Hello, dear students!
In this lesson, I’ve selected 15 words that Brazilians use all the time in everyday, informal conversations. These words are quite different from what you’ll find in other languages and are rarely taught in traditional Portuguese courses.
If you haven’t learned them yet, this is a great opportunity! By using the expressions I’ll teach in this lesson, your Portuguese will sound more natural, and you might even impress your Brazilian friends.
Be sure to watch the video and take the quiz before reading this blog post!
This lesson includes a free PDF with a list of 25 words and exercises to help you retain this vocabulary. Click here to download your worksheet.
15 Brazilian Words to Improve Your Everyday Vocabulary
1. Bafafá
This word is used to describe a commotion, noise, or a tumult caused by an argument or a controversial situation.
For example:
O comentário do político gerou um grande bafafá nas redes sociais. (The politician’s comment caused a big commotion on social media.)
2. Ladainha
This word is used to refer to a conversation that is long, repetitive, and boring.
For example:
Todo dia ele vem com a mesma ladainha de que vai começar uma dieta. (Every day he comes with the same old story about how he’s going to start a diet.)
3. Estapafúrdio
This word is used to describe something strange, illogical, exaggerated, or absurd.
For example:
O final do filme foi tão estapafúrdio que ninguém entendeu nada. (The ending of the movie was so absurd that no one understood anything.)
4. Urucubaca
This word is used to refer to a streak of bad luck or something that seems to attract bad things.
For example:
Essa casa parece que tá com urucubaca! Cada dia uma coisa quebra! (This house seems like it’s cursed! Every day something breaks!)
5. Gororoba
This word is used to describe food that looks strange, usually thrown together, poorly made, or with ingredients that don’t go well together.
For example:
Paulo misturou arroz, feijão, macarrão e banana. Virou uma gororoba. (Paulo mixed rice, beans, pasta, and banana. It turned into a weird mess of food.)
6. Jururu
This word is used to describe someone who is sad, down, or disappointed.
For example:
Joãozinho estava jururu porque o passeio foi cancelado. (Joãozinho was feeling down because the trip was canceled.)
7. Chinfrim
This word is used to describe something of low quality, poorly made, worthless, or dull.
For example:
As roupas daquela loja têm um tecido chinfrim. (The clothes in that store are made of cheap fabric.)
8. Barafunda
This word is used to describe a chaotic situation or a bunch of things or people all disorganized.
For example:
A reunião virou uma barafunda com todo mundo falando ao mesmo tempo. (The meeting turned into a mess with everyone talking at the same time.)
9. Treco
This word is used to refer to any thing, usually when we don’t know or don’t want to say the name of the thing. This word is also used to talk about feeling unwell or having a sudden health issue.
For example:
O que é esse treco preto do seu lado? (What’s that black thing next to you?)
Lucas teve um treco no meio da reunião. (Lucas had some kind of episode in the middle of the meeting.)
10. Espelunca
This word is used to describe a place that is dirty, ugly, or poorly maintained. It’s a pejorative term.
For example:
Aquele hotel que eles reservaram é uma espelunca! (That hotel they booked is a total dump!)
11. Chilique
This word is used to refer to an exaggerated reaction, usually out of anger, nervousness, or a tantrum.
For example:
Bruna teve um chilique quando descobriu que cancelaram seu voo. (Bruna had a meltdown when she found out her flight was canceled.)
12. Fuxico
This word is used to refer to gossip, usually with the intent of talking badly about someone else.
For example:
Eu tenho uma vizinha que adora um fuxico! (I have a neighbor who loves to gossip!)
13. Lengalenga
This word is used to refer to a speech that is long, boring, and unfocused, usually meant to stall or avoid the main topic.
For example:
O discurso daquele político foi uma lengalenga sem fim. (That politician’s speech was just a never-ending ramble.)
14. Borocoxô
This word is used to describe someone or something that’s feeling down, low-energy, or sad.
For example:
Pedro parecia meio borocoxô depois da reunião. (Pedro seemed kind of down after the meeting.)
15. Balbúrdia
This word is used to describe a big mess, chaos, or commotion, usually with a lot of noise.
For example:
A professora se irritou com a balbúrdia dos alunos. (The teacher got annoyed with the chaos caused by the students.)
Free PDF!
If you don’t practice what you learned today, you’ll end up forgetting everything!
That’s why I prepared a free PDF with exercises to help you practice and retain vocabulary.
This week’s PDF includes a list of 25 words, examples, and exercises to help you expand your Portuguese vocabulary.
Click here to download your worksheet.
Online Brazilian Portuguese Courses
If you enjoyed this lesson, you’ll love our courses! At Speaking Brazilian School, we offer digital courses, small group classes, and private lessons. Click here to learn more about our Brazilian Portuguese online classes.
