Portuguese · Nature, Animals & Weather

"Camel" in Portuguese: camelo

o camelo

Say it: kah-MEH-loomasculine · o camelonoun/ka.ˈme.lu/

Camel in Portuguese is o camelo. Zoos and documentaries use camelo for the animal. Dromedário specifies the one-hump kind when people get technical.

Zoo

O camelo ficou parado perto da cerca.
The camel stood still near the fence.
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How to pronounce camelo

Say it

kah-MEH-loo

/ka.ˈme.lu/

kah-MEH-loo

"Camel" in Portuguese: quick reference

PortugueseEnglish
o camelothe camel

Default noun.

cameloscamels

Plural.

dromedáriodromedary

One-hump camel.

passeio de camelocamel ride

Tourism.

How to use camelo in real life

  1. 1Zoo

    O camelo ficou parado perto da cerca.

    The camel stood still near the fence.

    Sighting.

  2. 2Documentary

    No filme, o camelo atravessa o deserto à noite.

    In the film, the camel crosses the desert at night.

    Media.

  3. 3Kids’ question

    Esse camelo tem uma corcova ou duas?

    Does that camel have one hump or two?

    Curiosity.

Mistakes English speakers make with camelo

Incorrect: A camelo bebeu água.

Correct: O camelo bebeu água.

Camelo is masculine.

Incorrect: Vi um camel ontem.

Correct: Vi um camelo ontem.

Use camelo, not English camel.

Good to know

Camelo is mostly zoo and textbook vocabulary in Brazil. Corcunda/corcova talk teaches humps. Figurative camel idioms are rarer than in English; people just describe the animal.

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At the zoo enclosure

  1. ChatPal

    Olha o camelo comendo feno!

    Look at the camel eating hay!

  2. You

    Ele é enorme. O camelo nem pisca com o flash.

    He’s huge. The camel doesn’t even blink at the flash.

  3. ChatPal

    A placa diz que o camelo veio de um santuário.

    The sign says the camel came from a sanctuary.

  4. You

    Que bom. Vamos ver os outros bichos.

    Nice. Let’s see the other animals.

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"Camel" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Camel" in Portuguese

Gender?

Masculine: o camelo.

Plural?

Os camelos.

One hump?

Often dromedário.

Camel ride?

Passeio de camelo.

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