Word lists › Portuguese

The most common Portuguese words, in frequency order

This is a frequency-based Portuguese word list: words ranked by how often they actually occur in everyday text, with translations and pronunciation. Frequency-based learning means studying words in this order, so every hour goes to the words you will meet most. Learn the first 500 and you will recognise about 65% of the words in everyday Portuguese. That is Zipf's law, and it is why this list is in this order. The first 250 are below; Zipf teaches all 5,000.

65%of everyday Portuguese text is the first 500 words

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The 250 most common Portuguese words

#WordIPAPart of speechMeaning
1o/ɔ/articlethe (the definite grammatical article that shows that the noun phrase that immediately follows it is definitely identifiable...); sometimes after lhe, especially when referring to a body part, a family member, or a pet.
2de/d͡ʒi/prepositionof (in relation to); of (forms compounds; often untranslated)
3ser/ˈse(ʁ)/verbto be (to have the given quality), especially a quality that is intrinsic or not expected to change, contrasting with estar which denotes a temporary quality; to be (to be an example or type of, or the same as)
4que/ki/conjunctionthat (connecting noun clause); that (introducing the result of the main clause)
5e/ˈɛ/conjunctionand (connects two clauses indicating that the events occurred together, one after the other or without any special implication); and (connects the last and penultimate elements in a list)
6um/ˈũ/articlea, an; some; a few (a small number of)
7em/ẽj̃/prepositionin; inside; within (contained by); on; on top of (located just above the surface of)
8para/pa.ɾɐ/prepositionfor (directed at, intended to belong to or to be appropriate for); indicates application of an adjective; to
9não/ˈnɐ̃w̃/adverbnot; don't; haven't (negates the meaning of the verb or adverb); used in sentences containing a negative pronoun as the object; see double negative
10eu/ˈew/pronounI (first-person singular personal pronoun); first-person singular prepositional pronoun; me
11com/kõ/prepositionwith; against; with; alongside; together with (in the company of)
12se/si/pronounhimself/herself/itself
13ter/ˈte(ʁ)/verbto have; to own; to possess; to have; to have got
14seu/sew/articleThird-person singular possessive determiner.; his (belonging to, associated with, related to, or in the possession of him)
15por/puʁ/prepositionfor (on behalf of); for (in order to obtain)
16estar/isˈta(ʁ)/verbto be (indicates location in space); to be (denotes a transient quality; a quality expected to change)
17como/ˈkõ.mu/conjunctionas; like
18ele/ˈe.li/pronounthird-person masculine singular nominative personal pronoun; he; it; third-person masculine singular prepositional pronoun; him; it
19mais/ˈmajs/adverbused to form the comparative of adjectives and adverbs; more; -er; preceded by the definitive article, used to form the superlative of adjectives and adverbs; most; -est
20ir/ˈi(ʁ)/verbto go (to move to a destination); will; to be going to; forms the future tense
21fazer/faˈze(ʁ)/verbto make; to create; to produce
22meu/mew/pronounmy
23mas/mas/conjunctionbut (introduces a clause that contradicts the implications of the previous clause); but (introduces the correct information for something that was denied in the previous clause)
24poder/poˈde(ʁ)/verbto be able to; can (to have the ability to); can; to be allowed to (to have the permission to)
25você/voˈse/pronounsecond-person singular personal pronoun, formal or informal in Brazil, formal or semi-formal in Portugal; you; indefinite pronoun; you, one
26muito/ˈmũj̃.tu/adverbvery
27todo/ˈto.du/articleevery; all (all of a group); whole, entire
28bom/ˈbõ/adjectivegood; desirable, positive, advantageous
29esse/ˈe.si/articlethat (near you); this (near me)
30querer/keˈɾe(ʁ)/verbto want; to wish; to desire; to want
31ou/o(w)/conjunctionor (connects at least two alternative words, phrases, clauses, sentences, etc. each of which could make a passage true); or (connects two equivalent names)
