Portuguese · Home, Clothes & Daily Life

"Light" in Portuguese: luz

a luz

Say it: loozfeminine · a luznoun/ˈlus/

Light in Portuguese is a luz when you mean illumination. Ask Pode acender a luz? or complain A luz caiu during a blackout.

Dark hallway

Pode acender a luz do corredor, por favor?
Can you turn on the hallway light, please?
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How to pronounce luz

Say it

looz

/ˈlus/

looz. One syllable, closed u.

"Light" in Portuguese: quick reference

PortugueseEnglish
a luzthe light

Illumination / lamp light.

acender a luzto turn on the light

Entering a room.

apagar a luzto turn off the light

Leaving or sleeping.

conta de luzelectricity bill

Household talk.

luz naturalnatural light

Windows and photos.

How to use luz in real life

  1. 1Dark hallway

    Pode acender a luz do corredor, por favor?

    Can you turn on the hallway light, please?

    Acender a luz is the switch request.

  2. 2Power cut

    A luz caiu bem na hora do jantar.

    The lights went out right at dinner time.

    A luz caiu = blackout.

  3. 3Apartment hunt

    Esse quarto tem pouca luz de manhã.

    This bedroom gets little light in the morning.

    Daylight quality.

Mistakes English speakers make with luz

Incorrect: O luz está forte.

Correct: A luz está forte.

Luz is feminine: a luz.

Incorrect: Turn on the light, please — em inglês só.

Correct: Acende a luz, por favor.

Use acender a luz in Portuguese.

Good to know

Conta de luz is everyday bill talk across Brazil. In informal speech a luz caiu means the power went out, not that a lamp fell. For lightweight as an adjective, Brazilians usually say leve, not luz.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Settling into a hotel room

  1. ChatPal

    A luz do banheiro pisca um pouco.

    The bathroom light flickers a bit.

  2. You

    Vou pedir outra lâmpada na recepção.

    I’ll ask reception for another bulb.

  3. ChatPal

    Enquanto isso, deixa a luz da sala acesa.

    Meanwhile, leave the living-room light on.

  4. You

    Beleza. A luz da cama basta para ler.

    Okay. The bed light is enough to read.

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"Light" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Light" in Portuguese

Luz or leve?

Luz is light as illumination; leve is lightweight.

How do I turn it on?

Acender a luz.

Electricity bill?

Conta de luz.

Gender?

Feminine: a luz.

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