How to React to Good and Bad News in Portuguese (Like a Brazilian)

Learning to react to news in Portuguese goes way beyond translating "great" or "that's too bad": here in Brazil we have our own expressions for every situation, and using the right one makes you sound natural from your very first conversation. Quick vocab note: news in Portuguese is "notícias", and unlike in English, the word has a singular form, "notícia" (with an accent on the í), so "a piece of news" is simply "uma notícia".

If you're wondering how to respond to news in Portuguese, start here: when someone shares good news, the most casual replies in Brazil are "Que ótimo!", "Que legal!" or "Bom demais!". For bad news, we say "Que pena", "Que ruim" or "É fogo", depending on how serious things are and how close you are to the person.

Below you'll find the Portuguese reactions we use in Brazil for positive and negative news, what each one means, when to use it and which ones are vulgar, so you don't put your foot in your mouth in front of your boss or your mother-in-law. And if the news is so wild you can't believe it, we also have our own ways to say "no way" in Portuguese.

Video: Positive and Negative Reactions in Portuguese

In this video I walk you through the positive and negative vocabulary we use in Brazil to react to news in Portuguese, with the real intonation of each expression. Watch it first, then go over each phrase with the examples below.

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REACTING TO BAD NEWS

To react to bad news in Portuguese, your safest bets are "Que pena" or "Que ruim", which work with anyone. The rest range from casual to vulgar, so for each one I'll tell you when to use it and when to steer clear.

QUE VACILO

Usage: a casual expression meaning “what a mistake / what a slip-up / my bad”. It's used when something goes wrong because someone was careless or clumsy.

"Esqueci o aniversário da minha mãe ontem. / Que vacilo, cara! Liga pra ela agora." (I forgot my mom's birthday yesterday. / Dude, what a slip-up! Call her right now.)

É FOGO

Usage: means “that's rough / that's a tough spot”. Super common in Brazil to talk about problems or bad luck, without being rude.

"Perdi o ônibus de novo e vou chegar atrasado na reunião. / É fogo, hein!" (I missed the bus again and I'm going to be late for the meeting. / Ugh, that's rough!)

QUE CAGADA / CARAMBA, BICHO

Usage: “que cagada” is vulgar and works like “what a screw-up” or, more crudely, “what a sh*tshow”. “Caramba, bicho” is a strong reaction (less vulgar), typical of informal speech, like “oh man!” or “no way!”.

Phrases to practice: "Apaguei sem querer o arquivo da apresentação. / Que cagada! E agora?" (I accidentally deleted the presentation file. / What a screw-up! Now what?) / "Caramba, bicho, bateram no meu carro enquanto estava estacionado!" (Oh man, someone hit my car while it was parked!)

QUE PENA

Usage: expresses pity or sadness about bad news. It's the equivalent of “what a shame” or “that's too bad”.

"Não vou poder ir na sua festa, vou viajar a trabalho. / Que pena! Fica pra próxima." (I can't make it to your party, I'm traveling for work. / What a shame! Next time, then.)

DEU EM MERDA

Usage: it's vulgar and means “it went south / it all blew up / it went to sh*t”. It's used when a situation gets messy or has consequences.

"Eles tentaram consertar o vazamento sozinhos e deu em merda: alagou a cozinha inteira." (They tried to fix the leak themselves and it went horribly wrong: the whole kitchen flooded.)

QUE RUIM

Usage: a simple reaction meaning “that's bad” or “that sucks”. It works for bad news and for anything disappointing.

"Meu voo foi cancelado e só tem outro amanhã. / Que ruim, sinto muito." (My flight got canceled and the next one isn't until tomorrow. / That's bad, I'm so sorry.)

QUE ROLO

Usage: means “what a mess / what a hassle / what a headache”. It's used when there's confusion, red tape or a problem that keeps getting more complicated.

"Pra renovar o passaporte tive que ir em três lugares diferentes. / Que rolo!" (To renew my passport I had to go to three different places. / What a hassle!)

QUE MELECA / QUE DROGA

Usage: informal interjections meaning “how annoying / what bad luck”. “Que meleca” is softer, even a bit childish, while “que droga” (sometimes just “droga!”) is like “dang it / what a drag”. And no, in this case “droga” has nothing to do with drugs.

