Common Exclamations | Portuguese (Portugal) Grammar

This page is a working catalogue. It lists the exclamations you will hear every day on the streets of Lisbon, in a café in the Algarve, on the phone with a friend in Porto, or at a family lunch in Coimbra. Each entry gets a translation, a register label, and a natural example. The exclamations are organised by pragmatic function — what they do — rather than alphabetically, because the question a learner asks is almost always "how do I say X in a reaction?" not "what does Y mean?".

Use this page as a reference. You do not need to memorise every entry. Focus on the ones with the (everyday / very common) note and the PT-PT signatures (Fixe!, Porreiro!, Giro!, Epá!, Fogo!, Bolas!). See Overview for the introduction and Exclamatory Sentence Structures for the grammatical patterns that build exclamations.

Greetings and farewells

Portuguese greetings are time-of-day sensitive. Using Bom dia in the afternoon, or Boa noite as a farewell in the morning, marks you as a learner. The shift from Boa tarde to Boa noite happens roughly at sunset — not at a fixed hour, but when the daylight has clearly gone.

Expression	Meaning	Register
Olá!	Hello!	neutral — everyday / very common
Oi!	Hi!	informal — more BR but understood in PT-PT
Bom dia!	Good morning! (until ~12:00)	neutral — everyday / very common
Boa tarde!	Good afternoon! (12:00 – sunset)	neutral — everyday / very common
Boa noite!	Good evening! / Good night! (after sunset)	neutral — everyday / very common
Boas!	Hey! (short for boa tarde/noite)	informal PT-PT
Tchau! / Chau!	Bye!	informal
Adeus!	Goodbye!	neutral — can sound final
Até já!	See you in a moment!	informal
Até logo!	See you later! (same day)	neutral
Até amanhã!	See you tomorrow!	neutral
Até breve!	See you soon!	slightly formal
Vemo-nos!	See you! (lit. we see each other)	informal
Fica bem!	Take care!	informal — affectionate

Olá, como estás?

Hi, how are you? (standard informal greeting with *tu*)

Bom dia, Dona Maria! Como tem passado?

Good morning, Dona Maria! How have you been? (formal — note *Dona + first name* for polite address to an older woman)

— Boas, pá! Tudo bem? — Tudo, e contigo?

— Hey, mate! All good? — All good, how about you? (casual PT-PT greeting between friends)

Então, até amanhã no escritório, está bem?

So, see you tomorrow at the office, okay?

Fica bem, vamos falando.

Take care, we'll talk soon. (warm informal farewell)

💡

Adeus! is not a casual bye! in PT-PT. It carries a note of finality — "farewell" almost. For everyday goodbyes, use Tchau!, Até logo!, or Fica bem!. Reserve Adeus! for when you genuinely don't expect to see someone for a long time, or to play up a dramatic goodbye.

Approval and admiration

Expression	Meaning	Register
Boa!	Nice! Good one!	informal — everyday / very common
Bom!	Good!	neutral
Ótimo!	Great!	neutral
Excelente!	Excellent!	neutral / slightly formal
Fantástico!	Fantastic!	neutral
Maravilhoso!	Wonderful!	neutral / expressive
Brilhante!	Brilliant!	neutral
Fixe!	Cool!	informal PT-PT — signature, everyday
Porreiro!	Great! Cool!	informal PT-PT — signature, slightly older generation
Giro!	Cute! Nice!	informal PT-PT — signature
Bestial!	Awesome!	informal PT-PT — slightly dated but still used
Espetáculo!	Wow! Great!	informal PT-PT — especially sports
Que bom!	How nice!	neutral — everyday / very common
Que ótimo!	How great!	neutral
Que lindo!	How lovely!	neutral
Que beleza!	How beautiful!	informal / emotive
Bravo!	Bravo!	applause contexts — universal
Parabéns!	Congratulations!	neutral — everyday

— Consegui o emprego! — Boa! Parabéns!

— I got the job! — Nice! Congratulations!

Que fixe, a tua mãe vem cá no fim de semana!

How cool, your mum is coming over this weekend!

O concerto foi espetacular — uma maravilha!

The concert was spectacular — a wonderful thing!

Porreiro, pá! Apareceste mesmo a tempo.

Great, man! You arrived just in time.

Que giro, o teu cão novo!

