In the state of Minas Gerais it’s very common to say uai instead of ué.
Uai…Você veio trabalhar no escritório hoje?
Huh... Did you come to work at the office today?
Brazilian Portuguese Articles
What are the most common exclamations in Brazilian Portuguese and when to use them?
By: Fabiana Dametto Oliveira Thu Dec 12 2024
In Brazilian Portuguese, the most common exclamations are single words or set phrases like Nossa!(Gee!), Opa!(Oh!), or Meu Deus!(Oh my God!). We use exclamations when we want to add emphasis or intensity to what we say or when we want to express our emotions about a situation.
But did you know that you can also form exclamations with the help of an interrogative pronounNo definition set for interrogative pronounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., like que(what/how) or quanto(how much/many)? It’s common to hear Brazilians say, “Que legal!”(cool!) to express enthusiasm. Or, you might hear someone exclaim, “Quanto tempo!”(Long time no see! / It's been a while!) to express that you haven’t seen someone for a long time.
It’s useful to know exclamations in Brazilian Portuguese, as they can help you to show enthusiasm, astonishment, anger, fear, and other feelings that enrich conversations. If you are curious to know more about this interesting way to master your communication in Brazilian Portuguese, then keep reading this post!
Table of Contents
What are fixed expression exclamations in Brazilian Portuguese?
In Brazilian Portuguese, fixed expression exclamations are words or set phrases that are used in everyday language to convey emotions, reactions, or feelings in a concise and impactful way. For example:
Oba! Amanhã será feriado na minha cidade.
Yay! Tomorrow will be a holiday in my city.
Não acredito, Vera! Foi você que fez esses biscoitos? Estão deliciosos!
I can’t believe it, Vera! Did you make these biscuits? They are delicious!
In the first sentence, the single word oba(yay) expresses enthusiasm and anticipation to the fact that tomorrow will be a bank holiday. It’s often used in everyday conversations to convey a sense of happiness.
In the second sentence, the fixed phrase não acredito demonstrates astonishment at the fact that Vera made delicious biscuits. This exclamation appears quite often in Brazilian Portuguese, and can express various feelings, such as surprise, disbelief, or astonishment.
Although the phrase não acredito can convey a lot of different feelings, there are lots of other exclamations in Brazilian Portuguese that we can use to express particular emotions or feelings. Let’s explore them below!
How to express surprise with exclamations in Brazilian Portuguese?
Exclamations of surprise like ué!, gente!, and nossa! are probably the most common exclamatory phrases in Brazilian Portuguese. Let’s take a look at each!
Ué! and Gente!
Ué! Você veio trabalhar no escritório hoje?
Huh! Did you come to work at the office today?
Gente! A avenida está interditada.
Wow! The avenue is closed.
lit. People! The avenue is closed.
Both expressions ué and gente indicate surprise, and emphasize an unexpected fact. Ué can also be used when something puzzling happens. Gente also has the function to draw someone’s attention, highlighting that you are surprised about what you are going to say.
Tip
Fala sério!
Carol, você correu 10 quilômetros hoje de manhã? Fala sério!
Carol, did you run 10 kilometers this morning? Seriously?
Notice that in the expression Fala sério, the verb falar is in the imperative form: fala(speak). This is a common imperative that has become an exclamatory phrase to show surprise.
Nossa!
Nossa! O seu filho está enorme!
Wow! Your son is huge!
Nossa! is perhaps the most common exclamation of surprise. But this is actually a shortened form of Nossa senhora(our Lady).
Nossa senhora! A sua filha está enorme!
Wow! Your daughter is huge!
lit. Our lady! Your daughter is huge!
Tip
The exclamation Nossa senhora comes from a Catholic religious reference. The original expression is Minha Nossa Senhora, but it has been shortened, and, nowadays, Brazilians use all the expressions below to show surprise:
Minha nossa senhora!
Nossa senhora!
Minha nossa!
Nossa!
Since Brazil is predominantly Catholic, many exclamations have religious origin. The expressions above are similar to the English variations of the exclamation “Oh my God”/“Oh my gosh”/”OMG”. We’ll talk about this soon in this post.
See more exclamations of surprise in our chart of Brazilian Portuguese exclamations.
Important
You can also use more than one exclamation in the same sentence to convey a strong emotion.
Nossa, eu não acredito que você vai morar na Austrália!
Wow, I can’t believe you’re going to live in Australia!
How to express conformity and agreement with exclamations in Brazilian Portuguese?
Exclamations of conformity and agreement are used to express that you are following a conversation and agree with what is said. There are many exclamations like this in Brazilian Portuguese. Let’s take a look at three different examples:
- Speaker A:
Julia, é melhor você não sair agora por causa do trânsito.
Julia, you better not go out now because of the traffic.
Speaker B:É verdade. Vou esperar um pouco.
That’s true. I’ll wait a while.
- Speaker A:
Pedro, vamos pedir uma pizza para o jantar?
Pedro, shall we order a pizza for dinner?
Speaker B:Boa ideia! Estou com vontade de comer pizza.
