Portuguese · Nature, Animals & Weather

"Shark" in Portuguese: tubarão

o tubarão

Say it: too-bah-RAH-oongmasculine · o tubarãonoun/tu.ba.ˈɾɐ̃w̃/

Shark in Portuguese is o tubarão. Beach warnings and nature shows use it constantly.

Beach flag

Tem aviso de tubarão nesta praia hoje.
There’s a shark warning on this beach today.
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How to pronounce tubarão

Say it

too-bah-RAH-oong

/tu.ba.ˈɾɐ̃w̃/

too-bah-RAH-oong

"Shark" in Portuguese: quick reference

PortugueseEnglish
o tubarãothe shark

Default noun.

tubarão-brancogreat white shark

Species talk.

ataque de tubarãoshark attack

News headline style.

avistamento de tubarãoshark sighting

Beach alert.

How to use tubarão in real life

  1. 1Beach flag

    Tem aviso de tubarão nesta praia hoje.

    There’s a shark warning on this beach today.

    Safety.

  2. 2Aquarium

    As crianças ficaram olhando o tubarão no tanque.

    The kids kept staring at the shark in the tank.

    Visit.

  3. 3Documentary

    O documentário mostra um tubarão nadando perto do barco.

    The documentary shows a shark swimming near the boat.

    TV.

Mistakes English speakers make with tubarão

Incorrect: A tubarão é enorme.

Correct: O tubarão é enorme.

Tubarão is masculine.

Incorrect: Vi um shark na praia.

Correct: Vi um tubarão na praia.

Use tubarão.

Good to know

Some Brazilian beaches post tubarão alerts seasonally. The word also shows up in team nicknames and playful exaggeration—a tough boss might be called um tubarão in slang.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Reading a beach board

  1. ChatPal

    Esse cartaz fala de tubarão?

    Does that sign talk about sharks?

  2. You

    Fala. Hoje tem risco de tubarão.

    It does. Today there’s shark risk.

  3. ChatPal

    Então a gente fica perto do salva-vidas.

    Then we stay near the lifeguard.

  4. You

    Combinado. Melhor prevenir.

    Deal. Better safe than sorry.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"Shark" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Shark" in Portuguese

Gender?

Masculine: o tubarão.

Plural?

Os tubarões.

Great white?

Tubarão-branco.

Pronunciation?

too-bah-RAH-oong (nasal ão).

Learn a word, then use it out loud

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  3. Step 3: Get feedback
  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

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