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Portuguese Phrases for Talking About Sports


Sport is a universal topic, so if you have a few relevant Portuguese phrases memorized, it’ll be easier for you to strike up conversations in the Portuguese-speaking world—even more so if you practice with our tutors. By far the most popular sport in both Portugal and Brazil is soccer; its indoor variant, futsal, is also very popular in both countries, as is basketball. Other popular sports include, in Brazil, volleyball, athletics and martial arts (particularly judo, capoeira, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu), and in Portugal, rink hockey and handball.


In this post, we’ll go through some important sporting vocabulary, before looking at some Portuguese phrases and sentences for talking about sports.


Vocabulary


Sport

Esporte


Soccer

Futebol


Futsal

Futebol de salão/futsal

The word futsal, by which the sport is known in English, is an acronym of both futebol de salão and, originally, the Spanish fútbol sala (futsal originated in Uruguay).


(American) Football

Futebol americano


Baseball

Beisebol


Golf

Golfe


Basketball

Basquetebol


Athletics

Atletismo


Tennis

Tênis


Volleyball

Voleibol


Hockey

Hóquei


Rink hockey / roller hockey

Hóquei em patins


Ice Hockey

Hóquei no gelo


Gymnastics

Ginástica


Skiing

Esqui


Swimming

Natação


Surfing

Surfe


Martial arts

Artes marciais


Judo

Judô (BR)/Judo (EU)


Capoeira

Capoeira


Boxing

Boxe


Wrestling

Luta livre


Ping-pong

Tênis de mesa


Horse racing

Turfe (BR)/Corrida de cavalos (PT)


Bowling

Boliche


Sailing

Navegação


Phrases


I'm very good at tennis.

Eu sou muito bom em jogar tênis.


I'm really bad at soccer.

Eu sou muito ruim em jogar futebol.


My favorite sport is…

Meu esporte favorito é...


My favorite sportsperson is…

Meu esportista favorito é…


My favorite athlete is…

Meu atleta favorito é...


My favorite team is…

Meu time favorito é...


I think (x) is a better player than (y).

Eu acho que (x) é um jogador melhor do que (y).


I think (x) is a great player.

Eu acho que (x) é um ótimo jogador.


I think (x) is not a very good player.

Eu acho que (x) não é um jogador muito bom.


I think (x) is overrated.

Eu acho que (x) é superestimado.


I think (x) is underrated.

Eu acho que (x) é subestimado.


I think (x) will win the competition.

Eu acho que (x) vai vencer a competição.


The Portuguese phrases and vocabulary in this post are just a starting point. The best way of becoming proficient at talking about sport is to practice with an expert tutor. If you want a tutoring session to focus on sporting vocabulary, let our tutors know in advance and they will be able to accommodate you.

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