Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| festa | /ˈfɛs.tɐ/ (Brazil) /ˈfɛʃ.tɐ/ (Rio de Janeiro) |
feminine |
| balada | /baˈla.dɐ/ (Brazil) /bɐˈla.dɐ/ (Portugal) |
feminine |
The word festa is a versatile term used for any kind of celebration, ranging from a child's birthday party to a religious festival. If you want to say to throw or give a party, you can use the phrase dar uma festa and to go to a party, use ir a uma festa. To describe a fun and energetic atmosphere, you can use the adjective animado or animada. If you are talking about the unpleasant feeling after a night of excessive partying, the word is ressaca. Related verbs to celebrate at a party include festejar and festar.
Which one should you use?
While festa refers to a general party or celebration, balada is an informal term often used to refer specifically to a night out or going to a nightclub.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Festa is the most common and general term. For a more colloquial tone, you might use festança to describe a big, festive gathering. In Brazil, the slang term pegação can be used to describe a flirtatious or hook-up party.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the northeastern region of Brazil, the term arrasta-pé refers to a lively party featuring traditional regional music and dances.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Both festa and balada are feminine nouns. The plural of festa is festas.
How do you pronounce it?
{'ipa': '/ˈfɛs.tɐ/', 'syllables': 2, 'stressed_syllable': '1 of 2'}
When do people say it?
To wish someone a good time, you can say Boa festa! to mean 'Have a great party!'
Did you know?
- The word ressaca, which means the hangover felt after a party, is also the Portuguese word for a riptide or a strong sea swell.
- The word balada is a linguistic relative of the English word 'ballad'. Both stem from the Late Latin ballāre, which means 'to dance'.
- The adjective animado used to describe a party comes from the word anima, meaning 'soul' or 'breath'.
Examples in context
- É a sua festa.It's your party.This sentence demonstrates the use of festa to indicate possession.Tatoeba #3808090 by muriloricci, translation #2249387 by CK
- Onde é a festa?Where's the party?This sentence shows how to ask for the location of the festa.Tatoeba #5100451 by ToinhoAlam, translation #687686 by lukaszpp
- A festa é hoje.The party is today.This sentence uses festa to specify when the event occurs.Tatoeba #10515864 by Ricardo14, translation #5506418 by mailohilohi
- Vamos organizar uma festa de aniversário!Let's organize a birthday party!
- O escritório está organizando um evento de confraternização.The office is organizing a holiday party.
- Vamos sair para uma boate hoje à noite?Are we going to a nightclub tonight?
- A família organizou uma festança para celebrar o casamento.The family organized a big party to celebrate the wedding.
- Hoje vai ter uma pegação na casa do Pedro.There's going to be a hook-up party at Pedro's house tonight.
- Vamos dançar um forró no arrasta-pé.Let's dance forró at the arrasta-pé.
- Vou dar uma festa de aniversário surpresa.I'm going to throw a surprise birthday party.
- Vamos ir a uma festa na praia neste fim de semana.Let's go to a party at the beach this weekend.
- A festa estava muito animada, com música e dança.The party was lively, with music and dancing.
- Ele tem uma ressaca terrível depois da festa de ontem.He has a terrible hangover after last night's party.
- 699 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Juliana and Rodrigo are talking about their weekend plans.
- JulianaVocê quer ir à festa?Do you want to go to the party?
- RodrigoEu adoraria, mas estou cansado.I would love to, but I am tired.
- JulianaA festa vai ser muito boa.The party is going to be very good.
- RodrigoTalvez eu vá mais tarde.Maybe I will go later.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “party” translations and entries festa, balada, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries balada, festa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
