In Brazil we celebrate Dia dos Namorados on June 12, instead of Valentine’s Day in February. With this post you will learn more about Dia dos Namorados in Brazil so that you don’t get in trouble there 🙂 I will also show you useful phrases for Dia dos Namorados and words that Brazilians use to call their sweethearts.
The expression Dia dos Namorados literaly translates to “Boyfriend/girlfriend Day”. Or we could call it Sweethearts’ Day. It is celebrated by couples whether they are married or not. We don’t usually gift coworkers and friends on Dia dos Namorados.
To celebrate, couples gift each other and go out for a romantic dinner. Gifts include flowers and chocolates, but also nice, expensive gifts such as brand name clothing, lingerie for the ladies, and jewelry.
It is a fun night for singles, too. Lots of bars and clubs host a special singles’ night with events and games to help you find your next date 🙂
Dia dos Namorados and Santo Antônio
June 13 is Santo Antônio’s day. He is known as santo casamenteiro, that is, the saint who can help single women find a husband. There are superstitions around ways in which you can sort of put pressure on Santo Antônio to find you a husband soon. Some people will, for example, leave the saint upside down until they get married. Others will have the saint upside down inside a glass of water until a husband comes along.
Common Verbs and Useful Phrases for Dia dos Namorados
There are three very useful verbs to know on Dia dos Namorados.
Ganhar
Here it means to receive a gift. The verb also means to win.
Useful phrases:
- O que você quer ganhar de presente?
= What do you want to get as a gift?
- Você sabe o que vai ganhar?
= Do you know what you will get (as a gift)?
- O que você ganhou no Dia dos Namorados?
= What did you get (receive as a gift) on Dia dos Namorados?
Ganhar is a regular verb. To practice the present and past tenses of regular verbs, get our Flashcards App for Android – Set 2.
Dar
Dar = to give. It is an irregular verb, and one that you should definitely learn in all verb tenses because it is a very used verb in Brazilian Portuguese.
To practice the present and past conjugations of irregular verbs Dar and Fazer, get our Flashcards App for Android – Set 3.
Useful phrases:
- O que você vai dar de presente para Maria?
= What will you give as a gift to Maria?
- O que você geralmente dá de presente no Dia dos Namorados?
= What do you usually give as a gift on Dia dos Namorados?
- O que você deu para o Paulo?
= What did you give Paulo?
Fazer
Fazer = to make, to do. It is an irregular verb.
Useful phrases:
- O que você quer fazer no Dia dos Namorados?
= What do you want to do on Dia dos Namorados?
- O que vocês fazem no Dia dos Namorados no Brazil?
= What do you guys do on Dia dos Namorados in Brazil?
- O que vocês fizeram no Dia dos Namorados?
= What did you guys do on Dia dos Namorados?
Fazer uma surpresa
The opening pictures says:
- Faça uma surpresa ao seu amor.
= Surprise your love.
To say “to surprise”, we can say:
- Fazer uma surpresa = Literally: to make a surprise; this is the most common way we say it
- Surpreender alguém = to surprise someone
Wondering about the conjugation “faça”? Wonder no more! Visit this video lesson to learn all about it: How to Give Tips, Advice, and Instructions in Portuguese.
Sweet Words to Call your Loved One
At Street Smart Brazil we often have the privilege to teach couples who are learning Portuguese together. A question that we always get is: “How do people call their boyfriend or girlfriend in Brazil? What kind of loving nicknames do they use?” Below is a list for you.
The best way to choose a nickname for your love is to check with your Brazilian partner how he/she feels about it. What sounds sweet for one person can sound quite cheesy for someone else.
Cultural note:
Some of these terms are in the diminutive form. It is not a matter of size, however. We often use the diminutive to express affection.
| Portuguese | Literal Translation in English |
| Gato/Gata | Cat |
| Gatinho/Gatinha | Little cat |
| Amor | Love |
| Meu amor | My love |
| Amorzinho | Little love |
| Mô | Short for love |
| Mozinho | Diminutive of the above |
| Mozão | Augmentative of Mô |
| Paixão | Passion |
What other terms have you learned? Share with us!
Free Flashcards: Family Vocabulary
To make your vocabulary really sharp, use our FREE flashcards with sound: Family Vocabulary
Editor’s note: This post was originally posted in June 2012 and has been updated with additional phrases and vocabulary.
What other love expressions can I use to say to my girlfriend like I miss you, I want you, etc.
That is such a good question. Here are some expressions:
* I miss you = Estou com saudade de você.
* I miss you = Sinto sua falta. (Literally: “I feel your lack”)
* I want you = Te quero
* I think about you all the time = Penso em você o tempo todo
Thank you for the help also how can I distinguished some of the words used when talking to a male or a female person
There are rules. In general, words ending in “o” are masculine and words ending in “a” are feminine. But there are other rules and exceptions to the rules.
What are the other rules and exceptions to that?
I will publish a blog post about this on Tuesday. Check it out then!