50 English Words Brazilians Use Every Day (But Not Always the Way You Expect)
You Already Know These Words — But Brazil Changed the Rules
Walk through a Brazilian shopping, order delivery, work in home office, ask for feedback, take a print, or buy a notebook and you will hear English-looking vocabulary everywhere. The surprise is that Brazilians do not always use these words with the same meaning, grammar, or pronunciation that an English speaker expects.
The 10 English-Looking Words Most Likely to Surprise You in Brazil
These are the best place to start because knowing English can actually make you misread them.
| Brazilian usage | Meaning in Brazil | Why it may surprise you | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| shopping | shopping mall | English shopping normally names the activity, not the building itself. | Vou ao shopping depois do trabalho. |
| outdoor | billboard | In English, outdoor is usually an adjective; Brazilians use um outdoor as a noun. | Vi um outdoor enorme na avenida. |
| notebook | laptop computer | In everyday English, notebook strongly suggests a paper notebook; in Brazil the default is usually the computer. | Meu notebook está sem bateria. |
| home office | working from home / work-from-home arrangement | English commonly uses home office for a room or workspace in the home. | Amanhã vou ficar de home office. |
| chip | SIM card in phone contexts | English chip is much broader; a phone user normally says SIM card. | Preciso comprar um chip brasileiro. |
| screenshot | Brazilian digital speech often uses um print or tirar print. | Me manda um print da conversa. | |
| pendrive | USB flash drive | The compound looks English but is not the usual everyday English name. | Salvei os arquivos no pendrive. |
| motoboy | motorcycle courier | A Brazilian pseudo-English formation, not the normal English term. | O motoboy já saiu com o pedido. |
| pet shop | pet store / pet-care business | Understandable in English, but pet store is the more typical U.S. term. | Vou levar o cachorro no pet shop. |
| delivery | delivery service / delivery order | Brazilian usage often turns it into a service noun: pedir delivery, trabalhar com delivery. | Hoje vamos pedir delivery. |
Shopping: one of the clearest examples
Is there a mall near here?
In Brazil, shopping is commonly short for shopping center. So vou ao shopping means “I’m going to the mall,” not simply “I’m going shopping.”
Outdoor: a noun in Brazilian Portuguese
They put up a billboard at the entrance to the city.
Translating it back into English as “an outdoor” will sound wrong. The natural English noun is billboard.
Home office: the place became the work arrangement
I’m working from home today.
A Brazilian may use home office for remote work itself. In English, “my home office” more naturally refers to the room or workspace.
Technology: English Is Everywhere
Technology is one of the areas where English borrowings are most visible. Several of these forms are established enough that the Brazilian Senate’s communication manual lists them among foreign-origin words used without italics or quotation marks in its house style.
| Word in Brazil | Typical meaning | Example | Meaning shift? |
|---|---|---|---|
| site | website | Entra no site da empresa. | mostly same |
| mouse | computer mouse | Meu mouse parou de funcionar. | same |
| notebook | laptop | Comprei um notebook novo. | Brazilian default differs |
| desktop | desktop computer / environment | Prefiro um desktop para trabalhar. | same |
| software | software | Preciso atualizar o software. | same |
| hardware | hardware | O problema é no hardware. | same |
| smartphone | smartphone | O aplicativo funciona no smartphone. | same |
| tablet | tablet | Ela lê no tablet. | same |
| app | app | Baixa o app no celular. | same |
| login | login / access credentials | Não lembro meu login. | close |
| upload | upload | O upload terminou. | same |
| streaming | streaming / streaming service | Qual streaming você usa? | broader noun use |
| chip | SIM card | Meu chip não está funcionando. | narrowed |
| screenshot | Tira um print e me manda. | shifted | |
| pendrive | USB flash drive | Está no pendrive. | Brazilian-style term |
Portuguese grammar still surrounds the borrowed vocabulary:
Work and Business: Familiar Words, Brazilian Sentences
| Word | Common Brazilian use | Example | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| feedback | feedback | Preciso do seu feedback. | Very common in corporate environments. |
| deadline | deadline | Qual é o deadline do projeto? | Often alternates with prazo. |
| briefing | brief / briefing | Você recebeu o briefing? | Common in marketing, design and agencies. |
| marketing | marketing | Ela trabalha com marketing. | Highly established. |
| designer | designer | Ele é designer. | Profession integrated into Portuguese syntax. |
| design | design | Gostei do design do site. | Same core idea. |
| layout | visual arrangement / layout | Vamos mudar o layout. | Common in creative/tech work. |
| freelancer | freelancer | Ela trabalha como freelancer. | Integrated noun. |
| home office | work-from-home arrangement | Sexta eu faço home office. | Meaning differs from common English room sense. |
| meeting | meeting | Tenho um meeting às duas. | Corporate jargon; reunião is fully normal. |
| call | online/phone meeting | Tenho uma call agora. | Especially corporate/remote-work language. |
| startup | startup company | Ele abriu uma startup. | Integrated noun. |
Shopping and Services
| Word | Brazilian use | Example | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| shopping | shopping mall | Vamos ao shopping? | Strong semantic shift. |
| outlet | outlet store/complex | Tem um outlet na estrada. | Close to English. |
| sale | sale, especially on signs | A loja está com placa de SALE. | Advertising/visual vocabulary. |
| delivery | delivery service/order | Vocês fazem delivery? | Very productive in food/retail. |
| drive-thru | drive-through service | Vamos passar no drive-thru. | Portuguese articles/prepositions surround it. |
| self-service | self-service restaurant/service | É um restaurante self-service. | Especially familiar in food contexts. |
| pet shop | pet store/grooming business | Levei o cachorro no pet shop. | Often broader than retail. |
| motoboy | motorcycle courier | O motoboy chega em dez minutos. | English-looking but strongly Brazilian. |
Corpus-based research has documented English-origin foreignisms as a measurable part of Brazilian Portuguese, while studies of English in Brazil have long noted their visibility in advertising, stores, labels, restaurants, media, and technology.
