Report a problem

Report a problem

Your Go-To Resource for All Things Portuguese

Portuguesepedia began as a blog for Portuguese language learners, and Articles carry on that legacy. From detailed guides on Portuguese grammar and pronunciation to inspirational tips and insights, Articles cover everything you need to master the language.

Written in English, these articles often link to related Lessons (on topics like grammar and pronunciation) and connect you to other articles on similar subjects for deeper exploration.

Start exploring Articles today and dive into a wealth of knowledge!

Try Lessons

Surprise surprise!

Do you know what constipado means in Portuguese? Probably not what you are thinking...

Get a list of 50+ English-Portuguese False Friends and be surprised.

Magnet False Friends
Articles

A Wealth of Articles on Everything Related to Learning Portuguese


Grab your FREE guide: Key Strategies to Learn Portuguese and start your journey to fluency today!

Magnet Key Strategies

Portuguese-English Cognates: Boost Your Portuguese Vocab Overnight

Learning Portuguese might seem daunting, but what if you already know thousands of Portuguese words without even realizing it? Thanks to English-Portuguese cognates, you can boost your Portuguese vocabulary overnight with minimal effort.

Cognates—words that look and mean the same in both languages—are one of the easiest ways to expand your vocabulary quickly.

Instead of just listing examples like banana, rádio, natural, and animal, this article will show you how to identify and convert English words into Portuguese effortlessly. With a few simple spelling and pronunciation tweaks, you’ll unlock a vast amount of vocabulary in no time.

In the following sections, you’ll learn common patterns that make English-Portuguese cognates easy to recognize, along with practical tips on pronunciation and spelling rules.

Let’s dive in!

Lesson #15 Cognate nouns ion-ao - Portuguesepedia
Lesson #18 Cognates 2 - Portuguesepedia
Lesson #23 Cognates 3 - Portuguesepedia
Lesson #28 Cognates 4 - Portuguesepedia
Lesson #33 Cognates 5 Portuguesepedia

Spanish speakers! Read an analogous article concerning Portuguese-Spanish cognates: Portuguese-Spanish Cognates and False Friends.

Not all cognates are created equal. While many share the same meaning, some have subtle differences in usage. In some cases, words are closely related but used in slightly different contexts. Others have evolved over time, with their meanings drifting so far apart that they’ve become false cognates, also known as False Friends.

Noun cognates

ion > ão 

This is the largest group within the noun category. Due to slight spelling variations, it can be divided into three subgroups.

What they all have in common: Nearly all Portuguese cognates in this group are feminine nouns. Additionally, they are all stressed on the last syllable and feature a nasal diphthong sound, marked by the tilde (~) accent.

Let’s explore each subgroup and its cognates:

tion > ção

This subgroup comprises English nouns ending with –tion and their Portuguese counterparts with -ção. Here are some examples:

0:00
…tion…ção
stationa estação
nationa nação
animationa animação
alterationa alteração
educationa educação
assimilationa assimilação
introductiona introdução
operationa operação
. . .  . . .

sion > são

The cognates in this subgroup take the endings -sion and -são on the English and Portuguese ends respectively.

Note: The endings -ção (previous subgroup) and -são produce different consonant sounds. Accordingly, -ção has an unvoiced sibilant sound (like the “s” in simple), while -são has a voiced sibilant sound (like the “z” in zebra).

Here are a few examples:

0:00
…sion…são
divisiona divisão
transfusiona transfusão
conclusiona conclusão
invasiona invasão
aversiona aversão
dimensiona dimensão
precisiona precisão
confusiona confusão
. . .  . . .

ssion > ssão

This subgroup consists of English nouns ending in -ssion and their Portuguese counterparts ending in -ssão.

Pronunciation note: The double -s in -ssão produces an unvoiced sibilant, similar to the ç in -ção.

Here are a few examples:

0:00
…ssion…ssão
compressiona compressão
recessiona recessão
progressiona progressão
professiona profissão
emissiona emissão
sessiona sessão
missiona missão
digressiona digressão

Tips! Learn more about Portuguese phonology and spelling patterns:  Portuguese Pronunciation: A Helpful Guide to Portuguese Basic Sounds and Spelling Patterns.

ism > ismo

This group includes English and Portuguese cognates ending in -ism and -ismo, respectively. All Portuguese words in this category are masculine.

Key pronunciation notes:

  • The s in -ismo produces a voiced sound, similar to the “s” in measure.
  • The stress falls on the next-to-last syllable.

