Do you know how to say that you are jealous in Portuguese? Often times, the use of a word in Portuguese is confusing even when you know the  word’s translation in English. The word “jealous” is one that causes quite some confusion among learners of Portuguese.  Avoid this common mistake. Learn how to say it right here.

Let’s see what the dictionary says:

• Jealousy = ciúme; inveja
• Jealous = ciumento; invejoso
• Envy = inveja
• Envious = invejoso

If both “envy” and “jealousy” can mean “inveja”, how do you know when to use each word?

When to Use Ciúme in Portuguese

We use ciúme for that uncomfortable feeling that we have when we see our loved one too engaged in a conversation with that other person who we don’t really know. Ciúme is the negative feeling of anxiety or fear of loss that affects human connections and relationships.

The dialogues below will illustrate the use of ciúme. The translation to English is right after each dialogue.

Example 1: Carla and Antônio

Carla is talking with her friend Melissa about her boyfriend Antônio :

Carla: Antônio tem chegado em casa mais tarde do que o normal. E tem essa Joana que liga pra ele quase todo dia. Tô muito chateada com essa situação.

Melissa: Eu também estaria com ciúme se eu fosse você.

Translation:

Carla: Antônio has been getting home later than usual. And there is this Joana who calls him almost every day. I’m pretty upset with this situation.

Melissa: I would be jealous too if I were you.

Example 2: Silvana and Camila

Silvana está com cíume. Camila, sua melhor amiga, está sempre ocupada saindo com duas novas amigas da faculdade. Silvana está se sentindo deixada de lado.

Camila: Não acredito! Você está com cíume?

Silvana: Estou com cíume, sim! Você não liga mais pra mim.

Translation:

Silvana is feeling jealous. Camila, her best friend, is always busy hanging out with a couple of new girlfriends from college. Silvana has been feeling left out.

Camila: I can’t believe this! Are you jealous?

Silvana: Yes, I am feeling jealous! You don’t care about me anymore.

Ciúme with Objects

We can also use ciúme to refer to the relationship between a person and an object or material good. For example:

Júlio e Vítor

Júlio: Eu pedi o carro do João emprestado, mas ele disse que de jeito nenhum.

Vítor: É, João morre de cíume do carro dele.

Translation:

Júlio: I asked to borrow João’s car, but he said that not at all.

Vítor: Yeah, João is very jealous of his car.

When to Use Inveja in Portuguese

We use inveja in Portuguese when someone wants something that another person has. The dialogue in the picture above illustrates a situation that causes a lot of trouble to both Brazilians learning English and English speakers learning Portuguese:

Example: Maria e Rafaela

Maria: Vou ao Brasil em setembro.

Rafaela: Que inveja!

Translation:

Maria: I’m going to Brazil in September.

Rafaela: How jealous! (Notice that this is what we say in English, but in Portuguese we are actually saying “How much envy”.)

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