Which one should you use?
While excelente is a standard way to express high quality, you might choose different words depending on the context: magnífico is a more formal option, espetacular is an informal choice often used in Portugal and the colloquial phrase show de bola can be used informally in Brazil.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Portugal, the word espetacular is commonly used informally to mean excellent. In Brazil, the colloquial phrase show de bola is a popular informal way to express the same idea.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective excelente is invariable for gender, so it remains the same whether you are describing a masculine or feminine noun. To express the plural, add an 's' to form excelentes.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable: /e.seˈlẽ.tʃi/.
Did you know?
- In very informal Brazilian speech, irado which literally means 'angry' is used to mean 'excellent' or 'awesome'.
- In casual Brazilian Portuguese, the word massa meaning 'dough' or 'pasta' is often used as a synonym for excelente.
- To express that something is truly excellent, Brazilians may use the expression está um luxo, which translates to 'it is a luxury'.
Examples in context
- É um vinho excelente.That's an excellent wine.This sentence shows how to describe the quality of wine using excelente.Tatoeba #868952 by alexmarcelo, translation #42313 by CK
- A comida é excelente.The food is excellent.This sentence demonstrates the use of excelente to describe food.Tatoeba #11163567 by carlosalberto, translation #8641309 by CarpeLanam
- Foi um excelente jogo.It was an excellent game.This sentence illustrates how to use excelente when talking about a game.Tatoeba #8176852 by carlosalberto, translation #5064718 by CK
- Seu trabalho é excelente!Your work is excellent!
- O serviço que você oferece é excepcional!The service you provide is exceptional!
- Que trabalho magnífico você fez!What a magnificent job you did!
- A comida neste restaurante é ótima!The food in this restaurant is excellent!
- O concerto foi maravilhoso!The concert was excellent!
- A sua apresentação foi um show de bola!Your performance was excellent!
- 109 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felipe and Mariana are discussing a movie they just watched.
- FelipeO que você achou do filme?What did you think of the movie?
- MarianaEu achei a atuação excelente.I thought the acting was excellent.
- FelipeEu também, a história foi ótima.Me too, the story was great.
- MarianaFoi uma escolha excelente.It was an excellent choice.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “excellent” translations and entries excelente, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
