Introduction
This article teaches common Brazilian Portuguese phrases related to clothes and washing for English-speaking learners at beginner to intermediate levels. You will learn clothing vocabulary, laundry verbs, typical dialogues for shopping and laundromats, care instructions, and usage notes to help you communicate confidently in everyday situations.
- Clothing vocabulary: essential words
- Laundry verbs and phrases
- Reading care labels and symbols
- Shopping dialogues: buying clothes
- At the laundromat or laundry service
- Talking about stains and repairs
- Care and style phrases: how to describe preferences
- Useful polite phrases and responses
- Regional and colloquial expressions
- Practical tips for learners
- Conclusion
Clothing vocabulary: essential words
Start with the fundamentals: items of clothing you will see or buy often. The first time you encounter each key Portuguese term it is highlighted in bold for easy recognition; subsequent appearances use italics.
Everyday clothes
camisa — shirt
camisa de manga curta — short-sleeve shirt
camisa de manga longa — long-sleeve shirt
calça — pants / trousers
calça jeans — jeans
calça de moletom — sweatpants
saia — skirt
saia longa — long skirt
saia curta — short skirt
vestido — dress
vestido de festa — party dress
vestido casual — casual dress
camiseta — T-shirt
camiseta estampada — printed T-shirt
camiseta básica — basic T-shirt
jaqueta — jacket
jaqueta de couro — leather jacket
jaqueta corta-vento — windbreaker
Accessories and footwear
sapato — shoe
sapato social — dress shoe
sapato esportivo — athletic shoe
tênis — sneakers
tênis branco — white sneakers
sandália — sandal
sandália de dedo — flip-flop
meia — sock
meia soquete — ankle sock
meia de lã — wool sock
cinto — belt
chapéu — hat
chapéu de sol — sun hat
Undergarments and specialized items
sutiã — bra
cueca — underwear (male)
cueca boxer — boxer briefs
pijama — pajamas
roupa íntima — lingerie / undergarments
casaco — coat
casaco de inverno — winter coat
Laundry verbs and phrases
Knowing verbs and common laundry phrases helps you ask for service, read labels, and give instructions. The first appearance of each term is bolded.
Key laundry verbs
lavar — to wash
lavar à mão — to wash by hand
lavar na máquina — to wash in the machine
secar — to dry
secar no varal — to dry on the clothesline
secar na secadora — to dry in the dryer
engomar — to iron
passar — also used for to iron (more common)
passar a ferro — iron with an iron
desmanchar — to take apart or to unpick (used for seams)
consertar — to repair
alvejante is a noun meaning bleach; alvejante often appears on care labels.
amaciante — fabric softener
Common laundry phrases
Preciso lavar isto — I need to wash this
Você lava a seco — Do you do dry cleaning?
É para lavar à mão — It is to be washed by hand
Pode ir na máquina — It can go in the machine
Tem alguma peça com manchas — There is an item with stains
Pode tirar essas manchas — Can you remove these stains?
Não use alvejante — Do not use bleach
Reading care labels and symbols
Brazilian clothes often include Portuguese care instructions. Learn the short phrases and common symbols so you can follow proper garment care.
Short label words
lavável — washable
lavável à mão — washable by hand
secagem — drying
secagem em tambor — tumble dry
secagem natural — natural drying
não alvejar — do not bleach
não passar — do not iron
lavagem a seco — dry clean only
Symbols and what they mean
Labels use icons similar to international standards, but the small text nearby can help. Look for a bucket icon for washing, a square for drying, a triangle for bleaching, and an iron for ironing.
If you see a bucket with a hand and the word mão, that means hand wash. A triangle crossed out plus não alvejar means no bleach. A circle with the letter P indicates professional dry cleaning; labels often say lavagem a seco.
Shopping dialogues: buying clothes
Short, realistic dialogues help you practice common interactions at stores and markets. Use these patterns to ask sizes, prices, and try-on details.
Dialogue: asking for a different size
Customer: Tem esse vestido no tamanho M?
Shop assistant: Deixe-me ver. Sim, temos no tamanho M. Quer provar?
Customer: Sim, por favor. Onde fica o provador?
