Portuguese · Nature, Animals & Weather

"Rainbow" in Portuguese: arco-íris

o arco-íris

Say it: AR-koo EE-reesmasculine · o arco-írisnoun/ˈo aʁ.ko.ˈ-i.ɾis/

A rainbow in Portuguese is o arco-íris. Keep the hyphen and the accent: depois da chuva saiu um arco-íris.

After a squall

Olha o arco-íris em cima do prédio!
Look at the rainbow above the building!
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How to pronounce arco-íris

Say it

AR-koo EE-rees

/ˈo aʁ.ko.ˈ-i.ɾis/

AR-koo EE-rees

"Rainbow" in Portuguese: quick reference

PortugueseEnglish
o arco-íristhe rainbow

Default noun.

um arco-írisa rainbow

Spotting one.

arco-íris duplodouble rainbow

Rare treat.

cores do arco-írisrainbow colors

Kids and design talk.

How to use arco-íris in real life

  1. 1After a squall

    Olha o arco-íris em cima do prédio!

    Look at the rainbow above the building!

    Street spotting.

  2. 2Kids' drawing

    Ela pintou um arco-íris enorme no caderno.

    She painted a huge rainbow in the notebook.

    Art.

  3. 3Beach walk

    Saiu um arco-íris fraco no horizonte.

    A faint rainbow appeared on the horizon.

    Weather.

Mistakes English speakers make with arco-íris

Incorrect: Olha o rainbow.

Correct: Olha o arco-íris.

Use arco-íris with hyphen and accent.

Incorrect: A arco-íris apareceu.

Correct: O arco-íris apareceu.

Arco-íris is masculine.

Good to know

Brazilians point and shout Olha o arco-íris! the same way English speakers do. Pride events also borrow the rainbow image, but the weather noun stays o arco-íris.

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Spotting a rainbow after rain

  1. ChatPal

    Você viu o arco-íris?

    Did you see the rainbow?

  2. You

    Vi! Que arco-íris lindo.

    I did! What a beautiful rainbow.

  3. ChatPal

    Tira uma foto do arco-íris antes sumir.

    Take a photo of the rainbow before it fades.

  4. You

    tirei.

    I already did.

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"Rainbow" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Rainbow" in Portuguese

Hyphen required?

Yes in standard spelling: arco-íris.

Gender?

Masculine—o arco-íris.

Plural?

Os arcos-íris.

Double rainbow?

Arco-íris duplo.

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