veado
/veˈa.du/masculine
The English word deer is translated into Portuguese as veado or cervo.
Meaning: animal of the family Cervidae (noun)
Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| veado | /veˈa.du/ (Brazil) /viˈa.du/ (Brazil) |
masculine |
| cervo | /ˈseʁ.vu/ (Brazil) /ˈseɾ.vu/ (São Paulo) |
masculine |
Both words are used to refer to animals of the family Cervidae.
Which one should you use?
veado is the more common term used in everyday speech, whereas cervo is more formal or scientific, often used in biological or literary contexts to refer to the species.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the plural, use veados for the common term and cervos for the formal term.
How do you pronounce it?
The word veado is pronounced /veˈa.du/ with three syllables and the stress on the second syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be aware that in Brazilian Portuguese, veado is also used as a common, often derogatory slang term for a gay man.
Did you know?
- The word veado is derived from the Latin word 'vēnātus', which means 'hunted'.
- While veado is used for most deer, cervo is the preferred term when discussing the noble 'stag' in historical or heraldic contexts.
Examples in context
- Cozinhei carne de veado.I cooked deer meat.This sentence is useful for seeing how to refer to deer meat using veado.Tatoeba #11077977 by lucasmg123, translation #4652151 by bsc2015
- O arqueiro matou o cervo.The archer killed the deer.This sentence shows the use of cervo in a sentence about an archer.Tatoeba #405398 by brauliobezerra, translation #1531 by CK
- Os veados são animais tímidos.Deer are shy animals.This sentence demonstrates the plural form veados.Tatoeba #5093031 by alexmarcelo, translation #10558621 by muitoazul
- O veado é um animal elegante encontrado em várias partes do mundo.The deer is an elegant animal found in various parts of the world.
- Hoje, vi um cervo na floresta perto da minha casa.Today, I saw a deer in the forest near my house.
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mariana and Felipe are hiking in a forest.
- MarianaOlha, tem um veado ali!Look, there is a deer over there!
- FelipeSim, que animal lindo.Yes, what a beautiful animal.
- MarianaEle está muito quieto.It is very quiet.
- FelipeNão vamos assustar o veado.Let's not scare the deer.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “deer” translations and entries veado, cervo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cervo, veado, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
