que golaço!
/ki ɡoˈla.su/word by word
In Portuguese, "what a goal!" is expressed as que golaço!
This phrase is an exclamation used to express admiration for a particularly impressive or skillful goal scored in a game.
What does it mean word for word?
The word golaço is the augmentative form of gol (goal). The suffix -aço is used to denote something large, great or impressive, so the phrase literally means "what a great goal!"
Which one should you use?
While que gol! is grammatically correct, que golaço! is the standard idiomatic exclamation used by fans and commentators to express high admiration for a spectacular goal.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In European Portuguese, you might instead use Que golo fantástico! or Que grande golo!
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ki ɡoˈla.su/. It has three syllables and the stress is on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- In Brazilian social slang, calling someone's action a golaço can refer to a cunning or strategic move in a conversation or relationship, far removed from any sports field.
- The word gol represents a rare instance where Portuguese bypassed its Latin roots to adopt a direct loanword from English to describe the sport.
- The word que in this expression is a distant linguistic relative of the English word 'who', as both descend from the same ancient Proto-Indo-European root.
Examples in context
- Você viu? Que golaço!Did you see? What a goal!
Example conversation
Gabriel and Camila are watching a football match on TV.
- GabrielQue golaço!What a goal!
- CamilaRealmente, foi incrível.Really, it was incredible.
- GabrielO jogador é muito bom.The player is very good.
- CamilaSim, ele joga demais.Yes, he plays amazingly.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (que, golaço) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries golaço, que, CC BY-SA 4.0.
