Portuguese capitalisation is not a mirror image of English. Where English capitalises months, days, languages, nationalities, and religious adherents, Portuguese writes all of these in lowercase: janeiro, segunda-feira, português, católico. English speakers consistently over-capitalise when writing Portuguese, producing awkward texts full of unexpected uppercase letters. The rules themselves are straightforward — the challenge is suppressing the habits drilled in by years of English writing. This page walks through what does and doesn't take a capital, including the changes introduced by the 1990 Orthographic Agreement (Acordo Ortográfico) that further simplified the system in European Portuguese.
The basic principle
Portuguese capitalises proper nouns (nomes próprios) — names of specific people, places, institutions, and unique entities. It does not capitalise category labels that describe what someone is or does, even when English does. This is the central idea, and almost every rule below follows from it.
A Joana viajou para Portugal em janeiro para aprender português.
Joana travelled to Portugal in January to learn Portuguese.
Four capitals in the English version (Joana, Portugal, January, Portuguese); only two in Portuguese (Joana, Portugal), because janeiro and português are ordinary lowercase words.
What to capitalise
Personal names
Names of people — first names, surnames, nicknames — are always capitalised.
A Maria e o João vivem em Coimbra há cinco anos.
Maria and João have been living in Coimbra for five years.
O Professor Doutor Silva leciona na Faculdade de Letras.
Professor Silva teaches at the Faculty of Letters.
Note the use of the definite article before first names in European Portuguese (a Maria, o João) — this is standard in PT-PT and not a capitalisation issue. The article itself stays lowercase even when attached to a name.
Place names
Cities, countries, regions, rivers, mountains, neighbourhoods — all place names are capitalised.
O Porto e Lisboa são as duas maiores cidades de Portugal.
Porto and Lisbon are the two largest cities in Portugal.
O Alentejo é conhecido pelas planícies douradas e pelos vinhos tintos.
The Alentejo is known for its golden plains and red wines.
O rio Tejo atravessa Espanha e Portugal antes de desaguar no Atlântico.
The Tagus river flows through Spain and Portugal before emptying into the Atlantic.
Institutions and organisations
Names of specific universities, companies, government bodies, and international organisations take capitals.
A Universidade de Coimbra é uma das mais antigas da Europa.
The University of Coimbra is one of the oldest in Europe.
A Câmara Municipal de Lisboa aprovou o novo plano urbanístico.
The Lisbon City Council approved the new urban plan.
A Assembleia da República debateu ontem a proposta de lei.
The Assembly of the Republic debated the bill yesterday.
Note that when you're talking about these as categories rather than specific institutions, they go back to lowercase: uma universidade portuguesa, a câmara municipal da minha terra.
Titles of books, films, and works
The first word is always capitalised. In European Portuguese, subsequent content words — nouns, verbs, adjectives — are often capitalised too, though styles vary. Articles, prepositions, and conjunctions stay lowercase unless they're the first word.
Estou a ler Os Maias, de Eça de Queirós.
I'm reading The Maias, by Eça de Queirós.
Gostei muito do filme O Ano da Morte de Ricardo Reis.
I really liked the film The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis.
O poema mais conhecido de Pessoa chama-se Autopsicografia.
Pessoa's most famous poem is called Autopsychography.
Religious and mythological entities
Names of deities and religious figures are capitalised, including the word Deus when referring to the monotheistic God.
Muitas pessoas pedem a Nossa Senhora de Fátima em momentos difíceis.
Many people pray to Our Lady of Fátima in difficult moments.
A palavra Deus aparece centenas de vezes no texto.
The word God appears hundreds of times in the text.
But when deus refers to gods in general, or to a polytheistic deity as a category, it goes lowercase: os deuses gregos, um deus menor.
Titles before names (formal writing)
In formal writing, titles attached to a specific person's name are often capitalised. This mirrors English usage.
O Dr. Silva é o médico de família da minha avó.
Dr. Silva is my grandmother's family doctor.
Falei com o Engenheiro Pereira sobre o projeto da ponte.
I spoke with Engineer Pereira about the bridge project.
Specific instances of institutional roles
When a title refers to a specific office-holder in context, some style guides capitalise it as a shorthand proper noun: o Presidente da República, o Primeiro-Ministro, o Papa. When it refers to the role in general, lowercase is preferred.
O Presidente da República discursou ontem à noite na televisão.
The President of the Republic gave a speech on television last night.
