Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| prisioneiro | /pɾi.zi.oˈne(j).ɾu/ (Brazil) /pɾi.zjoˈne(j).ɾu/ (Brazil) |
masculine |
| preso | /ˈpɾe.zu/ (Brazil) /ˈpɾe.zu/ (Portugal) |
masculine |
The term refers to a person incarcerated in a prison. While prisioneiro is a standard term, preso refers specifically to a person who is detained or incarcerated. Detento is used to describe someone in detention or serving a sentence. Additionally, recluso is a formal term equivalent to prisoner.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Brazil, presidiário is a common expression for prisoner.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form prisioneiro changes to prisioneira when referring to a female prisoner. For the word preso, the masculine plural form is presos, which refers to a group of male prisoners or a mixed-gender group. The feminine form presa becomes presas when referring to a plural group of female prisoners.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of prisioneiro is /pɾi.zi.oˈne(j).ɾu/. It has 5 syllables, with the stress on the 4th syllable.
Did you know?
- The word preso can also mean 'curdled' when referring to milk or 'set' when referring to a gelatin or jelly.
- The phrase estar preso is commonly used in a non-criminal way to say someone is 'stuck' in traffic, known as preso no trânsito.
- The word preso is also the past participle of the verb prender, which means 'to fasten' or 'to tie'. Because of this, preso can describe anything from a prisoner to a button sewn onto a shirt.
Examples in context
- Você é um prisioneiro?Are you a prisoner?Tatoeba #4483887 by ajdavidl, translation #2648166 by CK
- Tom é meu prisioneiro.Tom is my prisoner.Tatoeba #5023458 by ajdavidl, translation #2647944 by CK
- Você é meu prisioneiro.You are my prisoner.Tatoeba #3489964 by piterkeo, translation #2547998 by CK
- O preso será julgado amanhã no tribunal.The prisoner will be tried tomorrow in court.
- O preso fugiu novamente!The prisoner escaped again!
- 29 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Mariana are discussing a news report about a crime.
- LucasVocê viu a notícia sobre o prisioneiro?Did you see the news about the prisoner?
- MarianaVi, sim. Ele é um prisioneiro perigoso?I did. Is he a dangerous prisoner?
- LucasO guarda disse que ele é calmo.The guard said that he is calm.
- MarianaQue bom que ele é tranquilo.It's good that he is peaceful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “prisoner” translations and entries prisioneiro, preso, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
