Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| desastrado | /de.zasˈtɾa.du/ (Brazil) /d͡ʒi.zasˈtɾa.du/ (Brazil) |
|
| desajeitado | /de.za.ʒejˈta.du/ (Brazil) /d͡ʒi.za.ʒejˈta.du/ (Brazil) |
|
| atrapalhado | /a.tɾa.paˈʎa.du/ (Brazil) /ɐ.tɾɐ.pɐˈʎa.du/ (Portugal) |
|
| despassarado | /des.pa.saˈɾa.du/ (Brazil) /d͡ʒis.pa.saˈɾa.du/ (Brazil) |
Portugal, masculine |
These terms are all adjectives used to describe someone who lacks coordination, grace or dexterity.
Which one should you use?
desastrado specifically emphasizes a person's tendency to be prone to accidents or mishaps. In contrast, desajeitado is often used to describe a lack of social grace or physical awkwardness. If the clumsiness stems from being disorganized, confused or flustered, atrapalhado is the most appropriate term, as it implies a sense of being scatterbrained.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Portugal, the term despassarado is used to describe someone who is clumsy or lacks coordination.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjectives desajeitado, desastrado and atrapalhado must change their endings to -a to agree with a feminine subject, resulting in forms like desajeitada. To describe a group of people, add -s to the masculine form, such as desajeitados.
How do you pronounce it?
The word desastrado is pronounced /de.zasˈtɾa.du/. It has 4 syllables, and the stress is on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- The word despassarado literally translates to someone who has been 'un-birded', as it comes from the word pássaro meaning 'bird'.
- While desastrado is used globally, despassarado is a regionalism specific to Portugal and is rarely used in Brazil.
- The word ajeitar, which forms the basis of desajeitado, can also mean 'to fix' or 'to tidy up' a room or a situation.
Examples in context
- Tom é muito desastrado.Tom is very clumsy.This sentence is useful for describing how much someone is a desastrado.Tatoeba #4846463 by bill, translation #3422344 by CK
- Sou um homem desajeitado.I'm a clumsy man.This sentence is useful for describing oneself as a desajeitado.Tatoeba #12553312 by laetitiamg, translation #11630808 by CK
- Por que você é tão desajeitado?Why are you so clumsy?This sentence is useful for asking someone why they are a desajeitado.Tatoeba #8129687 by pysmatic, translation #2955192 by CK
- João é um rapaz desajeitado.João is a clumsy boy.
- Alice sempre derruba coisas, ela é muito desajeitada.Alice always drops things, she's very clumsy.
- Joana é uma trapalhona, sempre derruba alguma coisa.Joana is clumsy, always dropping something.
- Meu irmão é um trapalhão, vive se machucando.My brother is a clumsy guy, always hurting himself.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas accidentally knocks over a glass of water.
- LucasDesculpe, eu sou muito desastrado!Sorry, I am very clumsy!
- BeatrizTudo bem, Lucas. Eu ajudo você.It's okay, Lucas. I'll help you.
- LucasSempre faço alguma coisa desastrada.I always do something clumsy.
- BeatrizNão se preocupe, Beatriz resolve isso.Don't worry, Beatriz will fix this.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “clumsy” translations and entries desastrado, desajeitado, atrapalhado, despassarado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries desajeitado, desastrado, despassarado, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
