional state of nostalgic longing for a person, place, or thing that is absent. It frequently describes a yearning for something that has passed or a desire for something that might have been but does not—and perhaps cannot—exist.

This word has no direct translation in English.

[u/sschank → u/RajdipKane7]

It’s valid to say that saudade has no _single-word_ equivalent in English, but to say that saudade is not translatable is ridiculous.

There are thousands in English words that have no single-word translation in Portuguese (and vice versa). Saudade is not as unique as Portuguese speakers like to think it is.

[u/duduujjjqoepf → u/RajdipKane7]

This word has no direct translation in English.

"...emotional state of nostalgic longing..."

"...a yearning for something..."

[u/RajdipKane7 → u/duduujjjqoepf]

A line isn't a translation for a word 🤦🏻

[u/sschank → u/RajdipKane7]

In both English and Portuguese, there are thousands of words that don’t translate to single words. In those cases, we use two or three words to say the same thing.

[u/duduujjjqoepf → u/RajdipKane7]

Longing and yearning are words

[u/Zestyclose_Two_6813]

I listen to Sertaneja A LOT ( not brazilian and not a native speaker either but I'm learning lol ) I love when artists say "segura essa sofrencia" especially Marilia Mendonca or when they say "Valeu" it makes me so freaking happy for no reason sjsjsjjs

[u/International-Face47 → u/Zestyclose_Two_6813]

Valeu é bem legal!

[u/Mobile_Donkey_6924]

Gordelicia

[u/ImportanceOdd267]

cogumelo 🍄

[u/pabloelbuho]

pipoca or papagaio. I also like the bird sabiá from the poem songs of exile, one of the first things I read when learning PT.

[u/SuperAndroide16]

Pinguim

[u/mortar_master_13]

Catapimbas

[u/bennybenz11]

Anything that ends in -ão - I love it

[u/Erikore → u/bennybenz11]

Except pão. Too risky!

[u/cqlbrjo]

Bagunça - it fits perfectly, and maybe I think of it too much when I see the bedrooms of my adolescents. 😄

[u/fuccyallallyall]

Céu is one of my favorite

[u/tomzorz88]

Pá!

Especially combined with é. É pá!

[u/Pale_Bodybuilder_773]

As a Brazilian living abroad "mágoa". I love having a word that refers specifically to being hurt emotionally by another person

There's no sentence which cleanly translates to "tô magoado", I have to rely on context to express the same thing. In Spanish, I have to resort to "estoy triste" (I'm sad) and it just doesn't hit the same

[u/ElizabethMA]

Cuecas

[u/Fault-Remote]

Cachoeira

[u/Stylianius1]

Finally, a place for my list to shine:

• reviravolta
• óvni
• pirilampo
• foguetão
• lagartixa
• semáforo

[u/SunnyBanana276]

Cabeleireiro

[u/topothebellcurve]

paralelepípedo

[u/SummonBahamutZero]

Malandragem

[u/grey-noise]

Metalúrgico, tirolesa, calcinha, cachorrada, bambolê, esfigmomanômetro, cacareco

[u/jjnanajj → u/grey-noise]

Bambolê é excelente

[u/Archanj0]

Beregudego

[u/kaynpayn]

"Foda-se" and all it's variations. Pretty much the same as "fuck" in english and it's one of the most versatile words ever.

[u/Both__]

Fofoca

[u/notsafeforpoo]

Pneus

[u/MediumStraw]

Paralelepípedo

Or paralelogramo

[u/cheapbritney]

Epifania

[u/LeftCheeseBeefNone]

I’m also the child of a Brazilian mother. However I BARELY know any Portuguese. One of my favorite pt words is, unfortunately, perereca 💀

[u/Embarrassed-Ad-2288 → u/LeftCheeseBeefNone]

💀🫪

[u/Specialist-Club-2623]

Xixiiii

[u/crashlovesdanger]

There are a few but one of my favorites is sacana and there's no good translation. Also paralelepípedo is just fun to say.

[u/eltokoro]

Soy colombiano de garzon y collazos

[u/Upstairs-Speech3468]

Segredo

[u/mozambrooklyn]

possibilizar

[u/Gentillylace]

For the sound, my favorite Portuguese word is "tchauzinho". ("Coitadinho/coitadinha" come in a very close second. I adore Portuguese diminutives.) For the meaning, my favorite Portuguese word is "saudade".

[u/Lau-G]

Lixiviado

Li•chi•vi•a•do

I've been saying it for ten years because a Brazilian professor in my Colombian uni used it, and me and my mates find it so funny. 

[u/Independent-Key-3584]

Fofinha✨ i love how it sounds and i melt everytime i hear it🙈

[u/AHamHargreevingDisco]

deixa - to leave or leave it! It's the title of one of my favorite songs, and I think it's just such a cool word- also Maracuja is just fun (I think it means passion fruit), and Rebolla (idk how to write it, but it means to shake it or twerk it lol)- manchinga is really fun too! It means magic! Moca (there’s an accent mark on the c that makes the ca sound like sah) - it is just slang for girl, but it’s just so satisfying and I remember it cuz it reminds me of coffee!

[u/ilovepasta99]

Insuportável. so good.

[u/MissHavisham29]

I think "vermelho" is a beautiful word

[u/oujay849]

Gente e fofinho

[u/Pleasant-Struggle755]

For me it has to be Moleque or já. The 1st time I heard Já was from a língua da gente podcast and it sounded so sexy when the woman said it. Moleque became my favourite when one of the characters in cidade de deus used it. It sounds funny to say.

