tempestade
/tẽ.pesˈta.d͡ʒi/
The English word 'thunderstorm' is tempestade in Portuguese.
tempestade is a noun used to describe a storm characterized by thunder and lightning.
Meaning: storm with thunder and lightning (noun)
Which one should you use?
The descriptive phrase tempestade de raios can be used to specifically emphasize a storm involving lightning.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of tempestade is tempestades.
How do you pronounce it?
/tẽ.pesˈta.dʒi/. The word has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- The word tempestade comes from the Latin tempestātem, which originally referred to the 'right time' or 'season' before evolving to mean 'stormy weather'.
- There is a common Brazilian Portuguese expression fazer tempestade em copo d'água, which means to make a big deal out of a small problem.
- In Portuguese, the word for lightning is raio, which also means 'radius' in mathematics, as both describe a straight line extending from a center.
Examples in context
- O telhado da casa foi destruído durante a tempestade.The roof of the house was destroyed during the thunderstorm.This sentence shows how tempestade can be used to describe damage caused by a storm.Tatoeba #13963027 by Gold, translation #13962253 by Ioan_Cristian
- Dwyer diz que embora o fenómeno seja bastante diferente daquele que se vê a relampejar brilhantemente no céu quando há trovoada, os dois tipos de eventos de alta energia podem ser produzidos pelas mesmas tempestades, mas de maneira diferente.Dwyer says that while the phenomenon is quite different from what we see flashing brightly in the sky during a thunderstorm, the two types of high-energy events can be produced by the same storms, but in different ways.This sentence uses tempestade to discuss the scientific relationship between high-energy weather phenomena.Tatoeba #10899253 by Cangarejo, translation #10899252 by Cangarejo
- A tempestade com trovões está se aproximando rapidamente.The thunderstorm is approaching quickly.
- Ontem tivemos uma chuva forte com trovoadas.Yesterday we had a heavy rain with thunderstorms.
- Tomem cuidado, as trovoadas estão ficando mais intensas.Be careful, the thunderstorms are getting more intense.
- A tempestade começou de repente ontem à noite.The thunderstorm started suddenly last night.
Example conversation
Camila and Lucas are looking out the window at the dark sky.
- CamilaOlha aquele céu! Acho que vem aí uma tempestade.Look at that sky! I think a thunderstorm is coming.
- LucasVocê tem razão, Lucas viu os raios ali longe.You are right, Lucas saw the lightning over there.
- CamilaVamos entrar antes que a tempestade comece.Let's go inside before the thunderstorm starts.
- LucasSim, vamos logo para casa.Yes, let's go home quickly.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry tempestade, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tempestade, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