"Que droga, começou a chover bem na hora que eu saí sem guarda-chuva." (Dang it, it started raining right when I left without an umbrella.)

É FODA

Usage: a strong (vulgar) expression meaning “it's really hard / it's brutal / it's a pain”. Depending on the tone, it can sound like a complaint or pure frustration.

"Trabalhar o dia inteiro e ainda estudar à noite é foda." (Working all day and then studying at night is brutal.)

QUE MANCADA

Usage: means “that's a low blow / that was so uncool / how inconsiderate”. It's used when someone does something unfair or thoughtless.

"Ele marcou com a gente e nem avisou que não vinha. / Que mancada!" (He made plans with us and didn't even tell us he wasn't coming. / That's so uncool!)

Learn how to use FODA in Portuguese

Expressions with FOGO in Portuguese

REACTING TO GOOD NEWS

To react to good news in Portuguese, those of us from Brazil almost always go with "Que ótimo!", "Que legal!" or "Bom demais!". Below you'll find everything from the most formal to the most street-level expressions, each one with a sentence to practice. And if you're still hungry for more, we also have 14 ways to say "good" in Portuguese.

QUE DA HORA (DAORA)

Usage: a very informal expression, typical of Brazilian Portuguese, to say something is great, awesome or really cool. It's like “how cool!” or “that's awesome!”.

"Passei no vestibular! / Que da hora, parabéns!" (I passed the college entrance exam! / That's awesome, congrats!)

BOM DEMAIS

Usage: means “so good / excellent”. It's used to stress that something went beyond expectations.

"Consegui a vaga no intercâmbio pro Brasil! / Bom demais! Você merece." (I got a spot in the exchange program to Brazil! / That's amazing! You deserve it.)

LEGAL

Usage: one of the most common words in Brazil to say something is good, nice or interesting. It's like “cool” or “nice”, and it has nothing to do with the English “legal” (lawful).

"Vou começar a fazer aulas de português. / Que legal! Você vai aprender rapidinho." (I'm going to start taking Portuguese classes. / That's great! You'll pick it up in no time.)

MUITO FODA

Usage: a strong (vulgar) expression to say something is incredible, impressive or excellent. Very common in informal settings.

"Você que desenhou essa tatuagem? Ficou muito foda!" (Did you design that tattoo? It looks badass!)

QUE ÓTIMO

Usage: a clear, positive way to react to good news. It's like “that's great!” or “excellent!”.

"O médico disse que está tudo bem com os exames. / Que ótimo! Fico aliviado." (The doctor said all my test results look fine. / That's great! What a relief.)

FORMIDÁVEL

Usage: a more formal word to say something is extraordinary or really good. It's used both in speech and in writing. Heads up: it looks like the English “formidable”, but in Portuguese it's pure praise, with no sense of something scary or intimidating.

"O resultado do projeto foi formidável, superou todas as metas da empresa." (The project's results were outstanding, they beat all of the company's targets.)

BACANA

Usage: very common in Brazil to say something is nice, pleasant or good. It's like “cool” or “neat”.

"Meus vizinhos me convidaram pro churrasco de domingo. / Que bacana!" (My neighbors invited me to their Sunday barbecue. / How nice!)

ARRASOU

Usage: means “you nailed it / you killed it”. It's used to praise someone for an achievement, a presentation or a good deed.

"Fui promovida hoje! / Arrasou, amiga! Você merece demais." (I got promoted today! / You killed it, girl! You totally deserve it.)

MUITO CHIQUE

Usage: an expression to say something is elegant, sophisticated or in great taste. It can be said seriously or with a touch of irony.

"Vamos jantar num restaurante com vista pro mar. / Muito chique, hein!" (We're having dinner at a restaurant with an ocean view. / Well, aren't we fancy!)

EXTRA: TIRAR O ATRASO

In Portuguese, "tirar o atraso" is when you go a long time without doing something and, once you finally do it again, you overdo it, as if you were making up for all the time you missed. It's pretty close to "making up for lost time" in English.

15 expressions with the verb TIRAR in Portuguese