Portuguese · Travel & Getting Around

"Border" in Portuguese: fronteira

a fronteira

Say it: fron-TAY-rahfeminine · a fronteiranoun/fɾõ.ˈtej.ɾa/

Border in Portuguese is a fronteira. Say cruzar a fronteira for cross the border and cidade de fronteira for a border town.

Road trip

Vamos atravessar a fronteira de carro cedo.
We’re crossing the border by car early.
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How to pronounce fronteira

Say it

fron-TAY-rah

/fɾõ.ˈtej.ɾa/

fron-TAY-rah

"Border" in Portuguese: quick reference

PortugueseEnglish
a fronteirathe border

Default noun.

cruzar a fronteirato cross the border

Travel.

controle de fronteiraborder control

Checkpoint.

cidade de fronteiraborder town

Place type.

How to use fronteira in real life

  1. 1Road trip

    Vamos atravessar a fronteira de carro cedo.

    We’re crossing the border by car early.

    Plan.

  2. 2Documents

    Na fronteira pediram o passaporte de novo.

    At the border they asked for the passport again.

    Check.

  3. 3News headline

    A fila na fronteira está enorme hoje.

    The line at the border is huge today.

    Delay.

Mistakes English speakers make with fronteira

Incorrect: O fronteira está fechada.

Correct: A fronteira está fechada.

Fronteira is feminine.

Incorrect: Cruzamos a border ontem.

Correct: Cruzamos a fronteira ontem.

Use fronteira, not English border.

Good to know

Brazil’s land fronteiras with neighbors mean busy crossings for shopping day trips. Airports use imigração more than fronteira. Paperwork patience is part of the culture at land posts.

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Approaching a land crossing

  1. ChatPal

    A fronteira abre às seis?

    Does the border open at six?

  2. You

    Abre. Quero chegar na fronteira sem fila.

    It does. I want to reach the border without a line.

  3. ChatPal

    Levei os papéis do carro para a fronteira.

    I brought the car papers for the border.

  4. You

    Perfeito. Eu dirijo o trecho final.

    Perfect. I’ll drive the last stretch.

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"Border" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Border" in Portuguese

Gender?

Feminine: a fronteira.

Cross the border?

Cruzar / atravessar a fronteira.

Border control?

Controle de fronteira / imigração.

Border town?

Cidade de fronteira.

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