feio
masculine, Portugal
In Portugal "ugly" is feio for a masculine noun and feia for a feminine one. Horrível is a stronger word meaning "horrible".
Meaning: unattractive (adjective)
Ways to say it
| Portuguese | Note |
|---|---|
| feio | masculine, Portugal |
| feia | feminine, Portugal |
| horrível | stronger |
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective agrees with the noun, so you say um carro feio and uma casa feia. The plurals are feios and feias.
How do you pronounce it?
In European Portuguese the unstressed vowels are reduced, so feio sounds close to "FAY-oo".
What mistakes should you avoid?
Feio can sound rude when said about a person. Many speakers soften it with não é muito bonito, meaning "it is not very pretty".
Did you know?
- The opposite of feio is bonito, and both change their ending to -a for feminine nouns.
Examples in context
- Aquele edifício é muito feio.That building is very ugly.
- A camisola é feia, mas confortável.The sweater is ugly, but comfortable.
- O tempo está horrível hoje.The weather is horrible today.
Example conversation
Rita and her brother Tiago look at an old sofa in a second-hand shop in Lisbon.
- RitaOlha este sofá. É feio, não é?Look at this sofa. It is ugly, isn't it?
- TiagoÉ feio, sim, mas é barato.It is ugly, yes, but it is cheap.
- RitaPois, mas eu prefiro outro.True, but I prefer another one.