Qualquer presidente da república tem de prestar juramento antes de tomar posse.
Any president of the republic has to take an oath before assuming office.
What NOT to capitalise
Here is where English speakers most reliably make mistakes.
Months
Vou para Faro em julho e regresso no final de agosto.
I'm going to Faro in July and coming back at the end of August.
A minha filha nasceu a três de fevereiro de dois mil e vinte.
My daughter was born on the third of February two thousand and twenty.
Months: janeiro, fevereiro, março, abril, maio, junho, julho, agosto, setembro, outubro, novembro, dezembro. All lowercase, always.
Days of the week
A reunião foi adiada de terça-feira para sexta-feira.
The meeting was postponed from Tuesday to Friday.
Ao domingo, almoçamos sempre em casa dos meus pais.
On Sundays, we always have lunch at my parents' house.
Days: segunda-feira, terça-feira, quarta-feira, quinta-feira, sexta-feira, sábado, domingo. All lowercase.
Languages
Ela fala português, espanhol, francês e um pouco de alemão.
She speaks Portuguese, Spanish, French, and a little German.
Ensino inglês numa escola secundária em Braga.
I teach English at a secondary school in Braga.
Languages: português, inglês, espanhol, francês, alemão, italiano, chinês, japonês, árabe, russo. Always lowercase when naming the language.
Nationalities as adjectives
Conheci uma mulher portuguesa muito simpática no comboio.
I met a very nice Portuguese woman on the train.
Os vinhos alentejanos são bem conhecidos no mercado internacional.
Alentejo wines are well known on the international market.
Nationalities as nouns — a point of variation
When a nationality word is used as a noun (meaning "a Portuguese person"), usage varies between style guides. The mainstream modern convention in European Portuguese is to keep it lowercase, consistent with the adjective use. Older style guides sometimes capitalised the noun use (um Português = "a Portuguese person"), but this is now uncommon.
Há muitos portugueses a viver em Paris e em Londres.
There are many Portuguese people living in Paris and London.
Dois franceses e três ingleses chegaram ontem ao hotel.
Two French people and three English people arrived at the hotel yesterday.
Religious adherents
Words for followers of religions are common nouns in Portuguese, not proper nouns.
Há católicos, muçulmanos, protestantes e judeus nesta comunidade.
There are Catholics, Muslims, Protestants, and Jews in this community.
Ela cresceu numa família católica muito praticante.
She grew up in a very devout Catholic family.
Religious adherents: católico, muçulmano, protestante, judeu, hindu, budista, ortodoxo. All lowercase.
Professions
O meu pai é professor e a minha mãe é médica.
My father is a teacher and my mother is a doctor.
Contratei um advogado para tratar do processo de compra.
I hired a lawyer to handle the purchase process.
Professions: professor, médico, engenheiro, arquiteto, advogado, enfermeiro, carpinteiro, pintor. All lowercase when used as common nouns describing someone's job.
Articles with place names
Some Portuguese place names take a definite article as part of their normal use, and some don't. This is a feature of the language worth knowing because it affects whether you say em Portugal or no Brasil.
Places that take the article
O Brasil fica na América do Sul e tem fronteira com dez países.
Brazil is in South America and borders ten countries.
A França é conhecida pela gastronomia, pela arte e pela moda.
France is known for its cuisine, art, and fashion.
Common examples: o Brasil, a França, a Alemanha, a Itália, a Espanha, os Estados Unidos, a China, o Japão, o Canadá, o México, a Argentina, a Suíça, a Holanda, o Reino Unido.
Places that don't take the article
Portugal fez parte da União Europeia desde 1986.
Portugal has been part of the European Union since 1986.
Cuba tem uma cultura musical riquíssima e diversa.
Cuba has an extremely rich and diverse musical culture.
Common examples: Portugal, Angola, Moçambique, Cabo Verde, São Tomé e Príncipe, Cuba, Israel, Marrocos.
Cities vary too
Most cities don't take an article — Lisboa, Madrid, Paris, Londres — but a handful do: o Porto, o Rio de Janeiro, o Cairo, a Haia.
O Porto fica a cerca de três horas de comboio de Lisboa.
Porto is about three hours by train from Lisbon.
O Rio de Janeiro é famoso pelas suas praias e pelo Carnaval.
Rio de Janeiro is famous for its beaches and its Carnival.
For the full rules about articles with place names, see Articles with Countries.