32ver/ˈve(ʁ)/verbto see; to observe (to perceive with one’s eyes); to see (to be able to see; not to be blind or blinded)
33este/ˈes.t͡ʃi/articlethis (indicates something or someone nearby); that (indicates something or someone just mentioned)
34ano/ˈɐ̃.nu/nounyear
35outro/ˈo(w).tɾu/pronounanother
36dia/ˈd͡ʒi.ɐ/nounday; period between sunrise and sunset
37saber/saˈbe(ʁ)/verbto know; to be aware, to know
38isso/ˈi.su/pronounthat (the thing near you; the thing mentioned that concerns you); this (the thing near me; the thing mentioned that concerns me)
39dizer/d͡ʒiˈze(ʁ)/verbto say; to speak; to pronounce; to utter; to say
40/ˈʒa/adverbalready (indicating that something has happened before); now (at this instant)
41também/tɐ̃ˈbẽj̃/adverbtoo; also (in addition; as well)
42mesmo/ˈmez.mu/adverbreally; actually; in fact; simply, just
43grande/ˈɡɾɐ̃.d͡ʒi/adjectivelarge; great; big (of great size or extent); large; big; numerous (numerically large)
44quando/ˈkwɐ̃.du/adverbwhen (used in questions about time); when (during which)
45pessoa/peˈso(w).ɐ/nounperson (an individual being, especially a human); person (someone’s physical body)
46dar/ˈda(ʁ)/verbto give; [transitive with a or para or indirect object pronoun]
47/ˈsɔ/adverbonly
48sobre/ˈso.bɾi/prepositionon; atop; on top of (located on the top surface of); over; above (in or through the space above)
49bem/ˈbẽj̃/adverbwell; accurately; competently; well; fairly; rather (to a significant degree)
50haver/aˈve(ʁ)/verbthere be; exist; there be; to happen; to occur
51nosso/ˈnɔ.su/articleour (belonging to, associated with, related to, or in the possession of us, excluding the person(s) being addressed); our (belonging to, associated with, related to, or in the possession of us, including the person(s) being addressed)
52ficar/fiˈka(ʁ)/verbto become; to get; to end up; to be, to be located
53até/aˈtɛ/prepositionuntil (up to the time of something happening); by (at some point before the given time)
54te/t͡ʃi/pronounyou (singular); particle of spontaneity, when it indicates that there was spontaneity in the action by its agent.
55tudo/ˈtu.du/pronouneverything (all the things); everything that is essential
56ainda/aˈĩ.dɐ/adverbstill, yet (up to a time); even (emphasises a comparative)
57aqui/aˈki/adverbhere (in this place); hither (to this place)
58novo/ˈno.vu/adjectivenew; recently made or created
59algum/awˈɡũ/pronounsome, any
60falar/faˈla(ʁ)/verbto speak; to talk (to say words out loud); to communicate by any means
61coisa/ˈkoj.zɐ/noun · femininething
62vez/ˈve(j)s/nountime; occasion; move (chance to use something shared in sequence with others)
63quem/ˈkẽj̃/pronounwho; whom (which person?); who; whom; that (the person who[m] or that)
64sem/ˈsẽj̃/preposition-less; without (not having, containing, characteristic of, etc.); without (not doing or not having done something)
65pouco/ˈpo(w).ku/adverblittle (not much or not often); for a short duration
66dois/ˈdojs/numeraltwo
67agora/aˈɡɔ.ɾɐ/adverbnow; right now (at the present time); now; any more (differently from the past)
68entre/ˈẽ.tɾi/prepositionamong (denotes a mingling or intermixing with distinct or separable objects); between (in the separating position or interval)
69achar/aˈʃa(ʁ)/verbto find; to encounter (to come across something that was unknown or had been lost); to find; to consider (to have the opinion that a given thing has the given quality)
70tempo/ˈtẽ.pu/nountime (the progression from the present into the future); time (quantity of availability of duration)
71assim/aˈsĩ/adverbthis way; like this (in this manner); thus (as a result)
72depois/deˈpojs/adverblater (afterwards in time); besides; after all
73vida/ˈvi.dɐ/nounlife; state of being alive
74onde/ˈõ.d͡ʒi/adverbwhere
75mundo/ˈmũ.du/nounworld (the Universe); world (the Earth)
76dever/deˈve(ʁ)/verbshould (indicates that an action is considered by the speaker to be obligatory); ought (indicates that the subject of the sentence has some obligation to execute the sentence predicate.)
