pássaro
/ˈpa.sa.ɾu/masculine
The English word bird is translated into Portuguese as pássaro. Wiktionary also lists ave.
Meaning: animal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| pássaro | /ˈpa.sa.ɾu/ (Brazil) /ˈpa.sɐ.ɾu/ (Portugal) |
masculine |
| ave | /ˈa.vi/ (Brazil) /ˈa.vɨ/ (Portugal) |
feminine |
Both pássaro and ave are used to refer to the animal, but they serve different purposes depending on the context.
Which one should you use?
pássaro is the most common word used in everyday conversation and often refers to small birds or songbirds. In contrast, ave is a more formal or scientific term used to refer to the biological class of birds.
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural of the masculine noun pássaro, add -s to get pássaros. To form the plural of the feminine noun ave, add -s to get aves.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈpa.sa.ɾu/. The word has 3 syllables, and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- The word ave is a homonym that can mean 'bird' or the formal greeting 'hail' or 'salutations'.
- Portuguese uses the word pássaro in the expression pássaro de mau agouro, which describes a bird that brings bad omens or bad luck.
- In Portuguese, pássaro is a masculine noun, but ave is feminine. This means the adjectives used to describe the same bird must change gender depending on which word is chosen.
Examples in context
- O pato é uma ave.The duck is a bird.This sentence is useful for identifying a duck as an ave.Tatoeba #10707330 by carlosalberto, translation #10707317 by carlosalberto
- Isso é um pássaro?Is that a bird?This sentence is useful for asking if something is a pássaro.Tatoeba #8079438 by MacGyver, translation #4747435 by AlanF_US
- Que pássaro é este?What's that bird?This sentence is useful for asking what kind of pássaro something is.Tatoeba #1222433 by alexmarcelo, translation #67082 by CK
- Eu vi uma bela ave durante a minha caminhada matinal.I saw a beautiful bird during my morning walk.
- Cara, hoje eu vi um pássaro enorme na floresta!Dude, today I saw a huge bird in the forest!
- 227 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Mariana are sitting in a park.
- LucasOlha aquele pássaro no topo da árvore!Look at that bird on top of the tree!
- MarianaSim, ele é muito bonito.Yes, it is very beautiful.
- LucasEu quero tirar uma foto dele.I want to take a photo of it.
- MarianaTenha cuidado para não assustá-lo.Be careful not to scare it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bird” translations and entries pássaro, ave, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ave, pássaro, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