Here are some examples:

0:00
…ism…ismo
rationalismo racionalismo
regionalismo regionalismo
communismo comunismo
capitalismo capitalismo
organismo organismo
pacifismo pacifismo
conformismo conformismo
racismo racismo
. . .  . . .

gram > grama

This group includes English and Portuguese cognates ending in -gram and -grama, respectively. All Portuguese words in this category are masculine, and the stress falls on the next-to-last syllable.

Here are some examples:

0:00
…gram…grama
diagramo diagrama
programo programa
ideogramo ideograma
gramo grama
kilogramo quilograma
telegramo telegrama
seismogramo sismograma
pictogramo pictograma
. . .  . . .

ity > dade

This group includes English and Portuguese cognates ending in -ity and -dade, respectively. Most Portuguese words in this category are feminine.

Pronunciation note: The vowel e in -dade is barely pronounced, almost as if the word ends with the consonant d. The stress falls on the next-to-last syllable.

Here are some examples:

0:00
…ity…dade
responsibilitya responsabilidade
superficialitya superficialidade
functionalitya funcionalidade
flexibilitya flexibilidade
compatibilitya compatibilidade
productivitya produtividade
spiritualitya espiritualidade
visibilitya visibilidade
. . .  . . .

Adjective cognates

ist > ista

This group consists of English and Portuguese cognates ending in -ist and -ista, respectively. Many of the adjectives in this group are also used as nouns to refer to professions or occupations. Here’s an example:

Adjective:
O António é pianista.
Anthony is a pianist.

Noun:
O pianista toca amanhã.
The pianist is playing tomorrow.

Note: In the masculine form, adjectives ending in -ista remain the same regardless of whether they refer to a masculine or feminine noun.

Pronunciation note: The s in -ista produces an unvoiced fricative sound, similar to the “sh” in sheet. Once again, the stress falls on the next-to-last syllable.

Here are some examples:

0:00
…ist…ista
epidemiologistepidemiologista
pianistpianista
alpinistalpinista
dentistdentista
geneticistgeneticista
sentimentalistsentimentalista
altruistaltruista
existentialistexistencialista
. . .  . . .

Tips! Learn more about gender in Portuguese: Disentangling Gender with Portuguese Masculine-to-Feminine Spelling Patterns.

ent > ente

This group consists of English and Portuguese cognates ending in -ent and -ente, respectively. Since the Portuguese adjectives end with the letter e, they are invariable, meaning they do not change for masculine or feminine nouns.

Pronunciation note: The e sound in -ente is nearly silent, and the stress falls on the next-to-last syllable.

Here are some examples:

0:00
…ent…ente
insufficientinsuficiente
permanentpermanente
competentcompetente
correspondentcorrespondente
independentindependente
intelligentinteligente
existentexistente
consistentconsistente
. . .  . . .

ble > vel

This group consists of English and Portuguese cognates ending in -ble and -vel, respectively. Since the Portuguese adjectives end with a consonant, they are invariable, meaning they look the same whether they refer to masculine or feminine nouns.

Pronunciation note: The stress falls on the next-to-last syllable, as indicated by the acute accent.

Here are some examples:

0:00
…ble…vel
considerableconsiderável
possiblepossível
probableprovável
incredibleincrível
visiblevisível
irreversibleirreversível
intelligibleinteligível
convertibleconvertível
. . .  . . .

ar > ar

This group consists of English-Portuguese cognates that end in -ar on both ends. Since the Portuguese adjectives end with a consonant, they are invariable, meaning they remain the same regardless of the gender of the noun they refer to.

Pronunciation note: All Portuguese words ending in -r are stressed on the last syllable.

Here are some examples:

0:00
…ar…ar
molecularmolecular
cellularcelular
curricularcurricular
rectangularretangular
nuclearnuclear
popularpopular
familiarfamiliar
similarsimilar
. . .  . . .

Tips! Learn more about Portuguese word stress: Portuguese Word Stress and Accent Marks.

ic > ico/a

This group consists of English-Portuguese cognates that end with -ic in English and -ico or -ica in Portuguese, depending on the gender of the noun. Portuguese adjectives take -ico for masculine nouns and -ica for feminine nouns.

Pronunciation note: The stress falls on the third-from-last syllable, and all words have a diacritical accent indicating the stress.

