fita-cola
To say sellotape in Portuguese, use fita-cola.
Meaning: seal with adhesive tape (verb)
Which one should you use?
In Brazil, it is common to refer to sellotape as fita durex.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term fita cola is commonly used in Portugal and some parts of Brazil.
Did you know?
- In Brazil, the word fita is a linguistic shapeshifter that can mean a decorative 'ribbon' for a gift, a piece of adhesive tape, or even a physical 'tape' used in old-fashioned cassette recordings.
- The Portuguese term fita-cola is quite literal, as it combines fita, meaning 'ribbon', with cola, meaning 'glue', to create a 'glue-ribbon'.
- While fita-cola is standard in Portugal, using it in Brazil may cause a listener to think you are referring to specialized industrial tape.
Examples in context
- Eu preciso comprar uma fita adesiva para consertar o papel.I need to buy some sellotape to fix the paper.
- Alguém tem fita cola? Preciso colar esses papéis.Does anyone have sellotape? I need to stick these papers together.
- Vou pegar a fita durex para prender o cartaz na parede.I'll get the sellotape to secure the poster to the wall.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Mariana are wrapping a gift together.
- GabrielMariana, podes fita-cola o embrulho?Mariana, can you sellotape the wrap?
- MarianaSim, mas onde está a fita?Yes, but where is the tape?
- GabrielEstá aqui em cima da mesa.It is here on top of the table.
- MarianaPronto, já está a fita-cola.Done, it is sellotaped now.
