{"id":2292,"date":"2020-07-10T15:53:57","date_gmt":"2020-07-10T15:53:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?p=2292"},"modified":"2021-04-07T13:09:33","modified_gmt":"2021-04-07T13:09:33","slug":"7-words-in-portuguese-that-mean-something-else-in-brazil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/7-words-in-portuguese-that-mean-something-else-in-brazil\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Words in Portuguese That Mean Something Else in Brazil"},"content":{"rendered":"
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People photo created by wirestock - www.freepik.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

As we know, Brazilians speak Portuguese following the 16th-century colonisation of the country by Pedro \u00c1lvares Cabral, so if you know a few words of Portuguese you're more than likely to be able to get your point across in South America's biggest country.<\/p>\n

However, there are certain words that mean one thing in European Portuguese and quite another in certain Brazilian dialects. As you might expect, some of these words can have a distinctly adult flavour, so you\u2019ll want to make sure you get them right!<\/p>\n

Rapariga<\/h3>\n

A nice, innocent word, rapariga <\/i>means nothing more controversial than \u2018girl\u2019 in Portugal. Unfortunately, if you use the word in certain circumstances in Brazil it can mean something quite different, and pretty disparaging \u2013 rapariga <\/i>can be used as the Brazilian word for \u2018mistress\u2019 or even \u2018prostitute\u2019, so there\u2019s clearly a minefield to be avoided there.<\/p>\n

Ligadura \/ Atadura<\/h3>\n

While it\u2019s not nice to think of hurting yourself while on holiday, there are occasions where you may find yourself needing to ask for a bandage if you come across a particularly nasty rock at the beach. In Portugal, you\u2019ll want to ask the nurse for a ligadura <\/i>to stem the blood flow, but the same word in Brazil will have staff at the hospital scratching their heads \u2013 the equivalent word over there is actually atadura<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Pica<\/h3>\n

This one handily combines the subjects of the previous two. In Portugal, pica <\/i>is a standard term for an injection. An injection of course will give you a prick, which is what the word can mean in Brazilian Portuguese \u2013 pica <\/i>is often used as a comedic term for a man\u2019s most personal device. Get that one confused and you could find yourself in a situation you certainly hadn\u2019t expected.<\/p>\n

Bicha<\/h3>\n

This one is quite odd: if you put the English word \u2018queue\u2019 into an online translator, the Portuguese word returned is fila<\/i>. However, an alternative word given for queue is bicha<\/i>, which is quite an unpleasant word in Brazil \u2013 a derogatory term for a homosexual man.<\/p>\n

Ch\u00e1vena \/ X\u00edcara<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s likely to be quite difficult to talk about a \u2018cup\u2019 in Brazil for a while, though you\u2019ll find it even harder if you use the European Portuguese word for a cup, ch\u00e1vena<\/i>. In Brazil, the equivalent word is x\u00edcara<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Alcunha \/ apelido<\/h3>\n

Similarly related to football, Portuguese and Brazilian players often have such outlandishly long names that they become commonly known by a shortened nickname. And \u2018nickname\u2019 itself is another language difference \u2013 in Europe the word is alcunha<\/i>, but in Brazil it is apelido<\/i>. Apelido <\/i>in European Portuguese actually means \u2018surname\u2019.<\/p>\n

Abacaxi<\/h3>\n

Perhaps the strangest of all, in Portugal an abacaxi <\/i>is a pineapple \u2013 no ambiguity there. But be careful when using the same word in Brazil and you may get some strange looks, as abacaxi <\/i>can also mean \u2018a tricky problem\u2019. Why do you have a problem with pineapples? Only you could possibly know.<\/p>\n

As you can see, some Portuguese words have been co-opted in Brazil to mean quite different, and often quite rude, things. You\u2019ll clearly want to make sure you get these words right before you make a trip to Brazil but your first task should be to brush up on your general Portuguese. A fine starting point would be to find out at what level you currently speak the language with our Portuguese level test<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"

City photo created by wirestock - www.freepik.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we know, Brazilians speak Portuguese following the 16th-century colonisation of the country by Pedro \u00c1lvares Cabral, so if you know a few words of Portuguese you’re more than likely to be able to get your point across in South America’s biggest country. However, there are certain words that mean one thing in European Portuguese(\u2026)<\/p>\n

\n
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