Skirt in Portuguese: It's Saia, Not Fralda (Diaper)

Skirt in Portuguese is "saia", not "fralda". If you speak any Spanish, this one is a trap waiting to happen: "falda" means skirt in Spanish, but "fralda" in Portuguese means diaper. So if you've ever wondered how to say skirt in Portuguese, here's the short answer and everything you need around it.

I'll walk you through the saia meaning, the fralda meaning, and how we actually use each word here in Brazil, with real examples you can take straight into a conversation.

And heads up: "saia" is also a form of the verb "sair" (to leave), so in Portuguese the same word can be a piece of clothing or an order to get out. Mix-ups like this are part of the Portuguese false friends, words that look familiar but mean something completely different.

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What does fralda mean in Portuguese?

Fralda in Portuguese means "diaper", both the disposable kind ("fralda descartável") and the cloth kind ("fralda de pano"). It's one of the sneakiest false friends for anyone who knows Spanish, because it sounds almost exactly like "falda" (skirt) and completely changes what you're trying to say.

The Spanish word "falda" sounds just like "fralda" in Portuguese, so I don't recommend telling your friends in Brazil that you love going out in a "fralda" haha. In Portuguese, "fralda" means "diapers".

How to say skirt in Portuguese: saia

In Brazil we say saia for skirt, and it's a feminine word: "a saia", "uma saia", "as saias". It's pronounced "SIGH-uh", in two syllables, like the English word "sigh" followed by a soft "uh".

So how do I say "skirt" in Portuguese?

You say "Saia".

What you should say is: "Vou vestir uma saia" (Saia = Skirt)

Saia as a verb: the verb sair (to leave)

Besides meaning skirt, saia is a form of the verb "sair" (to leave): we use it to give an order, like "leave!" or "get out!", and in the subjunctive, as in "I want you to leave". It's spelled and pronounced exactly the same, so the context of the sentence is what tells you which one it is.

[Note] You may see the word "Saia" used as a verb. (It's spelled the same as "saia" for skirt, and the pronunciation is the same too.)

"Saia dessa loja e vá na outra pegar sua saia"

Saia - Verb "Sair" (Leave / Get out)

"Saia daqui antes que isso termine em problema."

Saia or saía: the accent changes everything

Saía, with an accent on the "i", is the imperfect past tense of the verb sair, meaning "used to leave" or "was leaving". It's pronounced in three syllables, "sah-EE-uh", and it never means skirt, so keep an eye on that accent mark when you see it written.

"Quando eu era criança, eu saía de saia para a escola." (When I was a kid, I used to go to school in a skirt.)

Other clothes in Portuguese

Now that you know skirt in Portuguese is saia, here are a few more pieces of clothing: vestido means dress ("o vestido"), "a calça" means pants, "a jaqueta" means jacket, "a camiseta" means T-shirt, and "o tênis" means sneakers.

Fralda, a classic Portuguese false friend

A false friend is a Portuguese word that looks or sounds like a word you already know but means something else, and "fralda" is the perfect example for anyone who speaks Spanish. If you want to avoid more mix-ups like this, check out these 29 differences between Portuguese and Spanish that those of us from Brazil always notice.

This word is just one of many known as "False Friends": Portuguese words that are spelled or sound like Spanish ones but have totally different meanings.