Good idea! I feel like eating pizza.
- Speaker A:
Bia, você pode buscar seu irmão na escola hoje?
Bia, can you pick up your brother from school today?
Speaker B:Tá bom. Saio de casa em 15 minutos.
It’s OK. I leave home in 15 minutes.
Important
As we saw before, it’s common to shorten some exclamations. Brazilians also often say only boa instead of boa ideia, and tá instead of está bom or tá bom. The shorter version of these exclamations sound a bit more informal than the longer versions.
- Speaker A:
Pedro, vamos pedir uma pizza para o jantar?
Speaker B:Boa! Estou com vontade de comer pizza.
- Speaker A:
Bia, você pode buscar seu irmão na escola hoje?
Speaker B:Tá. Saio de casa em 15 minutos.
How to use exclamations to express other feelings in Brazilian Portuguese?
Exclamations in Brazilian Portuguese are used to refer to various other feelings as well. Let’s see the most common one-word exclamations and fixed sentences related to each type of emotion.
Fear: socorro, ui
Socorro! Tem uma barata no banheiro!
Help! There’s a cockroach in the bathroom!
Ui!! Este filme de terror é assustador.
Whoa!! This horror movie is scary.
Pain and irritation: ui, ai
Exclamations of pain can express both physical and emotional discomfort.
Ui! Este sapato está machucando o meu pé.
Ouch! This shoe is hurting my foot.
Ai, estou muito ansiosa com o primeiro dia de trabalho.
Oh, I’m really looking forward to the first day of work.
Relief: ufa, ainda bem
Ufa! O meu time fez um gol no último minuto e ganhou o jogo!
Phew! My team scored a last-minute goal and won the game!
Chegamos atrasadas, mas o trem ainda estava na plataforma. Ainda bem!
We arrived late, but the train was still on the platform. Fortunately!
Warning: cuidado, calma
Expressions that help express a caution about something.
Cuidado! Você precisa olhar para os dois lados antes de atravessar a rua.
Careful! You need to look both ways before crossing the street.
Calma! Nós chegaremos antes do check in do voo.
Calm down! We’ll arrive before the flight check in.
Sadness and dissatisfaction:
In Brazilian Portuguese, some common exclamations convey a range of emotions, from mild disappointment to stronger feelings of unhappiness.
Poxa vida… Não consegui comprar os ingressos para o show.
Oh well… I couldn’t buy tickets for the show.
A Fátima precisará fazer uma cirurgia? Sinto muito!
Will Fatima need surgery? I am really sorry!
Wishes:
These exclamations are used to convey desires, hopes, or aspirations, adding an emotional tone to the sentence.
Speaker A:Eu tenho certeza que você vai passar nas provas finais.
I’m sure you’ll pass the final exams.
Speaker B:Tomara!
I hope so!
Tip
Tomara is a very common exclamation of wishes in Brazilian Portuguese, However, in some regions of Brazil, particularly in the northeast, it’s more common to say oxalá instead, which comes from Arabic.
Speaker A:Eu tenho certeza que você vai passar nas provas finais.
I’m sure you’ll pass the final exams.
Speaker B:Oxalá!
I hope so!
Now see our list of common Brazilian Portuguese exclamations, with more expressions used for each emotion described above!
Exclamations using religious references
In Brazilian Portuguese, many expressions come from religious references. They are commonly used by all Brazilians, regardless of their religious preferences, and the expressions can be used to show surprise, fear, wishes, and other emotions. See below the most common exclamations derived from religious references, along with the shorter version of them.
Surprise: Vixe / Virgem Maria / Virgem Santa / Vixe Maria(Holy-mother) / Misericórdia(Mercy)
Vixe Maria! A conta de água aumentou muito!
Holy-mother! The water bill has increased a lot!
Fear: Credo / Cruz credo(Goodness)
Credo! Vamos embora porque esse lugar parece perigoso!
Goodness! Let’s go because this place looks dangerous!
Pain and irritation: Afe / Ave Maria / Afe Maria(Holy Mary)
Afe Maria! Este filme é muito chato.
Holy Mary! This movie is pretty boring.
Wishes: Deus te ouça / Amém(Amen)
Espero que você viaje em segurança. Amém!
I hope you travel safely. Amen!
How to form exclamatory phrases?
In addition to the fixed exclamatory expressions listed above, you can also use interrogative pronouns, like que(what), quanto(how much/many) or como(how), to form exclamations. Let’s see an example:
Speaker A:
Carla, decidi que vou fazer um curso de culinária.
Carla, I decided to take a cooking course.
Speaker B:
Que legal, Pati!
How cool, Pati!
In the sentence above, the interrogative word que is used with the adjective legal to mean “how cool” and express support for Pati’s choice.
Now let’s have a more detailed look at how to form exclamatory phrases with some particular interrogatives: que, como, quanto, and quem.
