I am going to Recife tomorrow, so naturally I was thinking about the beach 🙂

I know that not everyone enjoys going to the beach, but, hey, I was born and raised in Northeastern Brazil. Going to the beach was a part of life just as going to school or to work.

So I thought it would be fun to create a lesson on beach vocabulary essentials. In this lesson you will learn 21 beach-related words, including beach wear and accessories, and three ways to say that you are going to get a tan 🙂

Here is the video lesson:

Beach Vocabulary Basics in Portuguese

The Beach = A Praia

At the beach you will enjoy:

(o) mar = sea
(a) areia = sand
(o) sol = sun
(o) vento = wind
(a) água de coco = coconut water

In the US we use the word ocean more than sea when we go to the beach. In Brazil, we always say mar, which means sea.

Beach Wear = Roupa de Praia

(o) biquíni = bikini
(o) maiô = bathing suit, swimsuit (one peace)
(a) canga = sarong
(o) short = shorts
(a) sunga = speedo-style swim shorts
(o) calção de praia = swim trunks
(a) bermuda = bermuda shorts
(a) chinela = flip-flops

I encourage the ladies to be brave and get a Brazilian bikini. Not all Brazilian bikinis are super small. I am sure that you can find a bikini that will make you feel comfortable and beautiful 🙂

Beach Accessories = Acessórios de Praia

To go to the beach, you may want to bring with you:

(a) toalha de praia = beach towel
(a) cadeira de praia = beach chair
(a) sombrinha = guarda-sol = umbrella
(o) protetor solar = sunscreen
(o) boné = cap
(o) chapéu = hat
(os) óculos de sol = óculos escuros = sunglasses
(a) pracha de surfe = surfboard

When I go to the beach in Recife, I don’t bring a chair or umbrella with me. At the beach, you will find people who sell food and drinks. They have chairs and umbrellas that you can use when you buy food and/or drinks from them. They don’t charge for the use of the chair when you purchase their products. However, they might want to charge you because you are a tourist. The money will be insignificant to you considering the exchange rate, but if you’d like to bargain, go for it.

My friends and I also never bring a beach towel with us. We use our sarongs instead.

How to Say To Get a Tan

There are different ways to say this:

Bronzear-se (reflexive verb)
Pegar um bronze
Pegar uma cor

I’d say that the first one above is the traditional way to say it. The other two are more common nowadays. They sound young and modern. I personally like the third option better.

Examples:

Passei o dia na praia me bronzeando. = I spent the day at the beach getting a tan.
Quero pegar um bronze quando estiver no Brasil. = I want to get a tan when I am in Brazil.
Vamos à praia pegar uma cor? = Let’s go to the beach and get a tan.

Pro Tip

In Brazil, there are people selling everything at the beach: hats, bikinis, sunglasses, sun screen, toys, sarongs, jewelry, you name it.

If you want to do some shopping, be sure to carry change with you. The vendors usually do not have change for us. It can be upsetting, but it is what it is. Carry small bill with you and have fun 🙂

I have a video that I recorded at the beach in Recife a few years ago. Here it is: