Portuguese · Time, Numbers & Colors
"Red" in Portuguese: vermelho/a
vermelho/a
Red in Portuguese is vermelho (ver-MAY-lyoo). Like most colors, it changes to match the noun: um carro vermelho, uma camisa vermelha, and vermelhos or vermelhas in the plural. The color itself is o vermelho, as in O vermelho é minha cor favorita.
In a clothing store
Você tem essa blusa em vermelho? A azul não ficou boa.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce vermelho/a
Say it
ver-MAY-lyoo
/veʁˈmeʎu/
Stress the middle syllable: ver-MAY-lyoo, with a short, pure e and no glide at the end. The lh sounds like the "lli" in "million". In Lisbon you will often hear ver-MAH-lyoo instead.
"Red" in Portuguese: quick reference
| Portuguese | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| vermelho / vermelha | red The default word. It agrees with the noun. | The default word. It agrees with the noun. |
| vermelhos / vermelhas | red (plural) For more than one thing: sapatos vermelhos, flores vermelhas. | For more than one thing: sapatos vermelhos, flores vermelhas. |
| vinho | wine-red, burgundy Used for clothes, and it never changes: uma blusa vinho. | Used for clothes, and it never changes: uma blusa vinho. |
| ruivo / ruiva | red-haired For hair and people with red hair, never vermelho. | For hair and people with red hair, never vermelho. |
| o sinal vermelho | red light A traffic light on red. In São Paulo, a traffic light is also o farol. | A traffic light on red. In São Paulo, a traffic light is also o farol. |
How to use vermelho/a in real life
- 1In a clothing store
Você tem essa blusa em vermelho? A azul não ficou boa.
Do you have this top in red? The blue one didn't look good.
After em, the color is a noun, so it stays in the masculine: em vermelho.
- 2Crossing the street
Cuidado, o sinal está vermelho!
Careful, the light is red!
Sinal is the common Brazilian word for a traffic light, alongside semáforo.
- 3At the street market
Quero um quilo de tomates bem vermelhos, por favor.
I'd like a kilo of really red tomatoes, please.
Bem before an adjective means "really". Vermelhos matches tomates, which is masculine plural.
Mistakes English speakers make with vermelho/a
Incorrect: Comprei uma bolsa vermelho.
Correct: Comprei uma bolsa vermelha.
Bolsa (bag) is feminine, so the color takes -a. Colors that end in -o always change like this.
Incorrect: Ela tem cabelo vermelho.
Correct: Ela é ruiva. / Ela tem cabelo ruivo.
Portuguese has a special word for red hair: ruivo or ruiva. Cabelo vermelho sounds like hair dyed bright red.
Good to know
Brazil is named after a red dye. Early Portuguese traders cut down pau-brasil, a tree whose wood gave a deep red color, and the word brasil is linked to brasa, a glowing ember. Red also shows up in everyday phrases: ficar vermelho means to blush, as in Fiquei vermelho de vergonha (I went red with embarrassment).
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Planning outfits for a party this Saturday
ChatPal
Sábado tem festa junina na escola! Você vai de camisa xadrez vermelha?
There's a June festival at the school on Saturday! Are you wearing a red plaid shirt?
You
Vou, sim! Tenho uma camisa vermelha e um chapéu de palha.
Yes! I have a red shirt and a straw hat.
ChatPal
Perfeito. A festa começa às seis da tarde. Te pego às cinco e meia?
Perfect. The party starts at six p.m. Shall I pick you up at five thirty?
You
Combinado! Vou estar de vermelho, fácil de achar.
Deal! I'll be in red, easy to spot.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"Red" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "Red" in Portuguese
Does vermelho change for feminine nouns?
Yes. Use vermelho with masculine nouns and vermelha with feminine ones: o carro vermelho, a maçã vermelha. Colors like azul and verde don't change for gender, only for plural.
How do you say "red hair" in Portuguese?
Say cabelo ruivo, or describe the person: ele é ruivo, ela é ruiva. Vermelho is for things like cars, clothes, and apples.
What does ficar vermelho mean?
It means to turn red in the face, from embarrassment, heat, or anger. A woman would say fiquei vermelha, and a man fiquei vermelho.
Is vermelho pronounced the same in Brazil and Portugal?
Not quite. Brazilians say ver-MAY-lyoo, with a clear "oo" at the end. In Lisbon the stressed e often sounds more like "ah", and the final o is very weak, so it sounds closer to ver-MAH-ly.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