‘Que’ + noun/adjective/adverb
The interrogative word que can be followed by a nounNo definition set for nounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., adjectiveNo definition set for adjectiveLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., or adverbNo definition set for adverbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. to form an exclamatory phrase. This structure is the most common one in Brazilian Portuguese exclamations, and it can be translated into “how + adjective/adverb” or “what + noun” in English.
que
noun
Fiquei 2 horas no trânsito hoje. Que dia!
I was in traffic for 2 hours today. What a day!
que
adjective
Que fofo é o seu gatinho!
How cute is your kitten!
que
adverb
Você já chegou?! Que rápido!
You have arrived?! How fast!
In the first example, que dia emphasizes that the person had a hard day. The second example shows affection for the cat’s cuteness. And the last sentence, que rápido, highlights the sense of surprise related to the fact that someone arrived earlier than expected.
As you can see, exclamations with que can be used within a sentence or they can stand alone. It’s also possible to add a fixed exclamation in the same sentence. This combination emphasizes even more what is said.
Fiquei 2 horas no trânsito hoje. Nossa , que dia!
I was in traffic for 2 hours today. Wow, what a day!
We can combine exclamations with words that convey various emotions, like fear, wishes, sadness, and many others.
O Gabriel não passou no teste de direção. Que pena!
Gabriel failed his driving test. What a shame!
Você vai beber água nesse copo sujo? Que nojo!
Are you going to drink water in this dirty glass? How disgusting!
Que gostoso, Flávia! Você vai passar 20 dias no Brasil?
How nice, Flavia! Are you going to spend 20 days in Brazil?
Important
There is a common exclamation formed by que + isso(this), which is used to show surprise. Que isso is a shortened form of the sentence O que é isso?!(What is this?).
Você decorou essa casa sozinha? Que isso, ela ficou incrível!
Did you decorate this house by yourself? Wow, it looks amazing!
‘Como’ + verb
The interrogative word como(how) also appears in Brazilian Portuguese exclamations. It’s usually followed by a subject pronoun + verbNo definition set for verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., and it’s used to intensify what is said.
Esse é o seu filho? Como ele cresceu!
Is this your child? How much he has grown!
Como essas pessoas falam alto! Vamos trocar de mesa?
How loud these people are! Shall we switch tables?
In both sentences, como intensifies the statement and adds an element of astonishment.
‘Como’ + adverb
Although less common, como(how, as, like) can also be followed by an adverb, in order to emphasize the message.
A aula foi cancelada? Como assim? Eu não estava sabendo disso!
Is the class canceled? How come (lit: like this)? I didn’t know about that!
Lúcia está me ajudando, como sempre. Ela é muito prestativa.
Lucia is helping me, as always. She is very helpful.
‘Quanto’ + noun
In Brazilian Portuguese, the structure quanto(s), quanta(s)(how much/many) + noun is used to express emphasis, surprise, or a large amount of something.
Quantos carros! Será que vamos conseguir estacionar?
So many cars! Will we be able to park?
Quantas crianças nessa piscina!
So many children in this pool!
Tip
Although the word quanto is variable, and must agreeNo definition set for agreeLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. in gender and number with the noun it follows, it’s common to use the singularNo definition set for singularLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. form instead of the pluralNo definition set for pluralLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. in everyday spoken language. So you could also say, with no difference in meaning:
Quanto carro! Será que vamos conseguir estacionar?
Quanta criança nessa piscina!
In the examples above, quanto carro was used to show amazement at the large number of cars in the park. It’s like saying in English, “Wow, look at all these cars!” See another example below.
Silvia, quanto tempo!
Silvia, long time no see!
lit. Silvia, how long!
Quanto tempo is a quite common exclamation to emphasize the amount of time you haven’t seen someone.
‘Quem’ + verb
The exclamation quem(who) + verb can convey different ideas. See the most common exclamations with quem.
Surprise:
Quem diria que ele se tornaria um famoso escritor um dia?
Who would have thought he would become a famous writer one day?
Hypothesis:
Quem sabe você consegue encontrar aquela camiseta no shopping?
Maybe you can find that t-shirt at the mall?
Wishes:
Quem dera eu gostasse de ir para a academia!
I wish I liked going to the gym!
To sum up
Exclamations can be used in Brazilian Portuguese to convey strong emotions, reactions, or emphasis. Let’s review:
Exclamations are short and expressive words or phrases, which can express surprise, agreement, fear, and various other feelings.
In Brazilian Portuguese, some exclamations can be formed by a single word, like ué or nossa.
Other exclamations are fixed phrases, like Não acredito!(I can't believe it!), that expresses surprise.
Many exclamations derive from religious references, like Ave Maria!(Holy Mary!)
Exclamations are also formed by combining interrogative pronouns with nouns, adjectives, verbs, or adverbs:
que + noun/adjective/adverb gives more emphasis to the sentence.
como + verb/adverb is used to intensify what is said.
quanto + noun can be used to express emphasis, surprise, or a large amount of something.
quem + verb is less common, but it adds the idea of surprise, hypothesis, or wishes.
Que legal!(How cool!) We learned so many things! Now you can go to this activity to practice using exclamations in Brazilian Portuguese!
