porco
/ˈpoʁ.ku/masculine
The English word 'nasty' can be translated into Portuguese as porco. If unsure, use porco. Wiktionary also lists imundo.
Meaning: dirty, filthy (adj)
Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| porco | /ˈpoʁ.ku/ (Brazil) /ˈpoɾ.ku/ (São Paulo) |
masculine |
| imundo | /iˈmũ.du/ (Brazil) /iˈmũ.du/ (Portugal) |
masculine |
In the sense of being dirty or filthy, Portuguese uses different words depending on whether you are describing someone's habits or their physical state of hygiene.
Which one should you use?
While both porco and imundo mean nasty, porco is often used to describe someone's habits or a messy person. In contrast, imundo emphasizes an extreme lack of hygiene or physical filth.
How does it change in a sentence?
The forms change based on gender: the feminine form of porco is porca, and the feminine form of imundo is imunda.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈpoʁ.ku/
Did you know?
- The word porco is the root for several Portuguese slang terms regarding betrayal or dishonesty. To act like a porco can imply a lack of integrity in a social or romantic relationship.
- Calling someone porco in Portuguese can go beyond hygiene to describe someone who is greedy or lacks manners. It is often used to criticize someone who eats messily or takes more than their fair share.
- The term porco comes from the Latin word porcus, which originally referred to a young swine or young pig.
Examples in context
- O cheiro do lixo está desagradável hoje.The smell of the garbage is nasty today.
- O gosto desta comida é repugnante.The taste of this food is nasty.
- Aquele inseto é asqueroso!That insect is nasty!
- Que coisa nojenta! Não acredito que ele fez isso.That's a nasty thing! I can't believe he did that.
- Ele é um cara escroto, não confie nele.He is a nasty guy, don't trust him.
- Aquela situação foi pavorosa, prefiro não lembrar.That situation was nasty, I prefer not to remember.
- Ele está muito porco hoje.He is very dirty today.
- O quarto dele está porco.His room is filthy.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Juliana are talking about a messy room.
- JulianaGabriel, o seu quarto está muito porco!Gabriel, your room is very dirty!
- GabrielEu sei, eu preciso limpar.I know, I need to clean it.
- JulianaVocê é um homem muito porco.You are a very dirty man.
- GabrielEu prometo que vou arrumar tudo.I promise I will tidy everything up.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nasty” translations and entries porco, imundo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries imundo, porco, CC BY-SA 4.0.
