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Portuguese · The Basics

Porra!

POH-hah · /ˈpɔ.ʁa/

Damn! / Fuck! — but mostly used as pure punctuation

3/5 Watch your audience

genuinely rude; friends only, never at work

Literally

"Cum / semen"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

The single most Brazilian word on this list. Literally "cum," but nobody hears that anymore — it's a comma with attitude, dropped mid-sentence to add heat: "Porra, cara!" ("Damn, man!"). Tacked onto the end of a question it means "for God's sake" ("Cadê você, porra?"). Coarse but ambient; you'll hear it from teenagers and grandmothers. Not for the job interview, fine for the group chat.

Heard in the wild

Porra, esqueci a chave dentro de casa.

Damn it, I locked the keys inside.

Where it lands

Brazil (universal). PT-PT uses it too but leans harder on 'foda-se'.

Quick answers

What does "Porra!" mean?
In Portuguese, "Porra!" means "Damn! / Fuck! — but mostly used as pure punctuation". Literally it's "Cum / semen". The single most Brazilian word on this list. Literally "cum," but nobody hears that anymore — it's a comma with attitude, dropped mid-sentence to add heat: "Porra, cara!" ("Damn, man!"). Tacked onto the end of a question it means "for God's sake" ("Cadê você, porra?"). Coarse but ambient; you'll hear it from teenagers and grandmothers. Not for the job interview, fine for the group chat.
Is "Porra!" offensive?
It's genuinely rude — a 3/5 (Watch your audience) on the Punch-o-Meter. Fine among friends, never at work or with people you've just met.
How do you pronounce "Porra!"?
Say it "POH-hah" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ˈpɔ.ʁa.

Related in Portuguese

Caralho! kah-RAH-lyoo Fuck! / Hell! — exclamation and all-purpose intensifier Merda! MEHR-dah Shit! / Crap! Droga! DROH-gah Darn! / Damn it! Caramba! kah-RAHM-bah Wow! / Geez! / Holy cow! Bosta! BOSS-tah Crap! / (a) piece of garbage Cacete! kah-SEH-chee Damn! / Bloody hell! — also 'a ton' as 'pra cacete'

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Damn".

how to say "Damn" →

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