Geral in Portuguese: What It Means, How to Say It and Example Phrases

Here's the geral meaning in Portuguese: geral means "general", something shared by everyone, common or overall, as in "regra geral" (general rule) or "aceitação geral" (general acceptance). But here in Brazil we also use it informally to mean "everyone" or "everybody", for example: "geral gostou da festa" (everybody loved the party).

If you heard it in a conversation and weren't sure how to pronounce geral, that's totally normal: it's spelled with a G and a final L, but it sounds roughly like "zheh-ROW" (rhymes with "how"). The G before E sounds like the "s" in "measure", the R is a quick tap like the "tt" in American "better", and the final L sounds almost like a W. The stress falls on the last syllable.

To say "in general" in Portuguese you have two options: "em geral" and "no geral". Both work, but "em geral" is the most common and fits any context, while "no geral" sounds more casual, like the "overall" or "all in all" you drop at the end of an opinion.

Below I'll show you how we use geral in everyday situations, with useful phrases and expressions like "dar uma geral", "ficar na geral" and "pressão geral", plus the difference between geral, general and geralmente. If you like words that change meaning depending on the context, you'll also enjoy the most common Brazilian expressions.

How "geral" is used in Portuguese in real situations

Geral is used in Portuguese in three ways: as an adjective ("regra geral", general rule), as an informal noun meaning "everyone", and in everyday expressions like "dar uma geral". In the video I show you how it sounds, and if you want to train your ear, check out my Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation guide.

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Phrases with the word GERAL in Portuguese

Here are phrases with geral in Portuguese, each with its meaning, an example and the English translation. This way you see geral em uma frase (geral in a sentence), just the way we say it in Brazil, and notice how the meaning shifts from one expression to the next.

GERAL

Used on its own, as a noun, geral means "everyone" or "everybody". It's a very common informal use in Brazil, especially among young people and on social media. If you like this way of talking, check out this Brazilian slang.

• Geral tá pedindo pra empresa parar de vender esse produto que tá prejudicando o meio ambiente. (Everyone is asking the company to stop selling that product that's harming the environment.)

ACEITAÇÃO GERAL

Aceitação geral means "general acceptance", that is, when most people approve of an idea, a proposal or a change. Here geral works as an adjective, just like "general" in English.

• A proposta feita pelo governo teve aceitação geral do público. (The government's proposal was met with general acceptance from the public.)

DAR UMA GERAL

Dar uma geral means giving something a quick clean or a quick once-over, like tidying up the house before guests arrive or skimming through a document. In conversation you'll also hear "dar um geral", with the same meaning.

• Essa casa tá uma bagunça, quando é que você vai dar um geral aqui? (This house is a mess, when are you going to give it a quick clean?)

(Dar uma geral - Dicionário Informal)

FICAR NA GERAL

Ficar na geral means ending up in the general admission section of a stadium or a show, the cheapest area, where you almost always watch standing up. The expression is closely tied to soccer vocabulary in Brazil.

• Eu te falei pra comprar os ingressos com antecedência, agora que fui comprar só tinha disponível pra ficar na geral. (I told you to buy the tickets in advance; now that I went to buy them, only general admission was left.)

Learn 20 expressions with the verb FICAR in Portuguese.

EMPURRAR GERAL

Empurrar geral means shoving everyone around without respecting anybody, something that happens a lot at concerts, on the subway and in crowded places. Here geral once again has the informal meaning of "everyone".

• Não sei como você aguenta ir pra esses shows com tanta gente, a galera empurra geral. (I don't know how you can stand going to those concerts with so many people, everybody shoves everyone.)

COLOCAR PRESSÃO GERAL

Colocar pressão geral means everyone pushing together to make something happen. We use it a lot at work and in politics, when a whole group joins forces to demand a result or speed up a decision.

• Acho que temos que colocar pressão geral pra que o projeto seja iniciado, não podemos relaxar. (I think we all need to put pressure on so the project gets started, we can't let up.)

GERAL, GENERAL, GERALMENTE

Geral, general and geralmente are three different words in Portuguese: geral is "general" as an adjective, general is only the military rank (an army general), and geralmente means "usually" or "generally". To say "in general" we use "em geral" or, more casually, "no geral".

• Geral - Em geral as mudanças foram bem aceitas pelos funcionários. (In general, the changes were well received by the employees.)
• General - O general decidiu mudar a estratégia de guerra. (The general decided to change the war strategy.)
• Geralmente - Geralmente quando passo por essa panificadora eles estão dando amostra grátis de comida. (Usually, when I walk past that bakery, they're handing out free food samples.)

Now using "geral, general and geralmente" in the same sentence.

• O general tava todo sério caminhando pela rua, de repente ele viu geral aceitando amostra grátis de pão de queijo, fiquei surpreso que ele aceitou porque geralmente ele passa direto. (The general was walking down the street all serious, and suddenly he saw everyone taking free samples of pão de queijo, Brazilian cheese bread; I was surprised he took one, because he usually walks right past.)

How to use DIREITO and DIRETO in Portuguese

FAZER UMA FAXINA / FAXINEIRO

Fazer uma faxina means doing a deep clean, and faxineiro (or faxineira) is the person who cleans homes or offices for a living. It's the step after "dar uma geral": a geral is quick, a faxina is thorough.

• Quando é que você vai contratar um faxineiro pra fazer uma faxina no escritório? (When are you going to hire a cleaner to give the office a deep clean?)

ALGO MEIA BOCA

Algo meia boca is something mediocre, so-so or half-done, that doesn't live up to what it promised. For example, if someone gives the house a geral meia boca, everything stays almost as messy as before.

• Ele recomendou esse restaurante várias vezes, ontem eu jantei lá e na verdade achei meia boca. (He recommended that restaurant several times; I had dinner there yesterday and honestly I thought it was just so-so.)

Different ways to use MEIA in Portuguese.