feriado
/fe.ɾiˈa.du/
The Portuguese word for holiday is feriado.
feriado refers to a public holiday or a specific single day off from work. While you might use the word festa to refer to a holiday in the context of a celebration, feriado is the standard term for the calendar event itself.
Meaning: period of one or more days taken off work for leisure and often travel (noun)
Which one should you use?
Use feriado specifically for a public holiday or a single day off. This is different from férias, which refers to a longer period of annual leave or a vacation. For an informal way to describe an extended period of time off or a long weekend, you can use feriadão.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of feriado is feriados.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable: /fe.ɾiˈa.du/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use feriado to mean a long vacation, such as a two-week trip. In Portuguese, you should use férias instead to describe an extended period of leave.
Did you know?
- The word feriado shares a distant ancestor with the English word 'deity'. Both originate from the Proto-Indo-European root *dhēs- which referred to a god or godhead.
- Brazil has a complex system of municipal, state and federal feriados. This means a day might be a feriado in one city but a normal working day in the city next door.
- When a feriado falls on a weekend, Brazilians often discuss the compensação. This refers to the debate over whether the day off should be 'compensated' by moving it to a weekday.
Examples in context
- Tive um bom feriado.I had a good holiday.This sentence is useful for describing a past holiday using feriado.Tatoeba #3489638 by piterkeo, translation #2547942 by CK
- Tenha um bom feriado.Have a nice holiday.This sentence is useful for wishing someone a nice holiday using feriado.Tatoeba #1291683 by alexmarcelo, translation #273948 by CK
- Como você passou o feriado?How did you spend your holiday?This sentence is useful for asking how someone spent their holiday using feriado.Tatoeba #732395 by brauliobezerra, translation #724978 by Eldad
- Amanhã é feriado nacional.Tomorrow is a national holiday.
- A cidade está em festa.The city is celebrating.
- Vamos aproveitar a folga para viajar.Let's take advantage of the holiday to travel.
- Onde você vai passar o feriadão?Where are you going to spend the long weekend?
- Vamos aproveitar o dia de folga para relaxar.Let's take advantage of the day off to relax.
- Boas festas!Happy holidays!
- O Natal é um feriado especial para reunir a família e celebrar juntos.Christmas is a special holiday to gather with family and celebrate together.
- 40 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Camila and Felipe are talking about their upcoming long weekend.
- CamilaVocê sabe se o feriado é prolongado?Do you know if the holiday is a long weekend?
- FelipeSim, o feriado começa na sexta.Yes, the holiday starts on Friday.
- CamilaQue ótimo! Vamos descansar muito.That's great! We are going to rest a lot.
- FelipeCom certeza, Camila.For sure, Camila.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry feriado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries feriado, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