77casa/ˈka.zɐ/nounhouse; structure serving as an abode of human beings
78deixar/de(j)ˈʃa(ʁ)/verbto leave; to exit (to go out of or away from a place); to leave (to refrain from taking)
79porque/puʁˈke/conjunctionbecause (introduces a reason for that described in the previous clause); because (introduces an explanation to a claim in the previous clause)
80vir/ˈvi(ʁ)/verbto come (to move towards the speaker or the agent); to come; to arrive (to reach a destination, especially where the speaker is)
81nada/ˈna.dɐ/pronounnothing
82passar/paˈsa(ʁ)/verbto pass; to pass by (to move past); to overtake (to move ahead of)
83qual/ˈkwaw/pronounwhich
84segundo/seˈɡũ.du/adjectivesecond
85sempre/ˈsẽ.pɾi/adverbalways (at all times); always (regularly at stated intervals)
86usar/uˈza(ʁ)/verbto use; to utilise; to employ; to make use of; to sport (to wear, wield or have as a notable feature)
87parte/ˈpaʁ.t͡ʃi/noun · femininepart
88cidade/siˈda.d͡ʒi/nouncity, town; city life, urban life
89apenas/aˈpẽ.nɐs/adverbonly; just; merely (no more than); barely (by a small margin)
90chegar/ʃeˈɡa(ʁ)/verbto arrive (at); to reach (to conclude moving to a destination); to arrive (to reach the present time)
91nunca/ˈnũ.kɐ/adverbnever (at no time; not ever)
92começar/ko.meˈsa(ʁ)/verbto start; to begin; to commence; to begin; to start to do
93primeiro/pɾiˈme(j).ɾu/adjectivefirst
94trabalho/tɾaˈba.ʎu/nounjob (economic role for which a person is paid); job; task (piece of work done as part of one’s duties)
95hoje/ˈo.ʒi/adverbtoday (in the current day); nowadays (in the current era)
96tão/ˈtɐ̃w̃/adverbso (to a great extent)
97levar/leˈva(ʁ)/verbto take (to move something to a destination); to take away (to remove someone or something from the current location)
98gostar/ɡosˈta(ʁ)/verbto like
99pensar/pẽˈsa(ʁ)/verbto think (communicate to oneself in one’s mind); to conceive, intend
100chamar/ʃaˈma(ʁ)/verbto call; to summon (to ask someone to come); to call, to name (to use as the name of)
101hora/ˈɔ.ɾɐ/nounhour (period of sixty minutes); time (point in time)
102então/ẽˈtɐ̃w̃/adverbthen
103nem/ˈnẽj̃/adverbnot even
104contar/kõˈta(ʁ)/verbto tell (to convey given information); to tell; to narrate (relate a story or series of events)
105forma/ˈfɔʁ.mɐ/nounform; shape (the visible structure of a thing); shape; figure (a geometric object)
106mulher/muˈʎɛʁ/nounwoman (adult female human); wife; woman (noun sense 4)
107deus/ˈdews/noun · masculinegod
108conhecer/kõ.ɲeˈse(ʁ)/verbto know (be acquainted or familiar with); to meet; to get to know (to become acquainted with)
109acontecer/a.kõ.teˈse(ʁ)/verbto happen; to occur; to take place; to become famous or successful
110nome/ˈnõ.mi/nounname (word or phrase which identifies an individual person, place, class, or thing); name (what somebody is known for)
111encontrar/ẽ.kõˈtɾa(ʁ)/verbto meet; to find; to locate
112foto/ˈfɔ.tu/nounphoto; photograph
113aquele/aˈke.li/pronounthat
114conseguir/kõ.seˈɡi(ʁ)/verbto get, obtain; to achieve
115nós/ˈnɔ(j)s/pronounfirst-person plural nominative personal pronoun: we; first-person plural prepositional pronoun: us
116caso/ˈka.zu/nouncase; an actual event, situation or fact
117grupo/ˈɡɾu.pu/noungroup (number of things or persons being in some relation to each other); group (people who perform music together)
118durante/duˈɾɐ̃.t͡ʃi/prepositionduring (for all of a given time interval); during (at any point within a given time interval)
