Animals

1. o cão

   Dog

   Usage

   "O cão" in Portugal; Brazil normally says "o cachorro", where it means any dog, not just a puppy. "Fui mordido por um cão" — a dog bit me

2. o gato

   Cat

   Usage

   The same in both countries. Alfama in Lisbon and Porto's old town are full of street cats. If you react, say "sou alérgico/a a gatos"

3. o pássaro

   Bird

   Usage

   Small birds. The wider category, including poultry and large birds, is "a ave" — birdwatching in the Amazon or the Pantanal is "a observação de aves"

4. o peixe

   Fish

   Usage

   Live fish and the dish share the word. "Sou alérgico/a a peixe" for an allergy. Portugal's salt cod is "o bacalhau"

5. o cavalo

   Horse

   Usage

   Portugal breeds the Lusitano and the Alentejo is full of riding stables. In Brazil the Pantanal cowboys guide visitors on horseback

6. a vaca

   Cow

   Usage

   A cow; a bull is "o touro" and beef is "a carne de vaca" (Portugal) or "a carne bovina" (Brazil). Aimed at a person "vaca" is an insult, so keep it for the animal

7. o porco

   Pig

   Usage

   Also the meat. "Não como carne de porco" is how to say you do not eat pork. The Alentejo black pig is "o porco preto"

8. a galinha

   Chicken / Hen

   Usage

   The live hen. On a menu the meat is "o frango", a different word, so look for "frango"

9. o pato

   Duck

   Usage

   Seen on ponds and in parks. Portugal's classic duck rice is "o arroz de pato"

10. a cabra

    Goat

    Usage

    Common on the mountain pastures of northern Portugal, such as the Serra da Estrela. Goat cheese is "o queijo de cabra"

11. a ovelha

    Sheep

    Usage

    Grazing across the Alentejo and southern Brazil. Portugal's famous "queijo da Serra" is a sheep's-milk cheese

12. o burro

    Donkey

    Usage

    Still a working animal in inland Portugal and the Brazilian sertão. Said of a person "burro" means stupid, so keep it for the animal

13. a raposa

    Fox

    Usage

    A European animal found in woods and farmland all over Portugal, usually glimpsed at dawn or dusk by the roadside. Brazil has its own small wild canids, called "cachorro-do-mato"

14. o ouriço-cacheiro

    Hedgehog

    Usage

    A nocturnal European animal in Portuguese gardens and parks; it does not live in Brazil. In Brazil "o ouriço" refers to a tree-dwelling porcupine instead

15. o javali

    Wild boar

    Usage

    Common in Portuguese woodland, and a real hazard on roads at night — keep your distance. In southern Brazil it is an invasive species, locally also called "javaporco"

16. o cervo

    Deer

    Usage

    A European animal seen in Portuguese national parks such as Peneda-Gerês. Brazil normally says "o veado", but in Brazilian slang that word is a slur for gay men, so travellers should stick to "cervo"

17. a cegonha

    Stork

    Usage

    In southern Portugal — the Alentejo and Algarve — huge nests sit on bell towers and electricity poles. Not found in Brazil, though the Pantanal has its relative the "tuiuiú" jabiru

18. a gaivota

    Seagull

    Usage

    Everywhere in Lisbon, Porto, the Algarve and Brazil's coastal cities. They will go for food on an outdoor table, so watch your plate

19. o pombo

    Pigeon

    Usage

    A fixture of city squares in both countries — Rossio in Lisbon, Praça da Sé in São Paulo

20. o esquilo

    Squirrel

    Usage

    Seen in the pine woods and city parks of northern and central Portugal. Brazil's park squirrels are called "serelepe" or "caxinguelê"

21. o coelho

    Rabbit

    Usage

    Wild rabbits live in Portuguese fields, and "coelho" on a menu means the meat

22. o rato

    Rat / Mouse

    Usage

    In Portugal "o rato" covers both. Brazil splits them: "a ratazana" for a big rat, "o camundongo" for a mouse. In a hotel: "há um rato no quarto"

23. o morcego

    Bat

    Usage

    Out at dusk in both countries. The Joanina Library in Coimbra famously keeps bats to eat the insects that would damage the books. Never handle one

24. a cobra

    Snake

    Usage

    Portugal has only the adder ("a víbora") and few of them. Brazil has many venomous species, so watch your feet in tall grass. "Fui mordido por uma cobra" — a snake bit me

25. a lagartixa

    Wall lizard / Gecko

    Usage

    In Portugal the little lizard darting over sunlit stone walls; in Brazil the gecko on your ceiling. Both are harmless and eat insects. A big lizard is "o lagarto"

26. a rã

    Frog

    Usage

    By water in both countries. The squat toad is a separate word, "o sapo", and big ones turn up in Brazilian gardens

27. o mosquito

    Mosquito

    Usage

    "Há mosquitos" — there are mosquitoes; repellent is "o repelente". Brazil calls the big ones "pernilongo", and public health signs warn about the dengue-carrying "Aedes"

28. a mosca

    Fly

    Usage

    The same in both countries — for flies landing on food at an outdoor table

29. a abelha

    Bee

    Usage

    If you are allergic, say "sou alérgico/a a picadas de abelha". Honey is "o mel"

30. a vespa

    Wasp

    Usage

    In Portugal they come for your drink on a terrace. The invasive Asian hornet ("a vespa asiática") is a problem in the north — never approach a nest

31. a formiga

    Ant

    Usage

    "Há formigas no quarto" if they get into your room. Brazil has stinging fire ants ("formiga-de-fogo") and leafcutters ("saúva")

32. a barata

    Cockroach

    Usage

    Tell reception "há uma barata no quarto". In warm parts of Brazil the big ones fly

33. a aranha

    Spider

    Usage

    House spiders in Portugal are harmless. Brazil has medically significant species — the "armadeira" and "aranha-marrom" — so shake out your shoes before putting them on

34. a carraça

    Tick

    Usage

    "A carraça" in Portugal, "o carrapato" in Brazil. Check yourself after walking through grass or woodland; if bitten, tell a doctor "fui picado por uma carraça"

35. a alforreca

    Jellyfish

    Usage

    "A alforreca" in Portugal, "a água-viva" in Brazil. A purple flag on the beach warns of them. If stung, say "fui picado por uma alforreca"

36. o macaco

    Monkey

    Usage

    A Brazil word — mainland Portugal has no wild monkeys. Small "saguis" appear in Rio's Tijuca forest and São Paulo's parks. Do not feed them, and watch your bag

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