How to Say Random in Portuguese and What Azar Really Means

How do you say random in Portuguese? Here in Brazil we say "aleatório" for something random, and "ao acaso" or "aleatoriamente" for "at random". In everyday conversation you'll also hear "na sorte" a lot, which is closer to "by sheer luck". All three describe things that happen by chance, with no plan or order, but we don't use them in exactly the same situations.

And if you know a little Spanish, watch out for one word: azar. In Spanish, "al azar" means "at random", but the azar meaning in Portuguese is completely different: azar in Portuguese means bad luck, not chance. So when a Brazilian says "Que azar!", they mean "What bad luck!".

In this lesson I'll show you when to use ao acaso, aleatório and na sorte, with example sentences and a video, so you can say "random" and "by chance" in Portuguese the way we really say it in Brazil.

Video: How to Say AT RANDOM in Portuguese

In the video I explain how to say "at random" in Portuguese with "ao acaso", "aleatoriamente" and "na sorte", with the pronunciation we use in Brazil. Pay attention to "acaso": the S between two vowels sounds like a Z, like the "s" in "rose", something I explain in this lesson on how to pronounce Z, S, SS and C in Portuguese.

Portuguese Phrases to Practice

The difference between the three is all about context: "ao acaso" is the most neutral and works for anything that happens by chance, "aleatório" sounds more technical (numbers, draws, lists, playlists) and "na sorte" is the casual way to say something worked out by pure luck. Using each one in the right place makes you sound natural instead of translating word for word, which is how mixes like Portuñol are born.

AO ACASO

Ao acaso means at random or by chance: something that happens without a plan or intention. It's the most direct translation of "at random", and you'll see it both in conversation and in more formal writing, like the Schopenhauer quote below.

• Não sei como você consegue ficar esperando que as coisas aconteçam ao acaso. (I don't know how you can just sit around waiting for things to happen by chance.)

FICAR in Portuguese and its 20 meanings in everyday expressions.

"Todas as fontes externas de felicidade e deleite são, segundo a sua natureza, extremamente inseguras, precárias, passageiras e submetidas ao acaso; podem, portanto, estancar com facilidade, mesmo sob as mais favoráveis circunstâncias."  - Schopenhauer

ALEATÓRIO

Aleatório is the adjective (random) and aleatoriamente is the adverb (randomly, at random). In Brazil we use them mostly for numbers, draws, passwords, lists or a playlist on shuffle, pretty much the same way you use "random" in English for a random number.

• Me falaram que vão fazer o sorteio escolhendo números aleatórios. (They told me they're going to do the draw by picking random numbers.)

NA SORTE

Na sorte is the most informal option and means by pure luck, with no preparation or strategy. It often shows up together with "chutar", which in Brazil means to guess an answer (literally "to kick"), one of the Brazilian slang words you'll hear the most during exam season.

• Cara, eu passei nessa prova na sorte, só fiz chutar as respostas na doida e tirei uma nota boa, foi arriscado fazer isso mas eu não tive outra opção. (Dude, I passed that test by pure luck, I just guessed the answers like crazy and got a good grade; it was risky, but I had no other choice.)

Article in Portuguese: Técnica de chute para concursos: uma carta na manga na hora da prova.

Azar in Portuguese: The Word That Means Bad Luck

Azar in Portuguese means bad luck, not chance, so it's a classic trap for anyone who learned Spanish first, where "azar" means randomness. That's why we say "Que azar!" when something goes wrong and "dar azar" for things that bring bad luck. If you like these language traps, check out these Portuguese false friends.

• Que azar! Perdi o ônibus por um minuto. (What bad luck! I missed the bus by one minute.)
• Dizem que passar debaixo de escada dá azar. (They say walking under a ladder brings bad luck.)
• Eu sou muito azarado no jogo, nunca ganho nada. (I'm really unlucky at games, I never win anything.)