War is not a pleasant topic to talk about, but unfortunately it is a part of our conversations today. I thought it would be useful for you to learn some war vocabulary in Portuguese so you can talk with your Brazilian friends if the subject comes up. I give you lots of pronunciation coaching in the video that will be helpful to your Portuguese in general.
This blog post is organized a little bit differently than the video. Here I list the words first and then I show you examples of full sentences putting some of those words together. In the video I mix it up.
The full sentences are an opportunity to learn beyond the scope of the lesson. Pay attention to words that may be new to you, prepositions that go with certain verbs, and useful expressions to add to your personal Portuguese vocabulary.
A Brazilian saying about hope
Before we dive into the war vocabulary, I want to show you a Brazilian saying about hope:
A esperança é a última que morre.
Literal translation: Hope is the last to die.
In English we say: While there’s life, there’s hope.
Let’s hope for peace.
War vocabulary in Portuguese
This list is organized with Portuguese first followed by the English translation.
After each noun I place and (f) for feminine words or an (m) for masculine words. Words that have the two forma are indicated by using an /a after its masculine version.
PT – EN
- OTAN = NATO. In Portuguese, the letters stand for Organização do Tratado do Atlântico Norte, which is the exact translation of the English name: North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
- guerra (f) = war
- paz (f) = peace
- Ucrânia (f) = Ukraine
- ucraniano/a = Ukrainian
- Rússia (f) = Russia
- russo/a = Russian
- soldado/a = soldier
- exército (m) = army, military
- o/a militar = military person
- invadir = to invade
- invasão (f) = invasion
- atacar = to attack
- ataque (m) = an attack
- estratégia (f) = strategy
- estratégia de ataque = attack strategy
- estratégia de defesa = defense strategy
- bomba (f) = bomb
- bombardear = to bomb
- bombardeio (m) = a bombing
- tanque (m) = tank
- míssil (m) / plural: mísseis = missile
- lançar = to launch
- explosão (f) = explosion
- explodir = to explode
- armas nucleares (f) = nuclear weapons
- reação (f) = reaction
- reagir = to react
- sanção (f) / plural: sanções = sanction
- impor sanções = to impose sanctions
- aliado/a = ally
- inimigo/a = enemy
- fugir = to flee, to run away
- refugiado/a = refugee, displaced person
- destruir = to destruct
- destruição (f) = destruction
- campo de batalha (m) = battle field
- alvo civil (m) = civilian target
- baixa (f) = casualty
- artilharia (f) = artillery
- morrer = to die
- morto/a = dead
Full sentences using your war vocabulary in Portuguese
1. O exército da Rússia invadiu a Ucrânia. = Russia’s army invaded Ukraine.
2. A Rússia atacou a Ucrânia com tanques, bombas e mísseis. = Russia attacked Ukraine with tanks, bombs, and missiles.
3. A Rússia lançou mísseis hipersônicos nos ataques. = Russia launched hypersonic missiles in the attacks.
4. A comunidade internacional reagiu e condenou o ataque da Rússia. = The international community reacted and condemned Russia’s attack.
5. Vários países impuseram sanções econômicas à Rússia. = Several countries have imposed economic sanctions on Russia.
6. Há mais de quatro milhões de refugiados ucranianos. = There are over four million Ukrainian refugees.
7. Milhões de ucranianos fugiram do seu país natal em busca de segurança. = Millions of Ukrainians have fled their home country in search of safety.
8. Muitos alvos civis, como hospitais, escolas e prédios residenciais, estão sob ataque. = Many civilian targets, such as hospitals, schools, and residential buildings, are under attack.
9. Os bombardeios têm causado inúmeras baixas civis. = The bombings have been causing numerous civilian casualties.
10. Milhares de pessoas já morreram e o número de mortos aumenta a cada dia. = Thousands of people have already died and the death toll is rising each day.
11. As negociações de paz ainda não conseguiram pôr um fim à guerra. Ainda não há um acordo de paz.
12. A Ucrânia vai receber apoio internacional para a reconstrução do país depois da guerra. = Ukraine will receive international support for the reconstruction of the country after the war.
I would like to finish with this beautiful quote that touches my heart deeply:
Paz em todo lar, toda rua, toda aldeia, todo país — esse é o meu sonho.
= Peace in every home, every street, every village, every country – this is my dream.
– Malala Yousafzai
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