Looking for movie vocabulary in Portuguese? You’re in the right place. In this Portuguese lesson, you’ll learn all the essential words and phrases to talk about movies, from Oscar categories to expressions for sharing your opinion.
But first, let me tell you what inspired me to write this post.
This past Sunday I had the incredible opportunity to work as an interpreter during a Q&A with Brazilian filmmaker Eryk Rocha at the San Francisco International Film Festival. I usually interpret in legal or business settings – small offices, serious topics. But interpreting on stage, in front of an audience? That was a whole new level. I said yes right away… and then I didn’t sleep that night!
It turned out to be an amazing experience. Eryk was thoughtful, engaging, and kind. And I loved being part of the Festival.
I felt inspired to create a lesson to help you talk about movies in Portuguese. So here it is: vocabulary, phrases, and lots of tips to help you speak with confidence.
General Movie Vocabulary & Oscar Categories
The list is organized alphabetically in English. To help you with gender in Portuguese, I’ve included the definite article before each term in Portuguese.
| English | Português |
| A true story | Uma história verídica |
| Actor/actress | O ator/A atriz |
| Adapted screenplay | O roteiro adaptado |
| Best picture | O melhor filme |
| Box office | A bilheteria |
| Cast | O elenco |
| Character | O/A personagem |
| Cinematography | A fotografia |
| Custom | O figurino |
| Direct sound | O som direto |
| Director | O diretor / A diretora |
| Film editing | A edição |
| Film, movie | O filme |
| Filmmaker | O/A cineasta |
| Leading actor/actress | O Ator principal / A atriz principal |
| Leading role | O papel principal |
| Makeup and hairstyling | A maquiagem e o penteado |
| Movie enthusiast | O cinéfilo / A cinéfila |
| Movie theater | O cinema |
| Original screenplay | O roteiro original |
| Original song | A canção original |
| Popcorn | A pipoca |
| Premiere | A estreia |
| Producer | O produtor / A produtora |
| Production design | O design de produção |
| Role | O papel |
| Scene | A cena |
| Screen | A tela |
| Screenplay | O roteiro |
| Screenwriter | O/A roteirista |
| Short animated film | O curta de animação |
| Short film | O curta |
| Sound editing | A edição de som |
| Sound mixing | A mixagem de som |
| Soundtrack | A trilha sonora |
| Special effects | Os efeitos especiais |
| Star | O Astro / A estrela |
| Subtitles | As legendas |
| Supporting actor/actress | A ator coadjuvante / A atriz coadjuvante |
| Supporting role | O papel coadjuvante |
| Visual effects | Os efeitos visuais |
Movie Genres
| English | Português |
| Action movie | filme de ação |
| Adventure | aventura |
| Animated film | animação |
| Cartoon | desenho animado |
| Comedy | comédia |
| Documentary | documentário |
| Drama | drama |
| Epic | filme épico |
| Film noir | filme noir |
| Foreign movie | filme estrangeiro |
| Horror | filme de terror |
| Movie genre | gênero de filme |
| Police thriller, crime | policial |
| Romance | romance |
| Romantic comedy | comédia romântica |
| Sci-fi | ficção científica |
| Spy film | filme de espionagem |
| Suspense | suspense |
| War movie | filme de guerra |
| Western | faroeste |
How to Invite Friends to Go to the Movies in Portuguese
I will show you three ways to invite someone to go to the movies.
1. Using the verb Querer
Querer means to want.
FABIANA: Quer ir ao cinema no domingo?
= Do you want to go to the movies on Sunday?
2. Using Vamos
Vamos is the equivalent of Let’s in English. We turn it into a question to make an invitation:
FABIANA: Vamos ao cinema na sexta?
= Let’s go to the movies on Friday?
3. Using the verb Topar: Speak like a Brazilian
The verb topar is regular. It has a few different meanings and one of them is to accept an invitation. It can be used in the question/invitation and in the answer as you will see in the example below:
FABIANA: Topa pegar um cineminha hoje?
LAURA: Topo. O que tá passando?
Translation:
FABIANA: Do you want to catch a movie today?
LAURA: I do. What is playing?
In the example above you can see a common use of the verb Pegar in invitations. Also notice the use of the diminutive (cineminha) as a way to be friendly and casual.
Brazilian Portuguese Phrases to Talk about the Oscars in Portuguese
- Quantas indicações o filme recebeu?
= How many nominations did the movie get?
- O filme recebeu cinco indicações, incluindo melhor filme.
= The movie got five nominations, including best picture.
- Fernanda Montenegro foi indicada para o Oscar de melhor atriz por sua atuação no filme Central do Brasil.
= Fernanda Montenegro was nominated for best actress for her performance in Central Station.
- Quem está concorrendo ao Oscar de melhor ator?
= Who is nominated for best actor?
- And the Oscar goes to…
= E o Oscar vai para…
- O filme ganhou o Oscar de melhor canção.
= The movie won the Oscar for best song.
Brazilian Portuguese Phrases to Describe a Film
You can use the phrases below to talk about any movie. All you need to do is customize the part that refers to the movie itself.
Just to be clear, the phrases below are not about Sunday Ball.
- É um drama leve e divertido.
=It is a light and fun drama.
- Não é um filme de ação.
= It is not an action movie.
- Sobre o que é o filme?
= What is the movie about?
- O filme é sobre o reencontro de uma mulher com sua filha.
= The movie is about a woman who is reunited with her daughter.
- Quem são os atores?
= Who are the actors? / Who is in the movie?
- A atriz principal é Regina Casé.
= The leading actress is Regina Casé.
- As personagens principais são Val e a filha dela.
= The main characters are Val and her daughter.
- Val é intrepretada por Regina Casé.
= Val is played by Regina Casé.
- O filme se passa na década de 70.
= The movie is set in the 70’s.
- Foi filmado em São Paulo.
= It was shot in São Paulo.
- Como o filme termina?
= How does the movie end?
Expressions to Give Your opinion about a Movie in Portuguese
- Achei o filme ótimo.
= I thought the movie was great.
- Adorei o filme.
= I loved the movie.
- Não gostei do filme.
= I didn’t like the movie.
- Achei o filme chato.
= I thought the movie was boring.
- Achei o filme sem graça.
= I thought the movie was lame.
- O filme é muito realista.
= The movie is very realistic.
- É uma história real.
= It’s a true story.
- O filme é uma obra-prima.
= The movie is a masterpiece.
I hope you have fun talking about movies in Portuguese with your Brazilian family, friends, and coworkers.
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