How cute, your new dog! (*giro* for something endearing or nice-looking)

Bestial! Isso é que é uma ideia.

Awesome! Now that's an idea.

Olha que lindo pôr do sol!

Look what a beautiful sunset! (*que* + adjective structure)

Parabéns pelo doutoramento, é uma conquista enorme.

Congratulations on the doctorate, it's a huge achievement.

Surprise and disbelief

Expression	Meaning	Register
Caramba!	Wow! Gosh!	mild, neutral — everyday / very common
Caraças!	Gosh! Damn!	mild swear, PT-PT
Fogo!	Damn! Wow!	mild swear, PT-PT — everyday / very common
Não acredito!	I don't believe it!	neutral — everyday
A sério?!	Seriously?!	informal — everyday
Não me digas!	You don't say! No way!	informal — everyday
Essa é boa!	That's a good one!	informal
Nossa!	Wow!	more PT-BR but understood
Inacreditável!	Unbelievable!	neutral — expressive
Que coisa!	What a thing!	informal
Valha-me Deus!	My goodness! Heaven help me!	neutral / slightly old-fashioned
Credo!	Good heavens!	informal / old-fashioned
Ó pá!	Man! Wow!	informal PT-PT

— O Rui casou-se no mês passado. — A sério?! Não sabia!

— Rui got married last month. — Seriously?! I didn't know!

Caramba, já são nove da noite, o tempo voou!

Gosh, it's already nine p.m., time flew!

— Eles vão mudar-se para o Canadá. — Não me digas! E os filhos?

— They're moving to Canada. — You don't say! What about the kids?

Fogo, não fazia ideia!

Damn, I had no idea!

Não acredito no que acabei de ver.

I don't believe what I just saw.

Inacreditável, como é que isso aconteceu?

Unbelievable — how did that happen?

Valha-me Deus, que susto me pregaste!

My goodness, what a fright you gave me! (*pregar um susto* — to give someone a fright)

Essa é boa! O mesmo aconteceu comigo a semana passada.

That's a good one! The same happened to me last week.

💡

Não me digas! is a fixed surprise marker — it does not mean "don't tell me (stop talking)." When someone says Não me digas!, the right response is to continue your story, not fall silent. Learners sometimes mistake this for a genuine imperative and awkwardly stop mid-sentence.

Disappointment, sympathy, and regret

Expression	Meaning	Register
Que pena!	What a pity!	neutral — everyday / very common
Que chatice!	What a drag! What a pain!	informal PT-PT — everyday
Que azar!	What bad luck!	neutral — everyday
Que seca!	What a bore!	informal PT-PT
Coitado! / Coitada!	Poor thing! (m/f)	informal — everyday / very common
Coitadinho! / Coitadinha!	Poor little thing!	informal — affectionate
Ai!	Ouch! Oh!	neutral — pain or sympathy
Ui!	Ow! Oh!	neutral — surprise / mild pain
Que desgraça!	What a disaster!	dramatic
Que tristeza!	How sad!	neutral
Que horror!	How awful!	neutral / expressive

— Não vou poder ir ao casamento. — Que pena!

— I won't be able to go to the wedding. — What a pity!

Que chatice, perdi o comboio outra vez.

What a pain, I missed the train again.

— Chumbei no exame. — Coitado! Vais poder repetir?

— I failed the exam. — Poor thing! Will you be able to retake it?

Ai, a minha cabeça!

Ow, my head! (physical pain)

— Ele perdeu a carteira. — Ai, coitado!

— He lost his wallet. — Oh, poor thing!

Que azar, é a terceira vez este mês.

What bad luck, that's the third time this month.

Que seca, ficar aqui à espera toda a tarde.

What a drag, waiting here all afternoon.

Que tristeza ver a casa dela assim abandonada.

How sad to see her house like this, abandoned.

Frustration and anger

This is the register-heavy zone. PT-PT has a whole spectrum from mild (Bolas!, Raios!, Fogo!) through moderate (Caraças!, Merda!) to vulgar (Caralho!, Foda-se!, Puta que pariu!). Learners should be able to recognise all of these — you will hear them on the street — but use only the mild forms.

Mild (use freely)

Expression	Meaning	Register
Bolas!	Dammit! (lit. "balls")	mild PT-PT — family-friendly
Raios!	Dammit! (lit. "lightning bolts")	mild PT-PT
Que raio!	What the heck!	mild PT-PT
Fogo!	Damn!	mild PT-PT — everyday / very common
Caramba!	Gosh! Dammit!	mild — everyday
Que chatice!	What a pain!	mild PT-PT
Que seca!	What a bore!	mild PT-PT
Raios te partam!	Blast you!	mild, old-fashioned PT-PT

Moderate (informal only)

Expression	Meaning	Register
Caraças!	Bloody hell!	moderate PT-PT — close company only
Merda!	Shit!	moderate — close friends only
Que chatos!	What a bunch of pests!	moderate

Vulgar — recognise only

Expression	Meaning	Register
Caralho!	F*!	vulgar — ubiquitous among young PT-PT speakers informally; NEVER in polite or professional company
Foda-se!	F* it!	vulgar — common in informal PT-PT but deeply inappropriate in polite company
Puta que pariu!	Son of a b!	vulgar — stronger still; avoid
Porra!	Damn! (vulgar)	vulgar but milder than caralho; avoid formally

Bolas, perdi as chaves outra vez!

Dammit, I lost my keys again! (mild, safe everywhere informal)

Que raio é isto?

What the heck is this?

Fogo, está a chover!

Damn, it's raining!

Raios, esqueci-me do guarda-chuva.

Dammit, I forgot my umbrella.

Caraças, que frio!

Bloody hell, it's cold! (moderate — among friends)

Merda, acabei de deixar cair o telemóvel na água.

Shit, I just dropped my phone in the water. (moderate — close friends)

Caralho, esqueci-me da reunião!

F***, I forgot the meeting! (vulgar — would recognise, but use *Bolas!* or *Fogo!* yourself)

💡

A realistic rule of thumb: in any mixed-age or professional setting, use Fogo! or Bolas!. Among close friends of your own generation, you may hear and even use Caraças! or Merda!. Vulgar forms like Caralho! and Foda-se! circulate freely in informal PT-PT speech — you will hear them constantly — but using them as a learner carries risk. Better to stay mild and escalate only when you have full command of social cues.

Religious exclamations

Many PT-PT exclamations invoke God or saints, used freely by religious and non-religious speakers alike. They are woven into the language and do not carry strong religious meaning in ordinary speech. That said, they are considered slightly more formal / polite than swears — Meu Deus! is perfectly acceptable at the office.

Expression	Meaning	Register
Meu Deus!	My God!	neutral — everyday / very common
Ai meu Deus!	Oh my God!	neutral — emotional
Santo Deus!	Holy God!	neutral / slightly old-fashioned
Deus me livre!	God forbid!	neutral
Graças a Deus!	Thank God!	neutral — everyday
Por Deus!	For God's sake!	neutral / old-fashioned
Valha-me Deus!	Heaven help me!	old-fashioned
Valham-me os santinhos!	Heaven help me!	old-fashioned / rural
Ó Jesus!	Oh Jesus!	neutral / emotional
Nossa Senhora!	Holy Virgin!	neutral / old-fashioned, especially among older speakers

Meu Deus, que barulho!

My God, what a noise!

Ai meu Deus, a criança está a cair!

Oh my God, the child is falling!

— A avó está melhor. — Graças a Deus!

— Grandma is better. — Thank God!

Deus me livre de ter de fazer isso outra vez.

God forbid I have to do that again.

Nossa Senhora, como este miúdo cresceu!

Holy Virgin, how this kid has grown! (typical PT-PT exclamation of surprise at a child's growth)

Warnings and calls for attention

Expression	Meaning	Register
Cuidado!	Careful!	neutral — everyday / very common
Atenção!	Attention! Watch out!	neutral
Socorro!	Help!	emergency
Olha!	Look! / Hey!	informal — everyday
Escuta!	Listen!	informal — everyday
Ouve lá!	Hey listen!	informal PT-PT
Espera!	Wait!	neutral — everyday
Pára!	Stop!	neutral — everyday
Silêncio!	Silence!	neutral / formal
Alto!	Halt!	formal — military / police

Cuidado, o chão está molhado!

Careful, the floor is wet!

Atenção, por favor — o comboio está a chegar.

Attention, please — the train is arriving. (station announcement)

Socorro, alguém me ajude!

Help, someone help me!

Olha, não te esqueças de trazer o livro amanhã.

Hey, don't forget to bring the book tomorrow.

