hospital
/os.piˈtaw/masculine
The English phrase 'hospital' is hospital in Portuguese.
hospital is the standard and most commonly used term for a large medical facility in Portuguese.
Meaning: large medical facility (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Brazil, the term pronto-socorro is used specifically to refer to a hospital's emergency department.
How does it change in a sentence?
hospital is a masculine noun. When saying 'the hospital', you must use the masculine article o instead of the feminine a. To form the plural, add -ais to the end of the word to get hospitais.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has three syllables: /os.piˈtaw/. The stress is on the third syllable.
Did you know?
- The Portuguese word hospital shares the same ancient root as the English word 'host', both originating from the Proto-Indo-European word for 'stranger' or 'guest'.
- While hospital is the general term, Brazilians frequently use UPA as a shorthand for a specific type of public emergency unit called Unidade de Pronto Atendimento.
- The Portuguese letter h is always silent at the start of words, so hospital is pronounced as if it begins with the vowel 'o'.
Examples in context
- Onde é o hospital?Where is the hospital?This sentence is useful for asking for the location of the hospital.Tatoeba #2063700 by MarlonX19, translation #2063647 by CC
- Não é um hospital.It isn't a hospital.This sentence is useful for using the hospital in a negative statement.Tatoeba #7762180 by pedrolima, translation #756502 by CM
- Isto é um hospital.This is a hospital.This sentence is useful for using the hospital in a positive statement.Tatoeba #2616227 by marcospcruz, translation #61614 by adjusting
- Desculpe-me, mas onde fica o hospital mais próximo?Excuse me, where is the nearest hospital?
- Você poderia me indicar o caminho para o hospital?Could you show me the way to the hospital?
- Meu irmão está no hospital.My brother is in the hospital.
- Minha amiga foi internada no hospital.My friend was admitted to the hospital.
- Eu preciso ir ao hospital para fazer exames.I need to go to the hospital to have tests done.
- Eles têm um bom atendimento no hospital.They have good service at the hospital.
- 413 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Camila and Gabriel are discussing where to go for an emergency.
- CamilaO hospital está muito longe daqui.The hospital is very far from here.
- GabrielEu posso levar você até o hospital.I can take you to the hospital.
- CamilaObrigada, Gabriel, você é muito gentil.Thank you, Gabriel, you are very kind.
- GabrielNão tem de quê, Camila.You're welcome, Camila.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hospital” translations and entries hospital, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hospital, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
