Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA |
|---|---|
| anular | /a.nuˈla(ʁ)/ (Brazil) /a.nuˈla(ɾ)/ (São Paulo) /a.nuˈla(ʁ)/ (Rio de Janeiro) /a.nuˈla(ɻ)/ (Caipira) /ɐ.nuˈlaɾ/ (Portugal) /ɐ.nuˈla.ɾi/ (Portugal, Southern) |
| invalidar | /ĩ.va.liˈda(ʁ)/ (Brazil) /ĩ.va.liˈda(ɾ)/ (São Paulo) /ĩ.va.liˈda(ʁ)/ (Rio de Janeiro) /ĩ.va.liˈda(ɻ)/ (Caipira) /ĩ.vɐ.liˈdaɾ/ (Portugal) /ĩ.bɐ.liˈdaɾ/ (Northern, Portugal) /ĩ.vɐ.liˈda.ɾi/ (Portugal, Southern) |
| cancelar | /kɐ̃.seˈla(ʁ)/ (Brazil) /kɐ̃.seˈla(ɾ)/ (São Paulo) /kɐ̃.seˈla(ʁ)/ (Rio de Janeiro) /kɐ̃.seˈla(ɻ)/ (Caipira) /kɐ̃.sɨˈlaɾ/ (Portugal) /kɐ̃.sɨˈla.ɾi/ (Portugal, Southern) |
The word 'cancel' is used to invalidate, annul (verb). The most common and neutral way to express this is with cancelar, which is used for routine actions like canceling a meeting, a flight or a subscription. In specific contexts, you might use desmarcar to express canceling. In very informal settings, people may use the expressions caiu (literally 'it fell') or furou (literally 'it pierced or popped') to indicate that something has been canceled or fell through.
Which one should you use?
Cancelar is the standard choice for routine tasks such as canceling a meeting, a flight or a subscription. Anular is specifically used when you need to annul or void a legal effect, a contract, a law or a formal decision. Invalidar is used when the focus is on making something, such as an argument or a specific document, no longer valid.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of cancelar is cancelado, which is used to describe something that has been canceled. The noun form for a cancellation is cancelamento, though the related form anulação can also be used.
How do you pronounce it?
The word cancelar has three syllables and the stress is on the third syllable. The IPA is /kɐ̃.seˈla(ʁ)/.
Did you know?
- The Portuguese word cancelar shares its roots with the word 'cancer', as both descend from a Proto-Indo-European term meaning a 'lump' or 'grid'.
- In Brazilian Portuguese, saying someone furou a commitment can be a strong social critique of their reliability, rather than just a neutral statement about the event.
- While cancelar is used for flights or subscriptions, the word desmarcar is specifically preferred when canceling an appointment you had previously scheduled.
Examples in context
- Devo cancelar a chamada?Should I cancel the call?This sentence is useful for asking if a call should be canceled using cancelar.Tatoeba #3215030 by gleydin, translation #278426 by CK
- Eu vou cancelar a reunião.I'm going to cancel the meeting.This sentence is useful for stating an intention to cancel a meeting using cancelar.Tatoeba #4969381 by alexmarcelo, translation #2541392 by CK
- Não há nada para cancelar.There is nothing to cancel.This sentence is useful for noting that there is nothing left to cancel using cancelar.Tatoeba #6471854 by heo598, translation #483215 by sacredceltic
- Eu preciso cancelar a minha reserva de hotel.I need to cancel my hotel reservation.
- A empresa decidiu cancelar o evento devido às condições climáticas.The company decided to cancel the event due to the weather conditions.
- O advogado recomendou que nós anulássemos o contrato.The lawyer recommended that we cancel the contract.
- Infelizmente, tivemos que anular a compra do imóvel.Unfortunately, we had to cancel the property purchase.
- Eu tenho que desmarcar a consulta médica.I have to cancel the doctor's appointment.
- Por favor, desmarque a reunião de amanhã.Please cancel tomorrow's meeting.
- Desculpa, a festa caiu.Sorry, the party got canceled.
- Aquele plano de sair para jantar furou.That plan to go out for dinner got canceled.
- Não podemos ir ao cinema hoje, deu furo.We can't go to the movies today, it fell through.
- 40 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mariana and Lucas are talking about a flight booking.
- MarianaVocê quer cancelar a reserva do hotel?Do you want to cancel the hotel reservation?
- LucasSim, não vamos mais viajar.Yes, we are not traveling anymore.
- MarianaVou cancelar tudo agora mesmo.I will cancel everything right now.
- LucasObrigado, Mariana.Thank you, Mariana.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cancel” translations and entries anular, invalidar, cancelar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries anular, cancelar, invalidar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