Here are some examples:

0:00
…ic…ico/a
magneticmagnético/a
transatlantictransatlântico/a
electricelétrico/a
anthropogenicantropogénico/a
problematicproblemático/a
logiclógico/a
parametricparamétrico/a
paradigmaticparadigmático/a
. . .  . . .

ive > ivo/a

This group consists of English-Portuguese cognates that end with -ive in English and -ivo or -iva in Portuguese, depending on the gender of the noun. Portuguese adjectives take -ivo for masculine nouns and -iva for feminine nouns.

Pronunciation note: The stress falls on the next-to-last syllable.

Here are some examples:

0:00
…ive…ivo/a
competitivecompetitivo/a
aggressiveagressivo/a
conservativeconservativo/a
expressiveexpressivo/a
creativecreativo/a
respectiverespetivo/a
persuasivepersuasivo/a
repetitiverepetitivo/a
. . .  . . .

ous > oso/a

This group consists of English-Portuguese cognates that end with -ous in English and -oso or -osa in Portuguese, depending on the gender of the noun. Portuguese adjectives take -oso for masculine nouns and -osa for feminine nouns.

Pronunciation note: The stress falls on the next-to-last syllable.

Although this group is not the largest, there are still quite a few words that fit this pattern.

Here are some examples:

0:00
…ous…oso/a
religiousreligioso/a
contagiouscontagioso/a
prestigiousprestigioso/a
mysteriousmisterioso/a
glamorousglamoroso/a
vigorousvigoroso/a
curiouscurisoso/a
sinuoussinuoso/a
. . .  . . .

Adverb/verb cognates

ly > mente

The adverbs in this group end with the suffix -ly in English and -mente in Portuguese. It’s important to note that all adjectives from the previous group (group 10) become adverbs in this group when you add -ly (in English) and -mente (in Portuguese).

Pronunciation note: The e sound at the end of these adverbs is barely noticeable. The stress falls on the next-to-last syllable.

Here are some examples:

0:00
…ly…mente
regularlyregularmente
particularlyparticularmente
originallyoriginalmente
finallyfinalmente
vulgarlyvulgarmente
peculiarlypeculiarmente
spectacularlyespetacularmente
normallynormalmente
. . .  . . .

ate > ar

This group consists of English verbs ending with -ate and their Portuguese counterparts ending with -ar. The stress falls on the last syllable in both languages.

Here are a few examples:

0:00
…ate…ar
integrateintegrar
celebratecelebrar
regulateregular
orientateorientar
participateparticipar
proliferateproliferar
coordinatecoordinar
perpetuateperpetuar
. . .  . . .

Share this article

Portuguesepedia provides engaging learning materials designed to keep your motivation high and make your journey to Portuguese fluency even more enjoyable. Everything is created and curated by me—Pedro, by the way. Stay tuned!

Grab your FREE guide: Key Strategies to Learn Portuguese and start your journey to fluency today!

Magnet Key Strategies

I struggled with learning Portuguese for years. Textbooks were overwhelming and conversation classes felt intimidating. Then I found Portuguesepedia! Pedro's clear explanations and engaging video lessons finally made things click.

~ Olivia ~

Pedro's infectious enthusiasm make me laugh while I learn. If you're looking for a fun and effective way to learn Portuguese, Portuguesepedia is the answer.

~ Maria ~

One of the things I appreciate most about Portuguesepedia is the platform's focus on grammar. Pedro's explanations are clear and concise, and the Portuguese-English comparisons make even complex grammar concepts easy to understand. Incredibly helpful.

~ Giulia ~

Let's be honest, learning a new language can feel overwhelming. But this platform has changed my experience. The platform's variety of resources keeps me engaged and motivated.

~ Liam ~

Pedro's dedication to teaching Portuguese shines through every aspect of Portuguesepedia. His passion for the language is contagious and it's evident that he pours his heart and soul into creating engaging and effective lessons.

~ Eba ~

What I love most about Portuguesepedia is the variety of resources available, from video lessons and audiobooks to idiomatic dips and listening drills. It's a holistic approach to language learning that caters to all learning styles.

~ Emely ~

Portuguesepedia proved to be an effective way to learn Portuguese. With Pedro's guidance and the platform's extensive resources (and of course with your determination and persistence), you'll sooner or later be speaking Portuguese.

~ James ~

Pedro's teaching style is not only informative but also incredibly engaging, making it easy to stay motivated and focused. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced learner, Portuguesepedia has a great variety of content and formats that offer something for everyone.

~ Jade ~