discoteca
/d͡ʒis.koˈtɛ.kɐ/feminine
The Portuguese word for "disco" is discoteca.
discoteca means a disco or nightclub.
Meaning: discotheque (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The word has four syllables, with the stress on the third syllable: /dʒis.koˈtɛ.kɐ/.
When do people say it?
While discoteca is a valid word, in modern conversational Portuguese, people more frequently use the term balada or boate to refer to a nightclub.
Did you know?
- The suffix -teca comes from the Greek word for 'container' or 'library'. Because of this, discoteca originally meant a collection of records rather than a place to dance.
- While discoteca is a valid word, using it in Brazil today can make you sound like a character from a 1970s film.
- The preference for terms like balada over discoteca is not uniform across the Lusophone world, as people in Portugal might still use the latter more often.
Examples in context
- A discoteca está vazia.The disco is empty.This sentence shows how to describe the state of the discoteca.Tatoeba #870705 by alexmarcelo, translation #2008176 by AlanF_US
- O som estava ensurdecedoramente alto na discoteca.It was deafeningly loud in the disco.This sentence describes the volume of the sound inside the discoteca.Tatoeba #6151220 by carlosalberto, translation #6150570 by sundown
- Ela teve permissão de ir à discoteca, com a condição de estar de volta às dez.She was allowed to go to the disco on condition that she was back by ten.This sentence illustrates a condition for going to the discoteca.Tatoeba #6452474 by carlosalberto, translation #310058 by CK
- Eu costumava frequentar a discoteca todas as sextas-feiras.I used to go to the disco every Friday.
- Vamos sair para dançar na boate hoje à noite?Shall we go dancing at the disco tonight?
- Ontem à noite, fui para uma balada incrível!Last night, I went to an amazing disco!
- Eu amo dançar na pista da discoteca!I love dancing on the disco's dance floor!
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Juliana and Rodrigo are deciding where to go for the night.
- JulianaVamos a que discoteca hoje?Which discotheque are we going to today?
- RodrigoEu não conheço nenhuma discoteca boa aqui.I don't know any good discotheques here.
- JulianaEu conheço uma discoteca ótima no centro.I know a great discotheque downtown.
- RodrigoEntão vamos para essa discoteca!Then let's go to that discotheque!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “disco” translations and entries discoteca, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries discoteca, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
