Today I want to show you the Brazilian slang words that we often use to refer to three everyday words: to work, food, and money. You will be speaking like a Brazilian with your new Brazilian Portuguese vocabulary 🙂 Enjoy! Here’s the video:

1. Ralar

Literally:  Ralar = to grate

Colloquially: Ralar = Trabalhar = To work, to work hard

Ralar is a regular verb ending in –ar.

Example:

Caio: Vou pegar uma praia amanhã. E você?

Lara: Vou ralar o dia todo amanhã.

Translation:

Caio: I’m going to the beach tomorrow. How about you?

Lara: I’m going to work hard all day tomorrow.

2. Rango

Rango is a slang word for Comida (food).

There is also the verb Rangar = Comer = To eat.

Rango is a masculine noun. Rangar is a regular verb ending in –ar.

Examples:

1)

Obrigada pelo convite para almoçar na sua casa. O rango estava uma delícia.

Translation:

Thank you for the invitation to have lunch at your place. The food was delicious.

2)

Estou faminta. Vou rangar.

Translation:

I’m starving. I’m going to eat.

Cooking is a great way to experience foreign cultures. In case you enjoy cooking, below are two Brazilian cookbooks that are popular on Amazon.com:

 

3. Grana

Grana is a slang word for dinheiro (money).

Grana is a feminine noun.

Examples:

1)

Não vou viajar este ano porque a grana está curta.

Translation:

I won’t travel this year because I’m short on cash.

2)

R$ 500 por uma calça jeans? É muita grana!

Translation:

R$ 500 for a pair of jeans? It’s a lot of money!

Keep in mind that these are slang words. While they are not vulgar or bad words, they may not be appropriate in the workplace or other formal settings.

Practice is the key to memorizing new vocabulary and using it correctly. There is only so much that videos, software, and books can do for you. To learn for real, book a Trial Lesson with one of our Brazilian Portuguese instructors.