Food, Restaurants, and Going Out
fast food
Hoje eu quero comer fast food.
Used alongside ordinary Portuguese food vocabulary.
food truck
Vai ter vários food trucks no evento.
The compound enters as a Portuguese noun phrase.
happy hour
Vamos fazer um happy hour depois do trabalho.
Often drinks/socializing after work.
milk-shake
Quero um milk-shake de chocolate.
A long-established borrowing.
Knowing delivery does not replace knowing pedido, conta, cardápio, or para viagem. See our guide to ordering food in Brazilian Portuguese for the full restaurant system.
Fashion, Fitness, and Lifestyle
| Word | Typical Brazilian use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| look | outfit / styled appearance | Adorei o seu look. |
| fashion | fashion/fashionable branding language | É um evento de moda e fashion. |
| short | shorts / short pants | Vou colocar um short. |
| top | top garment; also “great” informally | Comprei um top novo. |
| fitness | fitness / fitness-oriented | Ela trabalha no mercado fitness. |
| personal trainer | personal trainer | Meu personal mudou meu treino. |
| spa | spa | O hotel tem spa. |
Look is especially productive in Brazilian fashion language
What a beautiful outfit/look!
The English word is recognizable, but its high-frequency Brazilian fashion use often maps most naturally to outfit.
Entertainment and Media
| Word | Brazilian use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| show | concert / live performance | Vou ao show amanhã. |
| reality show | reality TV program | Você acompanha esse reality? |
| streaming | streaming platform/service | Está disponível no streaming. |
| trailer | movie trailer | Você viu o trailer? |
| remake | remake | Fizeram um remake da novela. |
| hit | hit song/work | A música virou um hit. |
| spoiler | spoiler | Não me dá spoiler. |
| fandom | fan community | O fandom ficou animado. |
Show is a useful learner trap. In Brazilian Portuguese, vou ao show da cantora very naturally means “I’m going to the singer’s concert.”
For newer digital forms such as shippar, flopar, hitar, trend, and POV, continue with our Brazilian internet slang and social media guide.
When an English Word Becomes a Portuguese Verb
Borrowing does not stop with nouns. Brazilian Portuguese can attach Portuguese verbal morphology to a foreign base.
| Base | Brazilian verb | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| delete | deletar | Deletei o arquivo. | I deleted the file. |
| reset | resetar | Vou resetar o celular. | I’m going to reset the phone. |
| log/login | logar | Não consigo logar. | I can’t log in. |
| post | postar | Postei uma foto. | I posted a photo. |
| printar | Printa essa tela. | Take a screenshot. | |
| scan | escanear | Vou escanear o documento. | I’ll scan the document. |
| flop | flopar | O vídeo flopou. | The video flopped. |
| stalk | stalkear | Fui stalkear o perfil. | I checked/stalked the profile. |
The borrowed material is being integrated into a Portuguese grammatical system.
The Word Is English-Looking, but the Pronunciation Is Brazilian
Even when spelling and meaning remain close to English, pronunciation does not have to. An English speaker may recognize Facebook, notebook, feedback, site, YouTube, or WhatsApp on the page and then fail to recognize the same item inside fast Brazilian speech.
Borrowed words are pronounced inside the Brazilian Portuguese sound system. Consonant clusters, final consonants, stress, and vowels can all be adapted.
We have a separate article dedicated to exactly this issue: Why Brazilians Pronounce English Words Differently.
Are These Words Really Part of Portuguese?
There is no single yes/no boundary. Borrowed vocabulary can sit at different stages of integration.
Established foreign-form words
marketing, mouse, notebook, shopping, show, site, software, smartphone, streaming.
Portuguese-shaped borrowings
Forms may acquire Portuguese spelling or morphology, such as escanear and many verbs ending in -ar.
