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5,000+ Portuguese words from 40 simple rules

Verbamor's free Portuguese word patterns list turns English you already know into Portuguese you can understand and say. Learn one of the 40 rules and a whole group of words comes with it, so together they cover 5,000+ words. The page and the PDF give you 317 examples to start with. The first 4 are open below. Leave your email to open the other 36 and get the printable PDF.

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-tion → -ção

information in English is informação in Portuguese.

40 patterns
317 example words
6 groups
Free PDF

Words you already know 23

English shares thousands of words with Portuguese. Learn one ending and you get the whole group.

-tion-çãoFeminine, a Nation, station, information -tion becomes -ção

English words that end in -tion end in -ção in Portuguese. These words are feminine. Say a nação. The ç sounds like s.

a naçãonation
a informaçãoinformation
a educaçãoeducation
a estaçãostation
a atençãoattention
a celebraçãocelebration
a situaçãosituation
a populaçãopopulation

-sion-sãoFeminine, a Television, decision, version -sion becomes -são

English words that end in -sion end in -são. These words are feminine. Say a decisão.

a televisãotelevision
a decisãodecision
a versãoversion
a expressãoexpression
a tensãotension
a confusãoconfusion
a explosãoexplosion
a conclusãoconclusion

-ty-dadeFeminine, a University, city, liberty -ty becomes -dade

English words that end in -ty end in -dade. These words are feminine. Say a cidade.

a universidadeuniversity
a cidadecity
a liberdadeliberty
a sociedadesociety
a realidadereality
a qualidadequality
a atividadeactivity
a possibilidadepossibility

-ly-mente Finally, normally, probably -ly becomes -mente

English adverbs that end in -ly end in -mente. Take the feminine adjective. Add -mente. Rápida becomes rapidamente.

finalmentefinally
normalmentenormally
provavelmenteprobably
geralmentegenerally
exatamenteexactly
rapidamenterapidly
completamentecompletely
especialmenteespecially

-ous-oso Famous, delicious, curious -ous becomes -oso

English adjectives that end in -ous end in -oso. Use -osa with a feminine noun. Um homem famoso. Uma mulher famosa.

famosofamous
deliciosodelicious
curiosocurious
nervosonervous
generosogenerous
perigosodangerous
preciosoprecious
misteriosomysterious

-ic-ico Fantastic, romantic, electric -ic becomes -ico

English adjectives that end in -ic or -ical end in -ico. Use -ica with a feminine noun. The stress mark goes on the vowel before -ico.

fantásticofantastic
românticoromantic
elétricoelectric
públicopublic
típicotypical
políticopolitical
clássicoclassic
econômicoeconomic

-al stays -al Animal, hospital, natural -al stays -al

Many English words that end in -al are the same in Portuguese. The spelling does not change. The final l sounds like a soft u.

animalanimal
hospitalhospital
naturalnatural
finalfinal
normalnormal
totaltotal
capitalcapital
socialsocial

-ist-ista Artist, tourist, journalist -ist becomes -ista

English words for people that end in -ist end in -ista. The word is the same for men and women. Only the article changes. O artista. A artista.

artistaartist
turistatourist
dentistadentist
pianistapianist
otimistaoptimist
especialistaspecialist
jornalistajournalist
realistarealist

-ism-ismoMasculine, o Tourism, optimism, realism -ism becomes -ismo

English words that end in -ism end in -ismo. These words are masculine. Say o turismo.

o turismotourism
o otimismooptimism
o capitalismocapitalism
o realismorealism
o organismoorganism
o mecanismomechanism
o socialismosocialism
o jornalismojournalism

-ble-vel Possible, terrible, flexible -ble becomes -vel

English adjectives that end in -ble end in -vel. Possible is possível. The plural is -veis. Say possíveis.

possívelpossible
terrívelterrible
responsávelresponsible
horrívelhorrible
provávelprobable
flexívelflexible
visívelvisible
incrívelincredible

-ent / -ant-ente / -ante Important, different, student -ent / -ant becomes -ente / -ante

English words that end in -ent or -ant add an e. Important is importante. Different is diferente. The word is the same for masculine and feminine.

importanteimportant
diferentedifferent
presidentepresident
estudantestudent
elefanteelephant
restauranterestaurant
inteligenteintelligent
excelenteexcellent

-ance / -ence-ância / -ênciaFeminine, a Distance, experience, science -ance / -ence becomes -ância / -ência

English words that end in -ance or -ence end in -ância or -ência. These words are feminine. Say a experiência.

