Folga, Férias and Feriado: Day Off, Vacation and Holiday in Portuguese

What does folga mean? If you've been looking up the folga meaning in Portuguese, here's the short version: in Brazil we say folga when we talk about a day off from work or school, that break that isn't a vacation or a public holiday. And that's exactly where a lot of learners get mixed up: folga, férias and feriado look alike, but each word describes a different kind of time off.

Quick answer so you don't get confused: folga is a day off in Portuguese (for example, when your boss gives you Friday off); férias is vacation in Portuguese, a longer stretch of rest; and feriado is a holiday in Portuguese, a public holiday like September 7 (our Independence Day) or Christmas. Heads-up: férias has nothing to do with a "fair". A fair or open-air market in Portuguese is feira.

In this lesson I'll break down the meaning of each word, show you how to say holiday, vacation and day off in Portuguese, and share real phrases we use in Brazil every day, like tirar folga, estar de férias and aproveitar o feriado. At the end there's also a video so you can practice.

Taking Time Off in Portuguese: Folga, Férias or Feriado?

Folga, férias and feriado are the three words we use in Brazil to talk about time off, but they aren't synonyms: folga is a day off, férias is vacation and feriado is a public holiday on the calendar. Here I'll break down each one so you know exactly which to use.

What Does Folga Mean in Portuguese?

Folga is a day off from work or school, that rest day you're scheduled for or that you ask your boss for. Here in Brazil we say "pedir uma folga", "tô de folga" or "tirar folga", and the verb is folgar: "eu folgo na sexta".

Heads-up: folga also means slack or extra room, as in "a calça tá com folga" (the pants are loose on you), and that's where "folgado" comes from, a person who takes advantage of others, kind of like a freeloader. If you use Portuguese at your job, these Portuguese expressions for work will come in handy.

How to Say Holiday in Portuguese: Feriado

A public holiday in Portuguese is feriado, an official day off on the calendar (national, state or city), like Tiradentes Day on April 21 or September 7, our Independence Day. When the holiday lands right next to the weekend, we call it a "feriadão", what you'd call a long weekend in the US.

What Does Férias Mean in Portuguese?

Férias means vacation: a long stretch of rest, like férias do trabalho (vacation from work) or férias escolares (school break). In Brazil, anyone working with carteira assinada (a formal employment contract) is entitled to 30 days of férias a year, and the word is always plural: "estou de férias".

Still not sure? This table sums up the differences between folga, férias, feriado and feira:

Video: How to Use Folga, Férias and Feriado in Portuguese

In this video I walk you through folga, férias and feriado with examples, including how to pronounce each word and the everyday and work situations where we Brazilians use them. Hit play and repeat out loud.

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Phrases to Practice

Now that you know what each word means, the best thing is to see them in context. These are the phrases you'll hear in any office or conversation in Brazil: read them out loud and pay attention to the verbs that go with folga, férias and feriado.

Phrases with FOLGA in Portuguese

With folga we almost always use the verbs pedir, estar and tirar: "pedir uma folga" (to ask for a day off), "estar de folga" (or the more casual "tô de folga", to be off) and "tirar folga" (to take a day off). And if you want to say which day you have off, use the verb folgar, like in the third sentence.

• Vou pedir uma folga do trabalho esta semana pra organizar nossa viagem.
• Você tá de folga hoje?
• Na próxima semana eu folgo na quinta-feira.
• Muitas pessoas já tinham pedido folga na empresa e eu decidi ficar na minha por enquanto.

20 expressions with the verb FICAR in Portuguese.

Phrases with FÉRIAS

Férias is always plural and usually goes with the verbs entrar, estar and tirar: "entrar de férias" means your vacation is starting, "estar de férias" means you're on vacation and "tirar férias" means to take a vacation. That's how we say it in Brazil for both work vacations and school breaks.

• O filho dela já entrou de férias da escola.
• Finalmente tirei meus 15 dias de férias do trabalho.
• Agora que tô de férias logo que eu chegar em casa vou jantar e ler meus livros.

Different ways to use LOGO in Portuguese.

15 expressions with the verb TIRAR in Portuguese.

Phrases with FERIADO

With feriado, the most common combo is "aproveitar o feriado", making the most of the holiday to travel or rest. And if someone tells you they're going to "emendar o feriado", it means they're taking off the day between the holiday and the weekend, a bit like turning a holiday into a four-day weekend.

• Quando vai ser o próximo feriado nacional?
• Você quer viajar com a gente? Vamos aproveitar o feriado de fevereiro para ir à praia durante uns dias.
• Será que ela quer mesmo viajar neste feriado ou tá dizendo que sim só pra não ter conflitos com o resto do grupo?

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Difference Between Férias and Feira

A fair or market in Portuguese is feira, while férias means vacation. They look so alike that they trip up a lot of learners. If back home you'd say you're going to the farmers market, in Brazil you'd say "vou à feira". You'll find more traps like this in these Portuguese false friends.

English speakers often connect feira with the word "fair", and if you also speak Spanish, "férias" can easily remind you of "feria", which is actually a fair.

Férias in Portuguese means vacation. (férias do trabalho)

Feira in Portuguese means fair or open-air market. (feira de frutas, feira de automóveis)

Terça-feira or Terceira-feira? Learn the days of the week in Portuguese

Differences Between ÓCIO and LAZER in Portuguese

Since we're talking about time off, check out this video where I explain the difference between "ócio" and "lazer" in Portuguese.