How to Say “Cool” in Portuguese

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legal
/leˈɡaw/
The English phrase 'cool' can be translated to Portuguese as legal.
In Portuguese, legal is a common and versatile way to say 'cool'. While the word can literally mean something relating to law, it is most commonly used in Brazil as slang for 'cool' or 'nice'.
Meaning: having a slightly low temperature (adj)

Which one should you use?

While 'legal' is used for the slang meaning of 'cool' (pleasant/nice), frio is used for the literal temperature meaning of 'cold'.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

Legal is informal. If you want to use a colloquial synonym, you might use bacana to mean 'cool' or 'great'. To express something is 'awesome' or 'neat', younger speakers often use maneiro. In Brazil, the idiomatic expression da hora is also used to describe something cool or enjoyable. The word Interessante can convey a sense of something being cool or unique.

Is it said differently in some regions?

In Portugal, the word fixe is used to mean 'cool'.

How does it change in a sentence?

The adjective legal is invariable for gender and remains legal whether describing a masculine or feminine noun. However, it must agree in number with the noun it modifies, changing to legais for plural nouns.

How do you pronounce it?

/leˈɡaw/

What mistakes should you avoid?

English speakers may be confused by the literal meaning of legal (relating to law), but in Brazil, it is most commonly used as slang for 'cool' or 'nice'.

Did you know?

  • The word legal comes from the Latin 'lēgālis', which means 'relating to law', making its slang usage a total semantic shift from its root.
  • In many Brazilian contexts, if you say legal! as a one-word response, you are not just saying 'cool', you are often expressing 'That is fine' or 'Agreed'.
  • The expression da hora literally translates to 'of the hour', but it is used in Brazil to mean something is 'awesome' or 'cool'.

Examples in context

  • É legal, não é?
    It's cool, isn't it?
    This sentence shows how to use legal in a question.
    Tatoeba #3490252 by piterkeo, translation #2548183 by CK
  • Sua mãe é legal.
    Your mom is cool.
    This sentence uses legal to describe a person.
    Tatoeba #3433624 by piterkeo, translation #3431205 by CK
  • Tom é tão legal.
    Tom is so cool.
    This sentence uses legal to emphasize how cool someone is.
    Tatoeba #5609431 by bill, translation #2649095 by CK
  • A nova série da Netflix é muito legal
    The new Netflix series is very cool
  • A festa ontem foi muito maneira!
    The party yesterday was really cool!
  • Aquele show foi muito da hora!
    That concert was really cool!
  • A praia estava massa hoje
    The beach was cool today
  • A nova música do artista é mesmo fixe
    The artist's new song is really cool
  • 90 more sentences on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Beatriz and Gabriel are discussing the temperature of a drink.

  1. Beatriz

    Essa água está bem legal.
    This water is quite cool.
  2. Gabriel

    Você quer gelo também?
    Do you want ice too?
  3. Beatriz

    Não, assim já está legal.
    No, it's cool enough like this.
  4. Gabriel

    Tudo bem, Beatriz.
    All right, Beatriz.

Sources

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Hailey Diane
Hailey DianeHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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