a distânciadistance
a importânciaimportance
a experiênciaexperience
a paciênciapatience
a ciênciascience
a elegânciaelegance
a inteligênciaintelligence
a independênciaindependence

-age-agemFeminine, a Message, garage, courage -age becomes -agem

English words that end in -age often end in -agem in Portuguese. These words are feminine. Say a viagem. The plural is -agens.

a mensagemmessage
a garagemgarage
a coragemcourage
a imagemimage
a linguagemlanguage (speech, wording)
a massagemmassage
a bagagemluggage
a viagemtrip

-or stays -orMasculine, o Motor, favor, humor -or stays -or

Many English words that end in -or end in -or in Portuguese. These words are masculine. Say o motor. Three common words are feminine. Say a cor, a dor and a flor.

o motormotor
o favorfavor
o humorhumor
o terrorterror
o horrorhorror
o atoractor
o diretordirector
o professorteacher

-ate-ar Celebrate, create, participate -ate becomes -ar

English verbs that end in -ate often end in -ar in Portuguese. Remove -ate. Add -ar. These verbs are regular. Say eu celebro.

celebrarto celebrate
criarto create
participarto participate
comunicarto communicate
decorarto decorate
separarto separate
educarto educate
calcularto calculate

-ize / -ify-izar / -ificar Organize, authorize, identify -ize / -ify becomes -izar / -ificar

English verbs that end in -ize end in -izar. English verbs that end in -ify end in -ificar. Organize is organizar. Identify is identificar.

organizarto organize
utilizarto utilize
autorizarto authorize
modernizarto modernize
identificarto identify
modificarto modify
simplificarto simplify
verificarto verify

-sis-seFeminine, a Crisis, analysis, thesis -sis becomes -se

English words that end in -sis end in -se in Portuguese. These words are feminine. Say a crise. The plural adds s. Say as crises.

a crisecrisis
a análiseanalysis
a tesethesis
a hipótesehypothesis
a síntesesynthesis
a ênfaseemphasis
a basebasis

s-es- School, special, space S- becomes es-

Portuguese words do not start with s + consonant. They add an e first. School is escola. Special is especial. Remove the e to find the English word.

escolaschool
especialspecial
espaçospace
estilostyle
estadostate
estressestress
esquiski
esportesport

-ology-ologiaFeminine, a Biology, technology, psychology -ology becomes -ologia

English words that end in -ology end in -ologia in Portuguese. These words are feminine. Say a biologia. The stress is on the i.

a biologiabiology
a psicologiapsychology
a tecnologiatechnology
a ecologiaecology
a sociologiasociology
a arqueologiaarchaeology
a mitologiamythology
a ideologiaideology

-ary-ário Necessary, vocabulary, salary -ary becomes -ário

English words that end in -ary often end in -ário. Most are masculine nouns. Say o dicionário. A few are adjectives. Necessary is necessário. Use -ária with a feminine noun. Aniversário is also the word for birthday.

necessárionecessary
vocabuláriovocabulary
saláriosalary
aniversáriobirthday, anniversary
dicionáriodictionary
contráriocontrary
itinerárioitinerary
comentáriocommentary

-ive-ivo Active, positive, creative -ive becomes -ivo

English adjectives that end in -ive end in -ivo. Use -iva with a feminine noun. Um homem ativo. Uma mulher ativa.

ativoactive
positivopositive
negativonegative
criativocreative
intensivointensive
exclusivoexclusive
agressivoaggressive
nativonative

-ure-uraFeminine, a Culture, temperature, adventure -ure becomes -ura

English words that end in -ure often end in -ura. These words are feminine. Say a cultura.

a culturaculture
a temperaturatemperature
a estruturastructure
a figurafigure
a literaturaliterature
a arquiteturaarchitecture
a aventuraadventure
a agriculturaagriculture

phf Telephone, pharmacy, philosophy Ph becomes f

Portuguese has no ph. It writes f. Telephone is telefone. Portuguese also has no th. It writes t. Theater is teatro.

filosofiaphilosophy
telefonetelephone
farmáciapharmacy
fotografiaphotography
frasephrase
físicaphysics
alfabetoalphabet
geografiageography

Gender and articles 6

The ending or the meaning of a word often gives its gender. Learn the group, not each word.

o / a Brazil, France, Japan Countries take the article

Most countries take the article. Say o Brasil and a França. The article joins with em and de. Say no Brasil and da França. Portugal, Angola, Cuba and Israel take no article.

o BrasilBrazil
a FrançaFrance
a AlemanhaGermany
o JapãoJapan
o MéxicoMexico
a ItáliaItaly
o CanadáCanada
os Estados UnidosUnited States

em Lisbon, London, New York Cities take no article

Most cities take no article. Say moro em Lisboa. Say sou de São Paulo. A few cities keep the article. Say o Rio de Janeiro, o Porto and o Recife.

