Brazilian slang: the everyday words and phrases Brazilians actually use

What are the most common Brazilian slang words?

The most common Brazilian slang words are legal (cool), beleza (OK, cool), valeu (thanks), cara (dude), tipo (like), né? (right?), nossa! (wow!) and e aí? (what's up?). You'll hear all of them in your first day in Brazil. The last column shows where CiaoSpeak's course teaches each one; tap the speaker to hear the course recording.

How do Brazilians say OK, thanks and let's go?

Brazilians say OK with beleza, fechou or tranquilo, thanks with valeu, and let's go with bora. These are the short replies that keep a conversation moving, and they're exactly what Brazilian characters say back to you in CiaoSpeak's scenes:

Valeu is for friends, drivers, the guy who holds the door; with an older person or in a formal setting, obrigado or obrigada is still the safe thanks. Bora is a clipped vamos embora (let's go).

How do Brazilians say hi and what's up?

The casual Brazilian hello is E aí? (what's up?), often with tudo bem? or tudo beleza? after it; with a group, Oi, gente! (hi, everyone). For every greeting from casual to formal, see the guide to Portuguese greetings.

What is Brazilian slang for cool?

The everyday Brazilian word for cool is legal; for something better than cool, say demais!, show! or top, and in the Northeast you'll hear massa. The opposite is chato: boring, or annoying.

What is Brazilian slang for friend or bro?

The everyday Brazilian slang for a friend is cara (dude), mano (bro, especially in São Paulo) and parceiro or parça (buddy); a group of friends is a galera. The plain word for friend is amigo for a man and amiga for a woman, and it never sounds wrong.

Brazilians also turn names and words into nicknames with -inho and -inha, the same ending that makes rapidinho (real quick) and pertinho (just around the corner).

Which filler words do Brazilians use?

Brazilians fill pauses with tipo (like), né? (right?), então (so) and sabe? (you know?), and they shorten common words when they speak: tô for estou, tá for está, pra for para. You'll understand much more if you know these, even before you use them:

What does saudade mean?

Saudade is the feeling of missing someone or something you love, and Brazilians say it all the time, mostly as Que saudade! (I missed you so much!) or Estou com saudade! (I miss you!). It isn't slang, but it's one of the most-used words in casual Brazilian Portuguese:

What is Brazilian texting slang?

Brazilian texting slang mostly drops vowels: vc is você, tb is também (also), blz is beleza, vlw is valeu, and Brazilians laugh in writing with kkkk. The ones you'll see in your first WhatsApp group:

What slang is regional in Brazil?

Each region of Brazil has its own slang: uai marks someone from Minas Gerais, oxente someone from the Northeast, bah and tchê someone from Rio Grande do Sul, and meu as "dude" someone from São Paulo. You don't need to use these, but they're fun to recognize:

Which Brazilian slang should you avoid?

Avoid anything that comments on a person's body, and leave the swear words you'll hear at football games for friends to teach you. A few everyday-sounding words are worth knowing so they don't catch you out. Know them, don't use them:

• gostoso / gostosa about a person. About food it means tasty, and CiaoSpeak teaches it that way; about a person it means hot, in a crude, sexual way.
• gata or gatinha to a stranger. Between partners or friends it's an affectionate cutie; shouted on the street it's a catcall.
• pô. A softened form of a crude word, said all the time in Rio (“Pô, cara!”, come on, man!). Harmless among friends; leave it out at work or with older people.
• rapariga. In Portugal it simply means girl; in Brazil, especially in the Northeast, it means a prostitute or a married man's mistress, and calling someone that is a serious insult. A good reason to learn Brazilian Portuguese from Brazilian sources.

How do you practice Brazilian slang out loud?

Practice slang by using it in short, real exchanges, out loud, not by memorizing lists. In CiaoSpeak's Speak tab, Rodrigo, a chatty ride-app driver in Rio, asks you questions the way a Brazilian would, and you answer by voice: