Tricky Verbs & Words in Portuguese Pt. 4

I just did part 3, but I thought of a few more to add to the never-ending list. On with the tricky verbs & words!

Word Differences

Gato vs. Bichano – Gato is a cat. Bichano is also a cat, but more specifically used for a kitten.

Mato vs. Mata – Mato is shrubbery, a grouping of weeds, brush. It can also be used to differentiate from the city, saying you are from the mato is like saying you’re from the outback or the interior. Mata is like forest or jungle.

Mata vs. Selva vs. Floresta – Mata was explained above. Selva is more specifically a jungle. Floresta is more specifically a forest.

Campo vs. Interior vs. Roça - Campo is a field or arid land. Interior is anywhere away from the big cities and also just as in English, it means interior (ex. of a house). Roça is a small town, unmodern in most senses.

Interior vs. Litoral – Interior was described above. Litoral is the coastline.

Roça vs. Capoeira vs. Clareira – This is more for those who like etymology. Roça originally meant an area cleared for land. Capoeira, which most people know as the sport/dance, originally meant something akin to Roça, where new greenery is growing in place of dead, old or recently removed greenery. Clareira is a general word for any kind of clearing.

Conto vs. Conta – Conto is a tale (story). Conta is an account or a counting of something.

Banco vs. Banca - Banco is bank while Banca is a bench or a newstand (banca de jornais).

Barriga vs. Estômago – Barriga is the outside of the stomach. Estômago is the inside.

Ouvido vs. Orelha – Ouvido is the inner ear, what you hear with. Orelha is the outer ear.

Sapo vs. Perereca vs. Rã – Sapo is a frog or toad. Perereca is a tree frog. Rã is a frog.

Velho vs. Idoso – Velho is old or old person. Idoso is only for old people, nicer than saying velho.

Exemplar vs. Exemplo vs. Amostra – Exemplar is an example of a group of similar things, generally referring to books (ex. Paulo Coelho has sold 100 million exemplares of his books). Exemplo is example. Amostra is a sample, generally of food.

Direto vs. Direito vs. Reto – Direto is straight. Direito is the practice of law. Reto is straight too. Direto is also is used to mean correct or frankly, in the sense of doing something the right way. (ex. Faça direto! or Fale direto!). Reto is only for directional purposes.

Direito vs. Lei – Direito was explained above. Lei is a law, not the practice of it.

Ajuda vs. Socorro vs. Apelo – Ajuda is help while Socorro is a call for help. Apelo is a plea.

Porta vs. Portão – Porta is a door while Portão is a gate.

Capa vs. Tampa vs. Cobertura – Capa is a cover, such as of a magazine or book. Tampa is a cover, such as a top or covering of an object. Cobertura is a covering.

Edredom vs. Cobertor vs. Colcha – Edredom can be a blanket or quilt filled with down. Cobertor is a bedcover (blanket), Colcha is the main word for quilt.

Lotado vs. Cheio vs. Recheio – Lotado is full, as in crowded. Cheio is also full, but it can also be used in a wider sense, not just crowded. Recheio is stuffing or filling.

Época vs. Estação vs. Temporada – Época is used to mean epoch, era, period, and in this sense if can mean a season. Generally used to speak of the past (back in the day). Estação is station and season (such as the general word for the seasons of the year). Temporada can be tv show season and also period, stay or season. I suggest using and misusing these words as its the only real way to understand their differences.

Tempo vs. Hora vs. Prazo – Tempo is time itself and weather. Hora is hour but also used with phrases where English-speakers would use ‘time’ such as ‘the time came when…’ (a hora chegou quando…), although ‘a long time ago’ or ‘for a while’ would be ‘tempo’ not ‘hora’. Prazo is a determined amount of time or a deadline. Again, play around with these while speaking to Portuguese-speakers and you will learn the exact differences. Its all about learning their concepts and contexts.

Conteúdo vs. Contento vs. Contexto – Conteúdo is content (ex. of a book). Contento is content as in happy, joyful. Contexto is context.

Preciso vs. Necessário – Both mean necessary or needed.

Meio vs. Metade – Meio is middle. Metade is half. For fun, Metade de laranja (half of the orange) means your better half, although generally a bit cheesy to say. Meio also means ’sort of’ or ‘kind of’ (ex. Estou meio cansado).

Prova vs. Exame – Prova means proof and test. Exame means exam (test). You can take an exame at school and also at the doctor’s office. You can’t take a prova at the doctor’s office, for example.

Tensão vs. Tesão – Tensão is tension while Tesão is stiffness, tension, erection, generally used in terms of sexual excitement.

Verb Differences

Procurar vs. Buscar vs. Pesquisar – Procurar is to search (for) in a general sense. Buscar is to search (for) also but mostly used to say seek out or go to or hunt in the sense of a friend arriving somewhere and you go to buscar them at the airport, for example. Vou te buscar no aeroporto. Pesquisar is to research something.

Machucar vs. Magoar vs. Ferir – Machucar is to hurt (yourself or someone) physically or emotionally but generally the former. It also means to offend, injure, wound or bruise. Magoar is the same, to hurt someone phsyically or emotionally, but generally the latter. Ferir is to hurt physically.

Ir vs. Vir – Ir means to go. Vir means to come. Simple….but, when English-speakers would say ‘I’m coming to your house’ for example, Portuguese-speakers would say ‘I’m going to your house’. See, you can never come to someone or some place, you must go there. You can only have someone come to you.

Provar vs. Experimentar – Provar is to try or to test out something. Experimentar is the same. Both are also used for trying on clothing.

Word Endings

-ada – Words that end in -ada are most likely referring to actions or a grouping. Some examples would be ‘caminhada’ (a walk), ‘mulherada’ (group of women), ‘pancada’ (hit with a hand), ‘criançada’ (group of children).

-ice – Words that end in -ice are generally words we would end in -ness, although the most used ones are generally negative. Some examples are ‘burrice’ (stupidness), ‘mesmice’ (sameness), ‘chatice’ (annoyingness). There’s a saying that says ‘Pai pobre é destino, marido pobre é burrice’ (A poor father is destiny, a poor husband is stupidness).

-udo – Words that end in -udo are generally referring to bodily descriptions (correct me if they apply to other things too). Some examples are ‘barbudo’ (bearded), ‘cabeludo’ (thick head of hair), ‘peitudo’ (large breasts), ‘barrigudo’ (big stomach).

Tags: eyes on brazil, portuguese language, tricky, verb differences, words