119pra/pɾa/prepositionsyncopic form of para
120amigo/aˈmi.ɡu/nounfriend (person whose company one enjoys); friend (an associate or thing which provides assistance)
121qualquer/ˌkwawˈkɛ(ʁ)/articleany; whatever (no matter what kind, which or who); some (in an unspecified time)
122país/paˈis/nouncountry; nation (a sovereign polity); country; land (a region inhabited by a particular people or characterised by a certain feature)
123viver/viˈve(ʁ)/verbto live; to have life; to live, reside (have permanent residence)
124ajudar/a.ʒuˈda(ʁ)/verbto help, aid; to assist
125último/ˈuw.t͡ʃi.mu/adjectivefinal; last; latest; most recent; last so far
126sair/saˈi(ʁ)/verbto exit; to leave (go away from a certain place or situation); to get out (of); to go out (leave one’s abode to go to public places)
127cada/ka.dɐ/pronouneach
128/ˈla/adverbthere (in that place, far from both the speaker and the audience); used with an adverb phrase to indicate that something is far
129sim/ˈsĩ/interjectionyes
130esperar/is.peˈɾa(ʁ)/verbto wait; to wait (for); to await
131precisar/pɾe.siˈza(ʁ)/verbto need; to need to, to have to, must
132acabar/a.kaˈba(ʁ)/verbto finish (to be over, completed); to complete; to finish (to make done)
133público/ˈpu.bli.ku/adjectivepublic
134homem/ˈõ.mẽj̃/nounmale (human of masculine gender); man (adult male human)
135história/isˈtɔ.ɾi.ɐ/nounhistory; story
136parecer/pa.ɾeˈse(ʁ)/verbto seem; to resemble
137pequeno/piˈkẽ.nu/adjectivesmall
138alguém/awˈɡẽj̃/pronounsomebody; someone (some person)
139antes/ˈɐ̃.t͡ʃis/adverbbefore (at an earlier time); in the past; previously
140desde/ˈde(j)z.d͡ʒi/prepositionsince; from
141tipo/ˈt͡ʃi.pu/nounkind; sort; type (grouping based on shared characteristics); type (letter or character used for printing)
142rio/ˈʁi.u/nounriver (a large and often winding stream which drains a land mass, carrying water down from higher areas to a lower point, oftentimes ending in another body of water, such as an ocean or in an inland sea); a large amount of anything
143filho/ˈfi.ʎu/nounson (male offspring); child (offspring of any sex)
144contra/ˈkõ.tɾɐ/prepositionagainst
145problema/pɾoˈblẽ.mɐ/nounproblem (difficulty that has to be resolved or dealt with); problem (question to be answered)
146pai/ˈpaj/nounfather (male who sires a child); one's father
147noite/ˈnoj.t͡ʃi/nounnight (period between sunset and sunrise); nightlife
148tanto/ˈtɐ̃.tu/adverbso much
149jogo/ˈʒo.ɡu/nounplay; game; sport
150três/ˈtɾe(j)s/numeralthree
151olhar/oˈʎa(ʁ)/noun · masculinegaze
152meio/ˈmej.u/noun · masculinemiddle
153quanto/ˈkʷɐ̃.tu/adverbhow much
154tentar/tẽˈta(ʁ)/verbto try, go for, attempt; to tease, tempt
155mãe/ˈmɐ̃j̃/nounmother (female who gives birth to or parents a child); one's mother
156momento/moˈmẽ.tu/nounmoment (very brief period of time); momentum
157cara/ˈka.ɾɐ/nounface; heads (side of coin)
158criar/kɾiˈa(ʁ)/verbto create, to put into existence; to invent
159lugar/luˈɡaʁ/nounplace (a location or position); available room
160lo/lu/pronounalternative form of o (third-person masculine singular objective pronoun) used as an enclitic and mesoclitic following a verb form ending in a consonant (-z, -r and -s, but not -m); the consonant is elided and the preceding vowel takes an accent if necessary
161além/aˈlẽj̃/adverbthere, over there; beyond (farther along or away)
162voltar/vowˈta(ʁ)/verbto return; to come back; to return (to reach a previous state)