The 1990 Orthographic Agreement and capitalisation
The Acordo Ortográfico de 1990 (Acordo Ortográfico da Língua Portuguesa) simplified several capitalisation rules in European Portuguese. The main effects:
- Months are definitively lowercase. Before the Agreement, capitalisation was optional; now it's standard practice across both varieties of Portuguese.
- Days of the week remain lowercase.
- Bibliographic references can now use lowercase for non-initial words (os maias instead of Os Maias), though traditional title-case is still widely used.
- Holiday names retain capitals: Natal, Páscoa, Ramadão, Dia de Ano Novo, Dia da Mãe.
Passei o Natal com a família e a Páscoa com os amigos no Algarve.
I spent Christmas with family and Easter with friends in the Algarve.
Special cases
Historical and cultural events
Major historical periods, wars, and cultural movements are often capitalised.
A Revolução dos Cravos aconteceu em 25 de abril de 1974.
The Carnation Revolution happened on April 25, 1974.
O Renascimento trouxe grandes mudanças à arte e à ciência.
The Renaissance brought great changes to art and science.
Cardinal directions
Lowercase when they describe a direction, capitalised when they refer to a region or bloc.
O sol nasce a leste e põe-se a oeste.
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
O Norte de Portugal tem um clima muito diferente do Sul.
The North of Portugal has a very different climate from the South.
Formal titles of address
Vocative and honorific forms are usually capitalised in correspondence.
Exmo. Senhor Doutor, agradeço antecipadamente a sua disponibilidade.
Dear Sir, thank you in advance for your time.
Common mistakes
❌ A Joana chega em Janeiro e fica até Fevereiro.
Incorrect — months are lowercase in Portuguese.
✅ A Joana chega em janeiro e fica até fevereiro.
Joana arrives in January and stays until February.
❌ Estudo Português e Francês na faculdade.
Incorrect — language names are lowercase in Portuguese.
✅ Estudo português e francês na faculdade.
I study Portuguese and French at university.
❌ Vamos almoçar na Segunda-feira.
Incorrect — days of the week are lowercase.
✅ Vamos almoçar na segunda-feira.
We're going to have lunch on Monday.
❌ O meu pai é um Médico muito conhecido em Braga.
Incorrect — professions are common nouns and take lowercase.
✅ O meu pai é um médico muito conhecido em Braga.
My father is a well-known doctor in Braga.
❌ A família é Católica e vai à missa todos os domingos.
Incorrect — religious adherent words are lowercase in Portuguese.
✅ A família é católica e vai à missa todos os domingos.
The family is Catholic and goes to Mass every Sunday.
Key takeaways
- Portuguese capitalises proper nouns (personal names, place names, institutions) but not category labels.
- Months, days of the week, languages, nationalities, religious adherents, and professions are all lowercase — this is the opposite of English.
- Geographical categories like rio, serra, cabo stay lowercase; only the specific name is capitalised: rio Tejo, serra da Estrela.
- Titles before names are usually capitalised in formal writing: Dr. Silva, Professor Pereira.
- Some countries take the definite article (o Brasil, a França), others don't (Portugal, Cuba) — affects both lowercase article and phrasing but not capitalisation of the country name itself.
- The 1990 Orthographic Agreement settled lowercase months as standard PT-PT practice; older texts may still show capitals.
- The safest default for nationality nouns today is lowercase (um português, dois franceses), though older texts capitalise them.
Related Topics
- Countable and Uncountable NounsA2 — The count/mass distinction in Portuguese: how to quantify uncountable nouns with partitives, when mass nouns become countable, and where Portuguese and English disagree.
- Collective NounsA2 — Portuguese collective nouns for groups of people, animals, plants, and objects — and why gente takes singular agreement even when it means 'everyone'.
- Articles with Country NamesA2 — Which countries take a definite article in European Portuguese (a França, o Brasil, os Estados Unidos) and which don't (Portugal, Angola, Moçambique) — plus the em-França vs na-França literary alternation.
- Articles with Names in European PortugueseA2 — Why European Portuguese says 'o João' and 'a Maria' — the definite article is standard before personal names, and dropping it carries specific meaning.
- The Definite Article: Forms and Basic UsesA1 — The four forms of the Portuguese definite article (o, a, os, as) and the contexts where European Portuguese requires it — including several where English leaves it out.
- Formal vs Informal RegisterA2 — The European Portuguese three-tier address system: tu, você, and o senhor/a senhora — who gets which, and how to navigate the trickiest pronoun choice in the Romance family.