Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA |
|---|---|
| rude | /ˈʁu.d͡ʒi/ (Brazil) /ˈʁu.d͡ʒi/ (Rio de Janeiro) |
| estúpido | /isˈtu.pi.du/ (Brazil) /esˈtu.pi.du/ (Brazil) |
| grosso | /ˈɡɾo.su/ (Brazil) /ˈɡɾo.su/ (Portugal) |
The word rude is used to describe someone who has bad manners.
Which one should you use?
rude is used for general bad manners, whereas grosso is a common colloquial way to describe someone who is blunt, insensitive or lacks social grace. Additionally, while estúpido can mean 'stupid' in English, in Portuguese it is often used to mean someone who is extremely rude or offensive.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective rude is invariable in gender, so it stays the same whether you are describing a man or a woman. In contrast, the other forms must agree with the subject: grosso becomes grossa for feminine subjects and estúpido becomes estúpida for feminine subjects.
How do you pronounce it?
The word rude is pronounced /ˈʁu.dʒi/. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.
Did you know?
- In many Portuguese-speaking cultures, being grosso is often seen as a lack of 'educação', which translates to 'education' but refers specifically to 'good manners' and 'upbringing'.
- The word rude is a 'false friend' because, while it looks like the English 'rude', in Portuguese it often describes something primitive, unrefined, or unprocessed, such as a 'rude' tool or an unpolished stone.
- The word grosso shares its Latin root grossus with the English 'gross', but in Portuguese, the connection to 'bad manners' refers more to a lack of refinement than to something being disgusting.
Examples in context
- Ele é rude, né?He's rude, isn't he?This example shows how to confirm a person's rudeness using 'rude'.Tatoeba #12363345 by piterkeo, translation #8526176 by CH
- Tom é muito rude.Tom is very rude.This example illustrates the intensity of the word 'rude' when describing Tom.Tatoeba #3708896 by Ricardo14, translation #2273606 by CK
- Isso foi muito rude.That's so rude.This example uses 'rude' to describe a specific action or situation.Tatoeba #4935968 by Ricardo14, translation #2257404 by CK
- Ele foi muito desrespeitoso durante a reunião.He was very rude during the meeting.
- Achei o comportamento dele grosseiro e inadequado.I found his behavior rude and inappropriate.
- Aquele garoto foi muito malcriado com a professora.That boy was very rude to the teacher.
- Ele sempre faz comentários chatos nas redes sociais.He always makes rude comments on social media.
- Aquele rapaz foi muito mal-educado com o atendente da loja.That guy was very rude to the store clerk.
- 35 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mariana tells Rodrigo about a bad experience at a store.
- MarianaO vendedor foi muito rude comigo.The salesman was very rude to me.
- RodrigoSério? O que ele fez?Really? What did he do?
- MarianaEle nem me cumprimentou, foi rude.He didn't even greet me, it was rude.
- RodrigoQue absurdo, Rodrigo não aceita isso.That's absurd, Rodrigo doesn't accept that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rude” translations and entries rude, estúpido, grosso, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries estúpido, grosso, rude, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
