War Vocabulary in Portuguese

War is not a pleasant topic to talk about, but unfortunately it is a part of our conversations today. I thought it would be useful for you to learn some war vocabulary in Portuguese so you can talk with your Brazilian friends if the subject comes up. I give you lots of pronunciation coaching in the video that will be helpful to your Portuguese in general.

This blog post is organized a little bit differently than the video. Here I list the words first and then I show you examples of full sentences putting some of those words together. In the video I mix it up.

The full sentences are an opportunity to learn beyond the scope of the lesson. Pay attention to words that may be new to you, prepositions that go with certain verbs, and useful expressions to add to your personal Portuguese vocabulary.

A Brazilian saying about hope

Before we dive into the war vocabulary, I want to show you a Brazilian saying about hope:

A esperança é a última que morre.

Literal translation: Hope is the last to die.

In English we say: While there’s life, there’s hope.

Let’s hope for peace.

War vocabulary in Portuguese

This list is organized with Portuguese first followed by the English translation.

After each noun I place and (f) for feminine words or an (m) for masculine words. Words that have the two forma are indicated by using an /a after its masculine version.

PT – EN

1. OTAN = NATO. In Portuguese, the letters stand for Organização do Tratado do Atlântico Norte, which is the exact translation of the English name: North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
2. guerra (f) = war
3. paz (f) = peace
4. Ucrânia (f) = Ukraine
5. ucraniano/a = Ukrainian
6. Rússia (f) = Russia
7. russo/a = Russian
8. soldado/a = soldier
9. exército (m) = army, military
10. o/a militar = military person
11. invadir = to invade
12. invasão (f) = invasion
13. atacar = to attack
14. ataque (m) = an attack
15. estratégia (f) = strategy
16. estratégia de ataque = attack strategy
17. estratégia de defesa = defense strategy
18. bomba (f) = bomb
19. bombardear = to bomb
20. bombardeio (m) = a bombing
21. tanque (m) = tank
22. míssil (m) / plural: mísseis = missile
23. lançar = to launch
24. explosão (f) = explosion
25. explodir = to explode
26. armas nucleares (f) = nuclear weapons
27. reação (f) = reaction
28. reagir = to react
29. sanção (f) / plural: sanções = sanction
30. impor sanções = to impose sanctions
31. aliado/a = ally
32. inimigo/a = enemy
33. fugir = to flee, to run away
34. refugiado/a = refugee, displaced person
35. destruir = to destruct
36. destruição (f) = destruction
37. campo de batalha (m) = battle field
38. alvo civil (m) = civilian target
39. baixa (f) = casualty
40. artilharia (f) = artillery
41. morrer = to die
42. morto/a = dead

Full sentences using your war vocabulary in Portuguese

1. O exército da Rússia invadiu a Ucrânia. = Russia’s army invaded Ukraine.

2. A Rússia atacou a Ucrânia com tanques, bombas e mísseis. = Russia attacked Ukraine with tanks, bombs, and missiles.

3. A Rússia lançou mísseis hipersônicos nos ataques. = Russia launched hypersonic missiles in the attacks.

4. A comunidade internacional reagiu e condenou o ataque da Rússia. = The international community reacted and condemned Russia’s attack.

5. Vários países impuseram sanções econômicas à Rússia. = Several countries have imposed economic sanctions on Russia.

6. Há mais de quatro milhões de refugiados ucranianos. = There are over four million Ukrainian refugees.

7. Milhões de ucranianos fugiram do seu país natal em busca de segurança. = Millions of Ukrainians have fled their home country in search of safety.

8. Muitos alvos civis, como hospitais, escolas e prédios residenciais, estão sob ataque. = Many civilian targets, such as hospitals, schools, and residential buildings, are under attack.

9. Os bombardeios têm causado inúmeras baixas civis. = The bombings have been causing numerous civilian casualties.

10. Milhares de pessoas já morreram e o número de mortos aumenta a cada dia. = Thousands of people have already died and the death toll is rising each day.

11. As negociações de paz ainda não conseguiram pôr um fim à guerra. Ainda não há um acordo de paz.

12. A Ucrânia vai receber apoio internacional para a reconstrução do país depois da guerra. = Ukraine will receive international support for the reconstruction of the country after the war.

I would like to finish with this beautiful quote that touches my heart deeply:

Paz em todo lar, toda rua, toda aldeia, todo país — esse é o meu sonho.

= Peace in every home, every street, every village, every country – this is my dream.

– Malala Yousafzai

---

We offer Brazilian Portuguese lessons via video meetings. We have teaching Portuguese online since 2008, helping learners around the globe speak Portuguese with confidence. Whether you are just getting started speaking Portuguese or you are fluent and want to keep improving, we are prepared to help you.

Book a trial lesson with us to see how we can help you achieve your goals.