ou
/o(w)/
The Portuguese word for "or" is ou.
ou is the most common and versatile way to express the conjunction "or" in Portuguese, used to connect two or more alternatives or possibilities. For an informal way to say "or else", you can use the phrase ou então.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In European Portuguese, the word ou is often accompanied by the word seja.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the "either… or…" construction for exclusive alternatives, you can repeat the conjunction ou before each option, forming the structure ou… ou…
How do you pronounce it?
/o(w)/
Did you know?
- If you are in Portugal and hear someone say seja… ou seja…, they are not giving you a choice, but are actually using a set phrase to say 'that is to say'.
- The Latin root aut gave rise to ou, and it specifically denoted an exclusive choice, meaning one option must be rejected for the other to be true.
- In many Portuguese-speaking cultures, a shrug of the shoulders combined with a verbal ou… can imply a sense of 'it doesn't matter to me' more than a literal choice.
Examples in context
- É tudo ou nada.It's either everything or nothing.This example shows how to use ou to express 'either… or' with 'everything' and 'nothing'.Tatoeba #964881 by alexmarcelo, translation #4036841 by eeyinn
- Ser ou não ser?To be or not to be?This example shows how to use ou to connect two states of being.Tatoeba #1265907 by alexmarcelo, translation #789102 by sacredceltic
- Vou ou não vou?Should I stay or should I go?This example shows how to use ou to express a choice between two actions.Tatoeba #5020228 by bill, translation #3185201 by CK
- Eu posso escolher café ou chá?Can I choose coffee or tea?
- Preencha o formulário, caso contrário sua inscrição não será válida.Fill out the form, otherwise your application will not be valid.
- Quer pizza ou hambúrguer?Do you want pizza or a burger?
- Vamos ao cinema ou então podemos jantar fora.Let's go to the cinema, or else we can have dinner out.
- 2615 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felipe and Camila are deciding what to eat for lunch.
- FelipeVocê quer pizza ou hambúrguer?Do you want pizza or a hamburger?
- CamilaEu prefiro pizza.I prefer pizza.
- FelipePodemos pedir agora ou depois?Can we order now or later?
- CamilaVamos pedir agora, Felipe.Let's order now, Felipe.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ou, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ou, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
