professor
/pɾo.feˈsoʁ/
The English word 'professor' is translated into Portuguese as professor.
In Portuguese, professor refers to any teacher or faculty member at a college or university, regardless of their formal rank. This differs from English, where 'professor' is often a specific high-ranking academic title.
Meaning: teacher or faculty member at a college or university, regardless of formal rank (noun)
Which one should you use?
In Portuguese, 'professor' refers to any teacher or lecturer, whereas in English, 'professor' is often reserved for high-ranking faculty members.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Brazil, it is common to use professora as a term of address for women regardless of whether they hold a doctoral degree.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word changes to professora to indicate a female professor, and the plural form is professores.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable: /pɾo.feˈsoʁ/.
Did you know?
- In many Portuguese-speaking academic settings, students do not call their instructors by their names, but simply use the title professor or professora as a direct form of address.
- In some academic settings, a student might address a professor as mestre, which means 'master', to acknowledge a specific level of postgraduate study.
- The Portuguese word professor shares the same Latin root as the English 'profess', implying one who 'professes' or declares a belief or knowledge publicly.
Examples in context
- O meu irmão é professor.My brother is a professor.This sentence is useful for stating a person's profession using professor.Tatoeba #873459 by alexmarcelo, translation #873456 by CM
- O professor ensina tcheco.The professor teaches Czech.This sentence is useful for describing what a professor teaches.Tatoeba #873658 by alexmarcelo, translation #873656 by shekitten
- Tom é professor de química.Tom is a chemistry professor.This sentence is useful for specifying a subject for a professor.Tatoeba #4360591 by ajdavidl, translation #2956996 by CK
- Eu tenho aula com o professor Silva.I have class with Professor Silva.
- Excelente palestra, professora!Excellent lecture, professor!
- Olha, o prof chegou atrasado de novo.Look, the prof is late again.
- Ei, prof, pode nos ajudar a entender esse tópico?Hey, prof, can you help us understand this topic?
- 122 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Juliana are discussing their university classes.
- GabrielVocê gosta do seu novo professor?Do you like your new professor?
- JulianaSim, o professor é muito inteligente.Yes, the professor is very intelligent.
- GabrielEle é professor de qual matéria?Which subject is he a professor of?
- JulianaEle é professor de história da arte.He is an art history professor.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry professor, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries professor, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