Espera, deixa-me acabar de pensar.

Wait, let me finish thinking.

Pára com isso, estás a irritar-me!

Stop that, you're annoying me!

Relief and celebration

Expression	Meaning	Register
Ufa!	Phew!	informal — everyday
Ainda bem!	Good thing!	neutral — everyday / very common
Finalmente!	Finally!	neutral
Graças a Deus!	Thank God!	neutral
Que alívio!	What a relief!	neutral
Viva!	Long live!	celebratory / applause
Hurra! / Hurrá!	Hooray!	celebratory — rare in everyday speech

Ufa, finalmente terminei o relatório.

Phew, I finally finished the report.

— Chegaste bem a casa? — Cheguei. — Ainda bem!

— Did you get home safely? — I did. — Good thing!

Que alívio, pensei que tinha perdido o passaporte.

What a relief, I thought I'd lost my passport.

Viva a noiva!

Long live the bride! (at a wedding toast)

Finalmente, chegou o fim de semana.

Finally, the weekend is here.

Disapproval and disgust

Expression	Meaning	Register
Que horror!	How horrible!	neutral — everyday
Que nojo!	How gross!	informal — everyday
Ui!	Yuck! Ugh!	informal
Eca!	Yuck!	more BR; rare in PT-PT adults but common with children
Que asco!	Disgusting!	neutral / stronger
Credo!	Heavens! (disapproval)	informal / old-fashioned
Que escândalo!	What a scandal!	neutral / expressive

Que nojo, este leite está azedo!

How gross, this milk is sour!

Que horror, não consigo ver estas imagens no telejornal.

How horrible, I can't watch these images on the news.

Credo, que mau cheiro!

Heavens, what a bad smell!

Que asco, fiquei enjoado só de ouvir.

Disgusting — I felt nauseous just hearing it.

Agreement and affirmation

Expression	Meaning	Register
Sim!	Yes!	neutral — everyday
Claro!	Of course!	neutral — everyday / very common
Evidentemente!	Obviously!	neutral / slightly formal
Exatamente!	Exactly!	neutral — everyday
Exato!	Exactly!	neutral — everyday
Sem dúvida!	No doubt!	neutral — everyday
Pois é!	Right! Indeed!	informal PT-PT — signature, everyday
Pois!	Right!	informal PT-PT — signature
Com certeza!	Certainly!	neutral — everyday
Concordo plenamente!	I agree completely!	slightly formal

— Achas que devíamos ir pela autoestrada? — Claro!

— Do you think we should take the motorway? — Of course!

— É muito caro. — Pois é, nem tinha reparado.

— It's very expensive. — Right, I hadn't even noticed.

— A culpa é do governo. — Exatamente, é exatamente isso que eu estava a dizer.

— It's the government's fault. — Exactly, that's exactly what I was saying.

Sem dúvida, é a melhor decisão.

No doubt, it's the best decision.

— Estás livre amanhã? — Sim, com certeza!

— Are you free tomorrow? — Yes, certainly!

💡

Pois é! is hard to translate but essential to PT-PT. It signals "yes, that's how it is," often with a note of resignation, acknowledgement, or mild emphasis. It is not quite "yes," not quite "right," not quite "indeed" — it is all of these at once. Learn to deploy it in casual agreement and you will sound notably more Portuguese.

Refusal and disagreement

Expression	Meaning	Register
Não!	No!	neutral
Nem pensar!	Don't even think about it!	informal — everyday
Nem sonhar!	Not in your dreams!	informal
Nada disso!	No way! Nothing of the sort!	informal
De maneira nenhuma!	Absolutely not!	neutral / formal
De modo algum!	In no way!	formal
Nem morto!	Over my dead body!	informal / emphatic
Qual quê!	No way! What nonsense!	informal PT-PT
Que disparate!	What nonsense!	informal / expressive

— Queres tentar outra vez? — Nem pensar!

— Do you want to try again? — Don't even think about it!

— Ele disse que foi culpa tua. — Nada disso, eu nem lá estava.

— He said it was your fault. — Nothing of the sort, I wasn't even there.

De maneira nenhuma vou assinar este contrato sem ler.

There's no way I'm signing this contract without reading it.

Nem morto vou a esse jantar.

Over my dead body will I go to that dinner.

— Dizem que foi um acidente. — Qual quê! Foi de propósito.