163pedir/peˈd͡ʒi(ʁ)/verbto ask for; to request (to express the need or desire for something); to order (to request a product or service)
164político/poˈli.t͡ʃi.ku/adjectivepolitical
165semana/seˈmɐ̃.nɐ/nounweek (period of seven days)
166lado/ˈla.du/nounside
167direito/d͡ʒiˈɾej.tu/adjectiveright
168nacional/na.si.oˈnaw/adjectivenational
169tornar/toʁˈna(ʁ)/verbto make (to cause to be); to become; to turn into
170alto/ˈaw.tu/adjectiveloud; tall
171próprio/ˈpɾɔ.pɾi.u/adjectiveown
172após/aˈpɔ(j)s/prepositionafter (later in time); past (further in location)
173primeira/pɾiˈme(j).ɾɐ/adjectivefeminine singular of primeiro
174família/faˈmi.li.ɐ/nounfamily; nuclear family (a father, mother and their sons and daughters); family; bloodline; kin
175existir/e.zisˈt͡ʃi(ʁ)/verbto exist (to be)
176receber/ʁe.seˈbe(ʁ)/verbto get; to receive; to collect or receive payment
177brasileiro/bɾa.ziˈle(j).ɾu/noun · masculineBrazilian
178mês/ˈme(j)s/nounmonth (each of the twelve periods into which the year is divided); month (period between any date in one month and the corresponding date in the following month)
179verdade/veʁˈda.d͡ʒi/nountruth (conformity to fact or reality); truth (true facts)
180social/so.siˈaw/adjectivesocial (relating to society); social (relating to business firms)
181enquanto/ẽˈkwɐ̃.tu/conjunctionwhile
182ninguém/nĩˈɡẽj̃/pronounno one; nobody (not one person)
183área/ˈa.ɾi.ɐ/nounarea; region; place (a geographical location); area; region; place (an extent of surface)
184seguir/seˈɡi(ʁ)/verbto follow (to go or come after in physical space); to follow (to occur afterwards)
185continuar/kõ.t͡ʃi.nuˈa(ʁ)/verbto continue; to go on (with) (to not stop); to continue; to proceed with (to start doing something that had been stopped)
186presidente/pɾe.ziˈdẽ.t͡ʃi/nounpresident; chairman
187música/ˈmu.zi.kɐ/nounmusic (melodic and rhythmic sounds made as art); song (any musical composition)
188mostrar/mosˈtɾa(ʁ)/verbto show; reflexive of mostrar
189ponto/ˈpõ.tu/nounpoint, a specific spot, location, or place; point, a unit of scoring
190volta/ˈvɔw.tɐ/nounreturn (act of returning); bend (in a course, line, pipe, etc.)
191entrar/ẽˈtɾa(ʁ)/verbto enter; to go into
192vídeo/ˈvi.d͡ʒi.u/nounvideo
193local/loˈkaw/nounpremises, rooms; site
194acreditar/a.kɾe.d͡ʒiˈta(ʁ)/verbto believe (to accept that someone is telling the truth); to believe (to accept that something is true)
195fim/ˈfĩ/nounend, conclusion, closure
196perder/peʁˈde(ʁ)/verbto lose (an object, a job, interest etc.); to lose (to be defeated in a match, an election etc.)
197/aˈi/adverbthere (close to the second person (you)); towards the second person
198final/fiˈnaw/adjectivefinal
199sentir/sẽˈt͡ʃi(ʁ)/verbto sense; to feel (to perceive by means of biological senses); to feel (to feel with the skin or hands)
200trabalhar/tɾa.baˈʎa(ʁ)/verbto work (to do a specific task)
201projeto/pɾoˈʒɛ.tu/nounproject (planned endeavor); plan (drawing showing technical details)
202tomar/toˈma(ʁ)/verbto take (to get something into one’s possession or control); to take; to conquer (to seize control of a location)
203criança/kɾiˈɐ̃.sɐ/nounchild (young person)
204número/ˈnũ.me.ɾu/nounnumber (quantity); number (entity used to describe quantity)
205escola/isˈkɔ.lɐ/nounschool (institution dedicated to teaching and learning); school (an art movement)
206escrever/is.kɾeˈve(ʁ)/verbto write (to form letters, etc.)
