Nossa in Portuguese

January 10, 2017

Hello everyone! Ready to learn Portuguese online? Today we are going to learn the meanings of the word Nossa in Portuguese. You have probably heard a lot of Brazilians say this word.

What does Nossa mean?

Ok, what is Nossa? To begin our conversation, it’s important to know that the word nossa in Portuguese has more than one meaning. It can be a possessive pronoun, or it can be a expression of amusement/exclamation.

The origin of the expression nossa as an exclamation came from the expression Nossa Senhora da Aparecida! Referring to the religious figure of Our Lady of Apparition, the Patron Saint of Brazil. That’s why you can also hear some Brazilians saying nossa senhora! as an exclamation too, but with time this expression lost its religious meaning.

Let’s see examples one by one. The first meaning is the possessive pronoun our/ours. We use it to talk about belongings we have. Let’s take a look at some examples:

Nossa as Possessive Pronoun

Essa cerveja é nossa. Vamos beber!
This beer is ours. Let’s drink!

Rio & Learn é a nossa escola de Português.
Rio & Learn is our Portuguese school.

Nossa casa fica perto do Morro Dois irmãos.
Our house is next to Morro Dois irmãos.

Nossa as an exclamation

You’ll see that many Brazilian people use Nossa as an exclamation. The word Nossa can be used to express enthusiasm or to show that you are impressed with something. To translate the word nossa from Portuguese to English it would be wow, and it can also be used in a positive or negative way. Let’s see some examples:

Nossa! Que dia lindo!	Wow! What a beautiful day!
Nossa! Que canga linda!	Wow! What a beautiful sarong!
Nossa! Que calor!	Wow! It’s so hot!
Nossa! Que camisa horrível!	Wow! What a horrible t-shirt!

Now check out this video to make sure you’ll know how what nossa means:

The word Nossa also became very popular after the song Ai Se Eu Te Pego from the Brazilian singer Michel Teló. Have you heard this song before? (Probably yes!) So, let’s hear it again!

So, what kind of Nossa does the singer use in this song? The Possessive Pronoun or the Exclamation? Let’s see if you can guess right!

Exercise for the word nossa in Portuguese

Now to make sure that you know the word nossa meaning in Portuguese, read the sentences below and tell us if it’s been used as possessive pronoun or an exclamation.

Nossa aula de Português online é sempre muito boa!
Nossa… estou muito cansado.
Nossa! Essa música é demais!
A Rio & Learn é nossa escola querida.
Nossa… meu celular não funciona direito! Que saco!
Nós, brasileiros, temos muito orgulho da nossa querida praia de Copacabana.
Nossa! Que praia linda!
Você já visitou o Rio? Nossa… é maravilhoso.
Nossa! Já está muito tarde, preciso dormir.
Já temos uma casa só nossa, que legal!

That’s it for today galera and if you want to watch more videos you can subscribe to our YouTube Channel.
See you in our next Dica.

Tchau tchau!

Click in the links below to see more related Dicas
Possessive Pronouns in Portuguese
Portuguese expressions
Popular expressions in Portuguese
Brazilian slang Valeu!

Exercise about the word nossa in Portuguese

Nossa aula de Português online é sempre muito boa! (Possessive pronoun)
Nossa… estou muito cansado. (Exclamation)
Nossa! Essa música é demais! (Exclamation)
A Rio & Learn é nossa escola querida. (Possessive pronoun)
Nossa… meu celular não funciona direito! Que saco! (Exclamation)
Nós, brasileiros, temos muito orgulho da nossa querida praia de Copacabana. (Possessive pronoun)
Nossa! Que praia linda! (Exclamation)
Você já visitou o Rio? Nossa… é maravilhoso. (Exclamation)
Nossa! Já está muito tarde, preciso dormir. (Exclamation)
Já temos uma casa só nossa, que legal! (Possessive pronoun)

This post is also available in: English Português (Portuguese) Español (Spanish)

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