You probably know the word nunca in Portuguese. It means never. Simple, right? But there’s more to the story! In this post, you’ll learn three ways to use nunca in Portuguese to express different ideas, including meanings that go beyond never. Because nunca doesn’t always mean never.
Let’s dive in!
1. Nunca = never
Let’s start with the basic never:
- Maria nunca comeu feijoada. = Maria has never eaten feijoada.
- Eu nunca fui ao Japão. = I have never been to Japan.
- Francisco nunca viu um jogo de beisebol. = Francisco has never seen a baseball game.
- Maria nunca chega atrasada ao trabalho. = Maria is never late for work.
- Maria disse que nunca vai morar no exterior. = Maria said she’s never going to live abroad.
💡Tip: Notice that in English you say “Maria has never eaten feijoada”, but in Portuguese we use followed by the simple past tense (pretérito perfeito do indicativo).
2. Nunca mais + verb (future) = never again
Here, nunca still means never, but it takes on a slightly different and very natural meaning: nunca mais = never again.
- Maria nunca mais vai comer feijoada. = Maria is never going to eat feijoada again.
- Eu nunca mais vou à casa de Antônia. = I’m never going to Antônia’s house again.
- Francisco nunca mais vai ver um jogo de beisebol. = Francisco is never going to see a baseball game again.
- Eu nunca mais vou confiar nele. = I’m never going to trust him again.
- Fiz uma trilha dificílima, com muitos trechos perigosos. Nunca mais! = I went on a really tough hike, with lots of dangerous parts. Never again!
You may be wondering, “Could I say that Maria não vai comer feijoada de novo”?
You could, but it’s not always the most natural way to say it. In example # 5, for instance, it wouldn’t work.
So I’d love to see you using nunca mais 😀
Nunca mais + verb (simple past) = in a long time
Here nunca doesn’t mean “never”. Isn’t that interesting?
- Maria nunca mais comeu feijoada. = Maria hasn’t eaten feijoada in a long time/in a while.
- Eu nunca mais fui a São Paulo. = I haven’t been to São Paulo in a while.
- Francisco nunca mais viu Ana. = Francisco hasn’t seen Ana in a while.
- Maria nunca mais falou com o ex-namorado. = Maria hasn’t talked to her ex-boyfriend in a long time.
- Maria nunca mais viajou para o Rio. = Maria hasn’t traveled to Rio in a long time.
Same word, three very different uses. I hope you enjoy using nunca in new ways to make your Portuguese sound even more natural.
If you liked this Portuguese lesson, you’ll love the lessons inside my courses. They’re full of real Portuguese like this, explained clearly and simply so it finally sticks.