207certo/ˈsɛʁ.tu/adjectiveright; correct (not containing errors); certain; sure (without doubt)
208sistema/sisˈtẽ.mɐ/nounsystem; system, the mainstream culture, controlled by the elites or government of a state, or a combination of them, seen as oppressive to the individual; the establishment
209ganhar/ɡɐ̃ˈɲa(ʁ)/verbto win (to achieve victory in a game, a war, etc); to earn (to receive payment for work)
210nenhum/nẽˈɲũ/articleno, none
211gente/ˈʒẽ.t͡ʃi/nounpeople; a group of two or more persons
212água/ˈa.ɡwɐ/nounwater (H₂O); water (a serving of water)
213algo/ˈaw.ɡu/pronounsomething (unspecified object)
214importante/ĩ.poʁˈtɐ̃.t͡ʃi/adjectiveimportant (having relevant and crucial value); influential
215ler/ˈle(ʁ)/verbto read (to look at and interpret written information); to read (to speak aloud written information)
216governo/ɡuˈveʁ.nu/noungovernment
217acordo/aˈkoʁ.du/nounagreement, deal (an understanding to follow a course of conduct); agreement, accord (agreement or concurrence of opinion)
218informação/ĩ.foʁ.maˈsɐ̃w̃/nouninformation
219único/ˈũ.ni.ku/adjectiveunique; only, single, sole
220ouvir/o(w)ˈvi(ʁ)/verbto hear (to perceive with the ear, without necessarily paying attention to it); to pay attention to
221diferente/d͡ʒi.feˈɾẽ.t͡ʃi/adjectivedifferent
222mudar/muˈda(ʁ)/verbto change (to become or cause to become something different); to move, to relocate (to settle into a new home)
223filme/ˈfiw.mi/nounfilm; movie; motion picture; plastic film (thin layer of plastic used to wrap objects, usually food)
224abrir/aˈbɾi(ʁ)/verbto open; to deal (a card)
225apresentar/a.pɾe.zẽˈta(ʁ)/verbto introduce (to make multiple people become acquainted with one another); to introduce; to present (to make (someone) become acquainted to)
226livro/ˈli.vɾu/nounbook; omasum (third part of the stomach of ruminants, which internally has numerous folds)
227região/ʁe.ʒiˈɐ̃w̃/nounregion, district
228lembrar/lẽˈbɾa(ʁ)/verbto remember; to remind
229através/a.tɾaˈvɛ(j)s/adverbthrough, across (from one side to the other); through, by means of
230quase/ˈkwa.zi/adverbalmost (very close to)
231tu/ˈtu/pronounyou
232empresa/ẽˈpɾe.zɐ/noun · femininecompany
233realizar/ʁe.a.liˈza(ʁ)/verbto realise (to convert something imaginary or planned, as a goal or idea, into reality); to execute; to carry out; to put into practice; to direct (a film, TV show)
234colocar/ko.loˈka(ʁ)/verbto place; to put; to put
235preciso/pɾeˈsi.zu/adjectiveprecise; accurate (in exact or careful conformity with the truth); accurate (which hits the target)
236programa/pɾoˈɡɾɐ̃.mɐ/nounprogram; computer instructions
237fora/ˈfɔ.ɾɐ/adverboutside (on the outside of a building or location); abroad; overseas (in another country)
238dentro/ˈdẽ.tɾu/adverbinside (within or into something’s interior); indoors (in a building)
239próximo/ˈpɾɔ.si.mu/adjectivenear, close; recent
240lei/ˈlej/nounlaw
241morrer/moˈʁe(ʁ)/verbto die (to stop living); to die; to break down (to stop working)
242matar/maˈta(ʁ)/verbto kill (to cause to die); to kill; to eradicate; to destroy
243partir/paʁˈt͡ʃi(ʁ)/verbto split (divide something, especially in two roughly equal parts); to split; to break apart (become divided, especially in two roughly equal parts)
244morte/ˈmɔʁ.t͡ʃi/noundeath (cessation of life); the state of being dead
245pois/ˈpojs/conjunctionsince; for
246tal/ˈtaw/pronounsuch
247geral/ʒeˈɾaw/adjectivegeneral; not specific or particular
248site/ˈsaj.t͡ʃi/nounsite; web site (a collection of pages on the World Wide Web)
249obrigar/o.bɾiˈɡa(ʁ)/verbto oblige; to force; to compel; to coerce (tell someone to do something against their wills, often by using threats of violence); to induce an action by leaving no other choices
250janeiro/ʒaˈne(j).ɾu/nounJanuary

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