Portuguese · Time, Numbers & Colors

"Zero" in Portuguese: zero

zero

Say it: ZEH-roonumber/ˈze.ɾu/

Zero in Portuguese is zero. In phone numbers digitals say zero clearly. Do zero means from scratch.

Score

O jogo terminou zero a zero.
The game ended zero to zero.
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How to pronounce zero

Say it

ZEH-roo

/ˈze.ɾu/

ZEH-roo. Stress on ZEH.

"Zero" in Portuguese: quick reference

PortugueseEnglish
zerozero

Number.

do zerofrom scratch / from zero

Idiom.

zero quilômetrosbrand-new (0 km)

Cars.

zero chanceno chance (loan feel)

Informal emphasis.

zerarto zero out / reset

Related verb.

How to use zero in real life

  1. 1Score

    O jogo terminou zero a zero.

    The game ended zero to zero.

    Zero a zero.

  2. 2Phone number

    Meu DDD começa com zero, depois o nove.

    My area code starts with zero, then nine.

    Digit speech.

  3. 3Restart

    Vamos começar o projeto do zero amanhã.

    Let's start the project from scratch tomorrow.

    Do zero.

Mistakes English speakers make with zero

Incorrect: O placar foi nil a nil (English calque).

Correct: O placar foi zero a zero.

Brazilian scores use zero a zero.

Incorrect: Começamos from zero.

Correct: Começamos do zero.

Use do zero in Portuguese.

Good to know

Zero a zero is classic football commentary Portuguese. Do zero is a favorite startup and study idiom. On the phone, say each zero clearly—Brazilians rarely say oh for 0.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Reading a confirmation code aloud

  1. ChatPal

    O código tem zero no começo?

    Does the code have zero at the start?

  2. You

    Tem. Zero, sete, zero, quatro.

    Yes. Zero, seven, zero, four.

  3. ChatPal

    Repete o segundo zero, por favor.

    Repeat the second zero, please.

  4. You

    Zero. Pronto—dois zeros no código.

    Zero. Done—two zeros in the code.

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"Zero" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Zero" in Portuguese

How do I say from scratch?

Do zero.

0-0 score?

Zero a zero.

Is zero masculine?

As a noun it can take o zero; often used without article as a digit.

Do Brazilians say oh for 0?

Usually no—say zero.

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