How to Say Drunk in Portuguese: Every Stage of the Night (and the Hangover)

Wondering how to say drunk in Portuguese? The short answer is "bêbado". But here in Brazil we rarely jump straight to that word: first you "entra no clima", then you get "alegre" and, if the party keeps going, you end up "dando PT". In this lesson I'll walk you through every stage of the night with real Brazilian slang for drunk and example sentences, just the way we say them in Brazil.

You'll also learn how to say hangover in Portuguese ("ressaca", with a double S) and the expressions we use the morning after, like "acordar morto" or "estar só o caco". And watch out for a classic trap: "borracha" means rubber or eraser, and if you've ever wondered about the borracharia meaning, it has nothing to do with bars. It's a tire repair shop.

Video: Drunk in Portuguese and the stages of getting drunk

In this video I explain how to say drunk in Portuguese and walk you through each stage of the night, from the first caipirinha all the way to "dar PT". Hit play and listen to how each expression sounds when we say it in Brazil.

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Brazilian slang for drunk, stage by stage

Here are the stages of getting drunk in Portuguese, in the order they usually happen at a party in Brazil. Each expression comes with a real sentence so you can practice and see how we go from "de boa" to "bêbado".

ENTRAR NO CLIMA

"Entrar no clima" means getting into the party mood and loosening up with the first drinks. It's stage one: you're still fine, but you've started enjoying the night.

• Vou pegar uma caipirinha pra gente começar a entrar no clima.

DE BOA

"Estar de boa" means being chill, not feeling the alcohol yet. In Brazil we use it for almost everything, but at a party it means you can handle one more drink.

• Acho que essa caipirinha tá fraca viu, já vou na segunda e ainda tô de boa.

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ESTAR ALEGRE (tipsy)

"Ficar alegre" is when the alcohol starts to show: you talk more and laugh at everything. It's what you'd call being "tipsy" or "buzzed" in English.

• Depois da quarta caipirinha já percebi que ele começou a ficar alegre.

BÊBADO

"Bêbado" (feminine "bêbada") is the direct translation of drunk in Portuguese and the most common word in Brazil. Heads up: someone who drinks all the time is a "bebum", kind of like calling someone a "boozer" in English.

• O taxista se recusou a levar o pessoal porque todo mundo tava bêbado.

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TRANSTORNADO

"Estar transtornado" means being so drunk you lose control and start acting differently. It's one step past "bêbado", and people almost always say it as a warning about someone.

• Essa menina já tá transtornada, eu a vi tomando várias doses de vodka pura.

FODIDO

"Tô fodido" is a crude way of saying you're already very drunk, close to saying you're "wasted" but with a swear word. Only use it with close friends, because in Brazil it counts as a "palavrão" (a swear word).

• Nossa mano, já tô fodido aqui, deveria ter comido algo antes de começar a beber vodka.

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PT / PERDA TOTAL

"Dar PT" comes from "perda total" (total loss), the term insurance companies use when a car is totaled. It's the last stage of the night: the person can't stand up anymore and is completely out of it.

• Ontem na festa vi um montão de gente dando PT.

HANGOVER IN PORTUGUESE

Hangover in Portuguese is "ressaca", spelled with a double S. In Brazil we also use this word for rough seas ("ressaca do mar"), but after a party these are the expressions you'll hear when someone describes how they woke up.

ZOADO

"Acordar zoado" means waking up feeling awful, wrecked, with your body begging for mercy. In Brazil "zoado" describes something that's broken or not working right, and that includes you after one too many.

• Não vou beber muito hoje pra não acordar zoado amanhã.

RESSACA BRABA

"Ressaca braba" is a brutal hangover, the kind that keeps you in bed all day. "Braba" is the colloquial form of "brava", and we use it to intensify something bad.

• Vou ficar em casa hoje, tô com uma ressaca braba da festa de ontem.

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ACORDAR MORTO

"Acordar morto" means waking up with zero energy, as if your body won't respond. It has nothing to do with death: it's a very Brazilian exaggeration for how tired you feel the next day.

• Quando é que você vai parar de encher a cara? Praticamente todo dia você acorda morto.

ACORDAR ACABADO

"Acordar acabado" means waking up exhausted, falling apart and usually with a headache. It's very close to "acordar morto", and in Brazil we use them almost as synonyms.

• Você tem algum remédio pra dor de cabeça aí? Hoje acordei acabado da festa de ontem.

SÓ O BAGAÇO DA LARANJA

"Estar só o bagaço da laranja" means being completely drained. The "bagaço" is what's left of an orange after you squeeze it, so the image says it all: you don't have a single drop of energy left.

• Eu ia te convidar pra sair com a gente pra fazer uma trilha hoje mas já tô vendo que você tá só o bagaço da laranja.

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SÓ O CACO

"Estar só o caco" means being wrecked, physically or emotionally. A "caco" is a shard of broken glass or pottery, and we use it when someone wakes up in pieces after a party.

• Ela me falou que nesse dia tinha acordado só o caco mas ainda assim foi treinar na academia.

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EXTRA

To wrap up, here's a popular saying all of us in Brazil know. You'll hear it at any party as soon as someone starts drinking too much.

CU DE BÊBADO NÃO TEM DONO

"Cu de bêbado não tem dono" is a crude saying that warns that a drunk person isn't responsible for what they do or for what happens to them. We use it jokingly, as a friendly "be careful". Do you really know what "cu" means in Portuguese?

• Cuidado nessa bebedeira aí cara, você já sabe o que dizem "cu de bêbado não tem dono"

Borracha and borracharia: a classic word trap

"Borracha" in Portuguese has nothing to do with being drunk: it means rubber, and also eraser. That's why a borracharia in Brazil is a tire repair shop, not a bar.

If you speak some Spanish, this one is a real trap. In Spanish "borracha" means a drunk woman, but if you call a girl "uma borracha" in Brazil, people will hear "an eraser". And when you spot a "Borracharia" sign by the road, don't expect cold beers: it's where you get a flat tire fixed.

If you're coming from Spanish, lots of look-alike words can trip you up, so watch out for "Portuñol".

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