— They say it was an accident. — No way! It was on purpose.

Fillers and reactions — the PT-PT conversational glue

These are not strictly exclamations in the full emotional sense, but they are exclamation-marked in speech and are essential to sounding natural in PT-PT conversation. Learning these is probably the fastest way to upgrade your spoken Portuguese from "correct" to "native-feeling."

Expression	Meaning	Register
Epá! / Eh pá!	Gee! Man!	informal PT-PT — signature, everyday / very common
Pá! / Olha, pá!	Man! Look, man!	informal PT-PT — signature
Enfim!	Well! Anyway!	neutral
Pronto!	There! Okay then!	informal PT-PT — signature, everyday
Bem...	Well...	neutral
Bom...	Well...	neutral
Sabes?	You know?	informal
Percebes?	Do you get it?	informal PT-PT — signature
Ora!	Well! Come on!	informal
Então!	Come on! Hey!	informal — everyday

Epá, estou cansadíssimo, vou para casa.

Man, I'm exhausted, I'm going home.

Olha, pá, já te disse que não posso.

Look, mate, I already told you I can't.

Pronto, acabámos o jantar. E agora?

Alright then, we finished dinner. Now what?

É complicado, sabes, não há uma resposta simples.

It's complicated, you know, there's no simple answer.

Então, o que é que queres fazer?

So, what do you want to do?

Enfim, não vale a pena insistir.

Anyway, there's no point insisting.

Common mistakes

❌ Nossa, que frio que está!

PT-BR flavour — *Nossa* is Brazilian. For PT-PT, use *Fogo, que frio!*, *Caramba, que frio!*, or *Bolas, que frio!*.

✅ Fogo, que frio que está!

Damn, it's so cold!

❌ Que legal! — said in Lisbon.

PT-BR — *legal* in this sense is Brazilian slang. The PT-PT equivalent is *fixe*, *porreiro*, or *giro*.

✅ Que fixe!

How cool!

❌ Adeus! — said to a colleague who you'll see tomorrow.

✅ Até amanhã!

See you tomorrow!

❌ Caralho! — said in a business meeting.

Severe register violation — vulgar interjections are unacceptable in any professional setting. Use *Fogo!*, *Bolas!*, or *Caramba!* instead.

✅ Bolas, a impressora avariou outra vez.

Dammit, the printer broke again. (acceptable professional frustration)

❌ Obrigado! — said by a female speaker.

Agreement error — *obrigado/obrigada* agrees with the **speaker's gender**, not the addressee's. A woman says *obrigada*, a man says *obrigado*.

✅ Obrigada pela ajuda! — said by a female speaker.

Thanks for the help!

❌ Responding to *Não me digas!* by falling silent.

Pragmatic error — *Não me digas!* is a surprise marker inviting you to continue, NOT a command to stop talking. Keep going with your story.

✅ (the storyteller continues) — …e depois o Pedro chegou todo sujo de lama!

…and then Pedro arrived all covered in mud!

❌ Que pena é que não vieste.

Awkward syntax — the exclamation is *Que pena!* (elliptical). To add a clause, use *Que pena que não vieste.*, dropping the *é*.

✅ Que pena que não vieste!

What a pity you didn't come!

Key takeaways

PT-PT has a rich, register-stratified inventory of exclamations. The most important fifty or so are the ones you will use every day.
Signature PT-PT exclamations to learn early: Fixe!, Porreiro!, Giro!, Bestial!, Epá!, Fogo!, Bolas!, Caraças!, Pronto!, Pois é!.
Greetings are time-of-day sensitive — Bom dia, Boa tarde, Boa noite. Use Olá! when unsure of the time boundary.
Register is everything. Use Fogo! / Bolas! / Caramba! in mixed or professional company. Save Caralho! / Foda-se! for close friends, and even then only if they use them too.
Religious exclamations (Meu Deus!, Graças a Deus!, Ai meu Deus!) are used by religious and non-religious speakers alike and count as polite.
Avoid PT-BR-heavy forms (Nossa!, Que legal!) if you want your Portuguese to read as European.
Não me digas!, Pois é!, Ainda bem!, Nem pensar!, Coitado! are five absolute everyday must-knows. Memorise these as chunks.
Move on to Exclamatory Sentence Structures to learn how to build your own exclamations with que, como, tão, tanto.

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