LisboaLisbon
São PauloSão Paulo
LondresLondon
Nova YorkNew York
RomaRome
BerlimBerlin
TóquioTokyo
MoscouMoscow

-maMasculine, o Problem, system, climate Greek words in -ma are masculine

Most words that end in -a are feminine. Words from Greek that end in -ma are masculine. Say o problema. Many are almost the same in English.

o problemaproblem
o sistemasystem
o tematopic
o climaclimate
o idiomalanguage (Portuguese, Japanese)
o programaprogram
o poemapoem
o dramadrama

+eira Orange, apple, banana Add -eira for the tree

Add -eira to the fruit for the tree. A laranja grows on a laranjeira. The tree is usually feminine. Many family names are trees. Pereira is a pear tree. Oliveira is an olive tree.

a laranja · a laranjeiraorange
a maçã · a macieiraapple
a banana · a bananeirabanana
a pera · a pereirapear
a cereja · a cerejeiracherry
o figo · a figueirafig
a amêndoa · a amendoeiraalmond
a goiaba · a goiabeiraguava

a Head, arm, leg Body parts take the article, not my

Portuguese uses the article with parts of the body. It often does not use my or your. Say lavo as mãos. Say quebrei o braço.

a cabeçahead
o braçoarm
a pernaleg
o péfoot
o olhoeye
a bocamouth
o nariznose
o estômagostomach

na / no Monday, Friday, Sunday Na segunda means on Monday

The five work days end in -feira and are feminine. Sábado and domingo are masculine. Use em with the article to say on. Say na segunda and no sábado. Write days with a small letter.

a segunda-feiraMonday
a terça-feiraTuesday
a quarta-feiraWednesday
a quinta-feiraThursday
a sexta-feiraFriday
o sábadoSaturday
o domingoSunday

Exceptions 2

These common words break the rules. Learn each set together.

≠ Day, map, hand Words that break the -o and -a rule

Words that end in -o are usually masculine. Words that end in -a are usually feminine. Words that end in -ão go both ways. These common words break the rule. Foto and moto are short for fotografia and motocicleta.

o diaday
o mapamap
o planetaplanet
o sambasamba
a mãohand
a fotophoto
a motomotorcycle
a tribotribe

≈ Pull, weird, relatives Words that look like English but are not

Most look-alike words mean the same in English. These do not. Puxar means to pull, not to push. Learn the real meaning of each one.

puxarto pullnot push
esquisitoweirdnot exquisite
parentesrelativesnot parents
pastafoldernot pasta
costumehabitnot costume
novelasoap operanot novel
educadopolitenot educated
atualmentecurrentlynot actually

Plurals and other rules 3

One small rule changes many words.

ão → ões Plane, heart, lemon The plural of -ão is usually -ões

Most words that end in -ão end in -ões in the plural. Avião becomes aviões. All -ção words follow this rule. A few words differ. Say as mãos and os pães.

avião becomes aviõesairplane
coração becomes coraçõesheart
limão becomes limõeslemon
botão becomes botõesbutton
leão becomes leõeslion
balão becomes balõesballoon
milhão becomes milhõesmillion
opinião becomes opiniõesopinion

l → is Newspaper, paper, hotel The plural of -l is -is

Words that end in -l change the l to -is in the plural. Jornal becomes jornais. Words in -el and -ol get a stress mark. Hotel becomes hotéis.

jornal becomes jornaisnewspaper
papel becomes papéispaper
hotel becomes hotéishotel
anel becomes anéisring
sol becomes sóissun
lençol becomes lençóisbed sheet
azul becomes azuisblue
canal becomes canaischannel

m → ns Man, cloud, garden The plural of -m is -ns

Words that end in -m change the m to -ns in the plural. Homem becomes homens. The sound stays in the nose.

homem becomes homensman
jovem becomes jovensyoung person
nuvem becomes nuvenscloud
jardim becomes jardinsgarden
fim becomes finsend
som becomes sonssound
bom becomes bonsgood
trem becomes trenstrain

Word building 4

Add a small part to a word you know. You get a new word.

