30 Common Brazilian Slang Words to Understand the Locals

If you're getting ready for a trip to Brazil, you'll want to connect with the people there. This guide introduces 30 Brazilian slang terms, complete with audio pronunciations and example sentences, to help you speak like a native.

Keep in mind that slang can differ a lot between regions in Brazil, though the terms listed here are widely used in São Paulo.

Brazilian Slang for Expressing Yourself

E aí?

E aí? is a very casual greeting, similar to saying "what's up?" in English.

E aí pessoal? What’s up guys?

Bacana

The term bacana translates to "good," "cool," or "awesome." You may hear someone say Que bacana! (That's awesome!) upon learning about your upcoming Brazilian adventure.

Brazilians often use it to talk about something impressive they've come across.

Esse projeto é muito bacana. This is a really cool project.

Tá bom?

A good way to understand tá bom? is as "all good?" It's used to check if someone is okay with a suggestion or agrees.

While we've shown it as a question here, tá bom can also be a statement of agreement.

It's also very common to drop the word bom (good) and simply say tá.

Amanhã a gente conversa sobre isso, tá bom? We’ll talk about it tomorrow, okay?

Tá. All right.

Beleza

While beleza literally means "beauty," in everyday talk it's frequently used to show you agree with something.

Sometimes you might hear Que beleza (wonderful) said sarcastically to show displeasure, but most of the time beleza is a positive expression.

Vamos ao cinema amanhã? Do you want to go to the cinema tomorrow?

Beleza, te encontro às 5h. Okay, I’ll meet you at 5 p.m.

Joia

This is another way to express agreement. Although joia means "jewel," Brazilians use it to say they're fine with something (similar to beleza) or to indicate they're doing well.

Tudo bem? How are you?

Tudo joia! I’m great!

Legal

Brazilians use legal to say something is "good," "great," or "cool." It's among the most popular slang words you'll encounter!

Nossa, esse filme foi legal! Vamos assistir outro? Wow, that movie was cool! Let’s watch another one?

Falou

Falou comes from the past tense of the verb falar (to talk or to say).

As slang, falou is used similarly to tá bom—it's a way of saying "okay," both as a question and as a confirmation.

Here are a couple of examples for this one.

Amanhã eu te passo os detalhes, falou? I’ll send you the details tomorrow, all right?

Te vejo no sábado às 10h. I’ll see you on Saturday at 10 a.m.

Falou, até lá. Okay, see you then.

Valeu

This is one of Brazil's most common slang terms. Valeu comes from the past tense of valer (to be worth something). In casual conversation, valeu is widely used in various contexts to say thanks instead of obrigado / obrigada (thanks).

Aqui está. Here you go.

Valeu! Thanks!

Caô

Use caô when you think something is a lie or an overstatement.

Isso é caô, não acredito! That’s a lie, I don’t believe it!

Na boa / De boa

Na boa means "no problem" or "it's all good."

De boa is quite similar. It translates to "no worries" or "chill." You can also use it to say you're "cool" with something.

Na boa, não precisa se desculpar, eu entendi o seu ponto de vista. No worries, you don’t need to apologize, I understand your point of view.

Estou de boa aqui, pode ir na festa sem mim. I’m chill here, you can go to the party without me.

Brazilian Slang for Talking About People

Mina

Mina refers to a young woman. It's often used similarly to how we say "chick" in English.

Aquela mina é muito inteligente. That chick is really smart.

Parça

Parça is a short form of parceiro, meaning "partner." This slang term is for talking about your close friends. In English, it would be like saying "buddy" or "homie."

Ele não é só um amigo, é um parça. He’s not just a friend, he’s a buddy.

Zica

Zica usually means "bad" or "unfortunate." But in slang, it describes someone who is highly skilled at something.

Ele é zica no futebol. He’s awesome at soccer.

Cara

Cara is used casually to mean "face," but it's also slang for a guy or a man.

Here are a few examples showing both uses.

Esse cara é louco. This guy’s crazy.

Ela me deu um tapa na cara. She slapped me in the face.

Cara, a prova foi muito difícil. Man, that test was really hard.

Gato / Gata

For those unfamiliar with the term, hearing someone called a "cat" (gato) might seem odd. But in Brazil, it's a way to say someone is "hot" or attractive.

O ator principal dessa novela é um gato. The leading man in this TV soap is very attractive.

( Cultural tip: Brazilian soap operas and TV dramas are hugely popular both domestically and internationally. Checking out a few can give you great insight into the culture. You'll also hear a lot of the everyday language we've covered so far).

Cabeça-dura

Literally a "hard-head," cabeça-dura refers to someone who is very stubborn or set in their ways.

João é um cabeça-dura, ele nunca vai mudar. João is very stubborn, he’ll never change.

Pão-duro

In Brazilian Portuguese, a "hard-bread" (pão-duro) is a stingy person—someone who is very frugal or miserly.