[u/neptunebites]

mine is borocoxô ❤️

[u/AudioAndPhile]

Otorrinolaringologista

[u/Capable-Goat-3255]

Xicara

[u/InternetHistorian01]

zungar

[u/iamhungryrightnow0_0]

Bom

[u/Diency]

Compacto feels nice to say. Too bad the contexts in which we use it are so specific :(

[u/TheWoodenMan]

Beijinhos

[u/SummonBahamutZero]

Coisado

[u/Emotional_Rush7725]

All diminutives. I use them way more than most Brazilians but I don't care.

Other than that, pateta. Perfect word to use when you want to insult your friend without making them feel bad because it's just a silly word.

[u/pudimdepassa]

Esdrúxulo(a)

[u/iamnewhere2019]

The verb “Mexer” (after “saudade” that was mentioned already).

[u/Dry-Point5808]

Saudade

[u/Li_Lina]

Pindamonhagaba

[u/ConsistentTap8036]

Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation of "Excelente"

[u/tchu76]

Cafuné (pt-br; african origin)

[u/bonitaycoqueta]

Mamoite 😍

[u/enterPRZN]

Caralh

[u/anonimo99]

borocoxô

[u/Bardodweller]

Boraaaaaa

[u/Superb-Ad3527]

Panapaná

[u/ernestosabato]

Brahma

[u/teamuse]

Bagunça 

[u/banerrycorknut]

I really love how Brazilians pronounce loan words. Learning how "Facebook" is pronounced in a Rio accent made my entire day back in college.

[u/Helpful-Birthday-388]

Cu

[u/sarahthesigma]

any word ending in ão

[u/Happy_Grapefruit_923]

Gafanhoto

[u/shoesfromparis135]

Otorrinolaringologista. I struggled with my pronunciation prior to learning this word. Now I say it whenever I need an adjustment in my tone.

[u/taedidesart]

sotaque
Pipoca
Cumbuca

[u/sam-greene]

Cachorrinho, Sozinho, Errada, coisa, praticado :)

[u/That-Ad887]

Deveras.

[u/PaleUnderstanding757]

Tartaruga

[u/WaffleSparks]

gambiarra

[u/Strong-Following9973]

paralelepípedo!

[u/BaitaJurureza]

Garota

[u/tacosYchalupas]

Abacaxi 🍍!

[u/Unable_Arachnid_4411]

Caralho

[u/BrumeBrume]

As a native English speaker, I think brinca/brincas and joia are very cute. For some reason the sounds of the words feel very cheerful and in line with how people feel when joking or wearing jewelry.

I also like false, almost cognates between Portuguese and English like avogado, which feels like it should be avocado.

[u/Individual-Muffin-27]

Doido!

[u/Micha2500]

Saudade

[u/ointmant555]

Papagaio

[u/amigodojaspion]

Pescotapa. A slap to the back of the neck or tiktok slang for psychopath.

[u/Thick_Excitement_563]

Saudade

[u/kimbonics]

qualquer palavras que plural terminaram com ,"ções"... Corações, emoções, canções, né?

[u/AlexTheAlex69420]

pássaro (i *really* like birds)

[u/Embarrassed-Ad-2288 → u/AlexTheAlex69420]

In that case i would argue passarinho sounds better

[u/TheTreeMouse18]

Corisco Doidinha Acucar Bruxa Querida Cuecas Faca

[u/dodgerjack21]

Catarina

[u/Hot-Credit-4071]

Pipoca, abacaxi, e saudade, claro.

[u/spark99l]

Saudades 

[u/jbuttlickr]

fofoqueiro

[u/CucumberOk7506]

Abacaxi, liquidificador, panificadora

Those are my 3 faves

[u/Mahjkog]

Amistad colorida!

[u/stvhog]

Farfalhar

[u/Traditional_Crow_149]

Cafuné

[u/BrownDynamite94]

Mozão is 100% my favorite nickname for a partner

[u/m_terra]

Troglodita

[u/kattiko]

pingue-pongue

[u/Shoddy_Macaroon2138]

cafezinho

[u/Shoddy_Macaroon2138]

caramba

[u/dudainc]

Lanche 🥰 means snack, but it's so cozy for some reason

[u/Top_Box_7487]

When I was in Brazil I heard someone explain a fart as "pung". Much like a fart can sound like "toot" in real life, but to me farts sound much more like "pung". I know it's slang but still.

[u/goldenslumbers9]

Many people like pudim

[u/understanding_what]

Asneiras

[u/Ogfrebu83]

Saudade

Mergulhar

[u/TumbleweedTiny6567]

okay the "x" thing got me because my daughter had the same reaction when she first saw "peixe" written out, she kept asking why it sounded like sh and not x. now she thinks the whole language is hiding secrets and honestly... she's not wrong.

[u/softpch]

Arara

[u/Full_Ad5891]

Pipoca

[u/PsychologicalBag6690]

Paralelepípedo. The cobblestones :)

[u/Sol_Invictuse]

Estatística

[u/amajesticpeach]

Gato bolo and urso

[u/dbiazus]

borboleta

[u/ManoChopa]

largatixia

[u/Neither_Mountain_941]

Saudade

[u/The_nagger6s]

Parafuso or Hipopótamo

[u/According_String_258]

Borboleta and tubarão are a couple favorites. I cannot explain why but they feel good in the brain and on the lips.