
First Published: 10th of January, 2020 by Patrick Carpen.
Last updated: January 10, 2021 at 13:53 pmBrazilians have an expression that covers several English words: annoying, boring, turnoff…and a few others. The word is:
Chato (masculine) or Chata (feminine)
I’ve lived in Brazil for over a decade, and I’ve heard this word being used on numerous occassions, yet I can’t find an English word that directly corresponds to it. That is because the word has a broad meaning.
Here are some examples.
Este lugar e muito chato. This place is very boring.
Eu nao gosto dessa menino. Ele e muito chato. I don’t like this boy. He is very annoying.
The word “chato” may refer to people, places or things.
A derivative of the word “chato” is “chateado.” Example: Eu estou muito cheatado com voce.
That could translate to:
I’m very upset with you. Or
I’m very angry with you.
The oppositive of “chato” is “legal” (pronounced lehgal).
Legal in Portuguese means cool, fun, exciting, agreeable and a variety of similar meanings.
Here are some examples:
Ele e muito legal. He is very cool.
Este cidade e legal. This city is awesome!
Que legal! How cool!