Esse cara é um pão-duro. This guy’s a scrooge.

Figura

Figura literally means "figure." But in slang, it describes someone with a big personality. For instance, someone who is funny or known for their distinctive character and habits.

Meu tio é uma figura! My uncle is such a character!

Zé

Zé is a short form of the name José. Calling someone a zé means they're an "average Joe." However, it can carry a negative tone, so use it carefully.

Não seja um Zé Ninguém. Don’t be a nobody.

Véio / Véia

This is an informal way to refer to an old man or old woman. It's not insulting—it often has a warm, affectionate feel.

Véio (only the masculine form) can also be used like cara (man) in exclamations.

Meu véio é muito sábio. My old man is very wise.

Véio, choveu demais hoje! Man, it rained a lot today!

Mala

A mala is someone who is a nuisance or a burden. You can use it for a person who is annoying or bothers you frequently.

It literally means "suitcase," so think of it as calling someone "baggage."

For example:

Ele é um mala sem alça. He’s a real pain to deal with.

Fulano e Beltrano / Fulano e Sicrano

These phrases are the Brazilian Portuguese versions of "so-and-so" or "what's-his-name."

Use them when you can't recall someone's name, or to suggest they aren't important.

Fulano e Beltrano foram lá ontem. So-and-so went there yesterday.

Brazilian Slang Verbs

Vacilar

Literally, Vacilar means "to hesitate." But in slang, it means "to mess up."

Ele vacilou comigo. (He messed up with me.)

Mandar-se

A casual verb best translated as "to get out."

It can be used as a command (telling someone to leave) or to talk about your own plans to leave a place you don't want to be in.

Se manda daqui! Get out of here!

Vou me mandar para as ilhas do Caribe nesse inverno. I’m setting off for the Caribbean islands this winter.

Esse lugar é muito perigoso, vou me mandar daqui. This is a really dangerous place, I’m getting out of here.

Rolar

You might guess the literal meaning: rolar is the infinitive "to roll." But it's not used like the English "let's roll." Instead, Brazilians use rolar to talk about an event happening in the past, present, or future.

Vai rolar uma festa na casa do Lucas amanhã. There’s going to be a party at Lucas’ place tomorrow

Rola um churrasco esse fim de semana? Shall we have a barbecue over the weekend?

Topar

This one is quite simple: topar is a casual verb meaning "to agree" or "to accept" to do something.

Ele topou me ajudar com o meu dever de casa. He agreed to help me with my homework.

Pisar na bola

Literally "stepping on the ball," pisar na bola describes a situation where someone makes a mistake, messes up, or disappoints someone.

Sua irmã pisou na bola feio comigo. Your sister really let me down.

Se você pisar na bola de novo, está fora do time. If you mess up once again, you’re off the team.

Brazilian Internet Slang

Rsrs

This slang term is the same as "lol" (laugh out loud) in English, and it's used identically. It's short for Risadas (laughter).

So if a Brazilian friend sends you a funny video, you can reply with Rsrs.

Brazilians add more "rs" to show they found something extremely funny.

So if the video was hilarious, you could say "Rsrsrsrs."

Pq

Pq is an abbreviation of porque (why) and is often used in texting.

Fui ao cinema sozinho pq meu amigo não pôde ir. (I went to the movies alone because my friend couldn’t go.)

Tbm / Tb

These letters are short for the Portuguese word também, meaning "too" or "also." Again, this is common in text messages.

Eu tbm fui ao cinema na semana passada. (I also went to the movies last week.)

How to Learn Brazilian Slang

There are numerous ways to pick up Brazilian slang, from apps and online tools to language exchanges.

• Google and YouTube are excellent for learning slang. Just search for authentic Brazilian content. Intermediate and advanced learners can also check out the Dicionário inFormal for new colloquial terms—remember that all definitions are in Portuguese.

• After you've gathered a list of slang words, look up each term in your favorite dictionary app to confirm its meaning and use the audio button to hear the pronunciation. That's your signal to repeat the words to yourself a few times to get the pronunciation correct.
• As you become more comfortable with your new vocabulary, you'll want to start using it in real conversations. You don't need to travel to Brazil for this: Finding a conversation partner can be as simple as attending Brazilian Portuguese language exchange Meetups near you or registering for an online language partner platform like Tandem or HelloTalk.
• Immerse yourself in Portuguese media and learn new slang in context with an online immersion program like Lingflix. This platform uses short video clips from real Portuguese media to teach the language as native speakers actually use it. Lingflix takes authentic videos—such as music videos, movie trailers, news, and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language lessons. You can try Lingflix for free for 2 weeks. Click here to visit the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

The more words you learn, whether slang or formal, the easier it will be to construct sentences and patterns like a native Brazilian speaker.

So go ahead, keep practicing, and remember to put these useful phrases to work alongside your other study resources.

Boa sorte! (Good luck!)