Professional jargon
briefing, deadline, feedback, call may be normal in one workplace and unnecessary in another.
Fast-moving internet borrowings
flopar, hitar, stalkear change much faster than older items such as show or shopping.
The Academia Brasileira de Letras’ lexical search system explicitly brings together the official Portuguese vocabulary and a Vocabulário de Estrangeirismos, which reflects the practical need to describe foreign-origin forms used in Portuguese.
7 Mistakes English Speakers Make With English Words in Portuguese
1. Assuming the meaning is identical
shopping, outdoor, notebook, home office, and print can all surprise you.
2. Pronouncing them exactly as in English
An English-origin word inside Portuguese normally follows Brazilian pronunciation patterns.
3. Forgetting Portuguese grammar
Say o site, um feedback, no shopping, do streaming. Foreign spelling does not suspend Portuguese grammar.
4. Thinking every English word sounds sophisticated
Some are so ordinary that Brazilians barely notice their foreign origin.
5. Copying corporate jargon everywhere
Deadline may sound normal at one company and unnecessarily corporate elsewhere.
6. Correcting pseudo-English into “real English”
If a Brazilian says motoboy or pendrive in Portuguese, learn how the term works in Portuguese.
7. Confusing borrowing with English fluency
A person can naturally use shopping, delivery, site, and show without being able to hold a conversation in English.
That last point matters for visitors. English-origin vocabulary in Brazilian Portuguese does not mean you can assume that the speaker knows English. See Do Brazilians Speak English?.
A Quick Challenge for English Speakers
I’m going to the mall to buy a laptop.
Send me a screenshot.
I’m working from home tomorrow.
The motorcycle courier arrived with the delivery/order.
I need your feedback before the deadline.
I saw the billboard while I was going to the mall.
If you knew every English word but still had to reinterpret the sentence, that is exactly why these borrowings should be learned as Brazilian Portuguese vocabulary.
The shortcut is useful—but it is still Portuguese
English speakers have an advantage because many forms look familiar. Use that advantage, but learn the Brazilian meaning, article, pronunciation, collocation, and register. Familiarity is not the same as equivalence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Brazilians use a lot of English words?
Yes. English-origin vocabulary is especially visible in technology, advertising, business, entertainment, shopping, food service, fashion, and internet language. Frequency varies by profession, age, region, and context.
What does shopping mean in Brazilian Portuguese?
Shopping normally means a shopping mall, often as a shortened form of shopping center. Vou ao shopping means “I’m going to the mall.”
What does outdoor mean in Brazil?
In Brazilian Portuguese, outdoor is used as a noun meaning a billboard or large outdoor advertising panel.
What does notebook mean in Brazil?
In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, notebook normally means a laptop computer. A paper notebook is caderno.
What does home office mean in Brazilian Portuguese?
It frequently refers to working from home or a work-from-home arrangement: Hoje estou de home office. In English, home office commonly refers to the room or workspace itself.
What is a motoboy?
A motoboy is a motorcycle courier or delivery rider. The English-looking compound is strongly associated with Brazilian Portuguese and is not the ordinary English term for the job.
What does print mean in Brazilian internet language?
Um print usually means a screenshot. Tirar um print means to take a screenshot, and informal speakers may also use printar.
Why do Brazilians pronounce English words differently?
Because borrowed words are incorporated into the Brazilian Portuguese sound system. Stress, vowels, final consonants, and consonant clusters may be adapted even when spelling remains English.
Are English words in Portuguese considered wrong?
No. Borrowing is a normal process in language contact. Some words remain visibly foreign, some become highly established, and others are adapted in spelling, meaning, or morphology.
If Brazilians use English words, does that mean most Brazilians speak English?
No. Borrowed vocabulary can become part of Portuguese independently of a speaker’s ability to communicate in English.
Research and Editorial Basis
This article separates established English-origin borrowings, Brazilian semantic shifts/pseudo-English, and fast-moving internet or professional jargon.
- Senado Federal — Manual de Comunicação: estrangeirismos: institutional list including forms such as deadline, design, designer, feedback, freelancer, home office, marketing, mouse, notebook, outdoor, outlet, shopping, show, site, software, smartphone, startup, streaming, and upload.
- Academia Brasileira de Letras — Busca no Vocabulário: search base covering the Portuguese orthographic vocabulary together with the Foreignisms Vocabulary.
- Berber Sardinha (2005) — Frequência e uso de estrangeirismos ingleses no português do Brasil: corpus-based study of English-origin foreignisms in Brazilian Portuguese.
- Paiva — English in Brazil: discussion of English vocabulary in Brazilian advertising, shops, restaurants, media, technology, and everyday linguistic contact.
Recognize the Word. Then Learn How Brazil Uses It.
Familiar English spelling can give you a head start, but the real learning happens when you hear the word inside Brazilian pronunciation, grammar, and conversation.