-inho / -inha Small coffee, kitten, a little bit -inho makes a word small or friendly

Add -inho or -inha to make a word small or friendly. Gato becomes gatinho. The gender does not change. Words that end in a stressed vowel take -zinho. Café becomes cafezinho.

cafezinhosmall coffee
beijinholittle kiss
pouquinhoa little bit
casinhalittle house
gatinhokitten
pãozinhobread roll
rapidinhovery quick
bonitinhocute

-ariaFeminine, a Bakery, bookshop, pizzeria Add -aria for the shop

Add -aria to a thing to name the shop that sells it. Livro becomes livraria. These words are feminine. A livraria is a bookshop, not a library. A few shops take -eria. Say a sorveteria.

o pão becomes a padariabakery
o livro becomes a livrariabookshop
a pizza becomes a pizzariapizzeria
o churrasco becomes a churrascariasteakhouse
o peixe becomes a peixariafish shop
o papel becomes a papelariastationery shop
a cerveja becomes a cervejariabrewery

-dorMasculine, o Worker, player, seller -dor names the person who does it

Take an -ar or -er verb. Remove the r. Add -dor for the person who does it. Trabalhar becomes trabalhador. Vender becomes vendedor. Add -a for a woman. Say a trabalhadora.

trabalhar becomes o trabalhadorworker
jogar becomes o jogadorplayer
vender becomes o vendedorseller
treinar becomes o treinadorcoach
nadar becomes o nadadorswimmer
pescar becomes o pescadorfisherman
ganhar becomes o ganhadorwinner
comprar becomes o compradorbuyer

des- Undo, turn off, unknown Des- makes the opposite

Add des- to make the opposite. Fazer becomes desfazer. Ligar is to turn on. Desligar is to turn off.

fazer becomes desfazerto undo
aparecer becomes desaparecerto disappear
conhecido becomes desconhecidounknown
agradável becomes desagradávelunpleasant
emprego becomes desempregounemployment
conectar becomes desconectarto disconnect
ligar becomes desligarto turn off
ordem becomes desordemdisorder

Pronunciation 2

Some letters do not sound the way an English reader expects.

te de Night, milk, afternoon Te and de sound like chee and jee

In Brazil, an unstressed te at the end sounds like chee. De sounds like jee. Say NOY-chee for noite. Say TAR-jee for tarde. Ti and di do the same. Say JEE-a for dia.

noitenightNOY-chee
leitemilkLAY-chee
tardeafternoonTAR-jee
gentepeopleZHEN-chee
verdadetruthver-DA-jee
ondewhereON-jee
grandebigGRAN-jee
dentetoothDEN-chee

r Street, car, dog R at the start sounds like h

An r at the start of a word sounds like an English h. Say HOO-a for rua. The double rr sounds the same. Say KA-hoo for carro. One r between vowels is a soft tap.

ruastreetHOO-a
carrocarKA-hoo
ratomouseHA-too
roupaclothesHO-pa
rosaroseHAW-za
rápidofastHA-pee-doo
cachorrodogka-SHO-hoo
terralandTEH-ha

C Colin Taylor Oct 22, 2026 · 8 min read Drafted with Claude (AI), reviewed and edited by Colin Taylor. How pieces are written

How to use these patterns

Read one pattern a day. Say the example words out loud. Then look for that pattern in what you read and hear that week. A pattern you notice three times in real Portuguese stays with you. Soon you hear those words in speech and use them in your own sentences.

Start with the first group, words you already know. Those 23 patterns turn English words you use every day into Portuguese ones. The gender group comes next. It tells you o or a before you look the word up.

The same kind of list exists for Spanish, French, Italian and Russian, each with its own free PDF.

A pattern is a guide, and every guide has exceptions. The exceptions group lists the common ones, like o dia. When a word you made from a pattern sounds wrong, check it.

Patterns cover the words you can work out. For the words you can't, the cognate checker marks the false friends that look like English and mean something else.

Questions people ask

What is a Portuguese word pattern?

A rule that changes many words at once. English words that end in -tion end in -ção in Portuguese. These words are feminine. When you know that rule, you know a nação, a informação and a educação before anyone teaches them to you.

Do the patterns always work?

Most of the time, and each pattern says where it stops. The exceptions group lists common words that break the rules, like o dia. The false friends pattern lists words that look like English and mean something else, like puxar, which means to pull.

Is this the same as the Word patterns screen in Verbamor?

Yes. These are the same 40 Portuguese patterns. In the app you can pick any example word and save it as a flashcard with a picture, an example sentence and audio.

What do I get by email?

A printable PDF with all 40 patterns and 317 example words, and my post-lesson debrief handbook. Then a few short emails. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Turn a pattern into words you can say.

Open Word patterns in Verbamor, pick the words you want, and save them. Each card gets a picture, an example sentence and audio, and comes back just before you forget it, so the word is there when you need it in a conversation.

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