Usage note: Provador is the dressing room. To try on is provar and to ask politely say por favor.
Dialogue: asking about price and material
Customer: Quanto custa essa camisa?
Shop assistant: R$ 89,90. É 100% algodão.
Customer: É lavável na máquina?
Shop assistant: Sim, pode lavar na máquina e secar no varal.
Usage note: Algodão means cotton. To ask if it’s machine washable ask É lavável na máquina?
At the laundromat or laundry service
When using a laundromat or a professional laundry, it’s useful to know how to describe services and concerns, like delicate fabrics or stains.
Common service requests
Lavar e secar — wash and dry
Lavar a seco — dry clean
Passar — iron (or pressing service)
Remover manchas — remove stains
Tratar manchas de vinho — treat wine stains
Entrega em domicílio — home delivery
Sample conversation at a laundry service
Customer: Boa tarde. Preciso lavar estas roupas e secar.
Laundry attendant: Tudo bem. Alguma peça delicada?
Customer: Sim, tem um vestido que pede lavagem a seco.
Laundry attendant: Podemos lavar a seco e deixar as outras peças na máquina. Quer que removamos manchas?
Customer: Sim, por favor. Tem uma mancha de café na camisa.
Usage note: Boa tarde is useful for politeness. If an item requires special care, say lavagem a seco or point to the label.
Talking about stains and repairs
Describing problems clearly helps specialists treat garments correctly. Use precise vocabulary for stain types and repairs.
Stain vocabulary
mancha — stain
mancha de sangue — bloodstain
mancha de gordura — grease stain
mancha de tinta — ink stain
rasgo — tear
buraco — hole
desbotado — faded (color)
Repair phrases
Consertar — to mend or repair
Pode consertar esse rasgo? — Can you mend this tear?
Costurar — to sew
Trocar o zíper — to replace the zipper
Usage note: For delicate or expensive items always say faz com cuidado or ask if they have a specialist. You can ask for an estimate with Quanto fica para consertar?
Care and style phrases: how to describe preferences
When giving care instructions or talking about style, these phrases will make your meaning clear and natural.
Care instructions
Lavar com água fria — wash with cold water
Não usar alvejante — do not use bleach
Secar à sombra — dry in the shade
Passar em temperatura baixa — iron on low temperature
Virar do avesso — turn inside out
Style and fit
Fica bem — it fits well / it looks good
Fica apertado — it is tight
Fica largo — it is loose
Combinado com — matched with
Estou procurando algo para combinar com esta saia — I am looking for something to match this skirt
Useful polite phrases and responses
Politeness is important in Brazilian interactions. Memorize these quick phrases that are commonly used in stores and services.
Por favor — please
Obrigado or Obrigada — thank you (male/female speaker)
Com licença — excuse me (to get attention)
Desculpe — sorry / excuse me
Quanto tempo leva? — How long does it take?
Posso pagar no cartão? — Can I pay by card?
Regional and colloquial expressions
Brazil is large and expressions vary. These colloquial phrases appear often and help you sound more natural.
roupa is a general word for clothing or clothes and is used in many expressions like roupa de praia (beachwear) or roupa de cama (bed linens).
peça — piece (as in an item of clothing)
look is used informally to mean outfit or style; Brazilians often mix English words with Portuguese in fashion contexts.
Montar um look — to put together an outfit
Usage note: In informal settings you might hear tá bom for okay and beleza for cool or fine. These are friendly and very common.
Practical tips for learners
Apply these practical tips to use clothes and washing vocabulary faster in real life.
Label reading: When you buy clothing in Brazil, check the label for composição (composition) to know fabric percentages like algodão (cotton), poliéster (polyester), and lã (wool).
Practice pronunciation: Say small dialogues aloud; for example, ask a clerk Posso provar? and answer Fica bem?
Role play: Imagine a trip to the lavanderia and say everything you would tell the attendant: Lavar e secar, por favor. Tem uma mancha de vinho.
Keep a pocket list: Save a short list of verbs like lavar, secar, passar on your phone for quick reference when shopping or using services.
Conclusion
Learning clothes and washing vocabulary in Brazilian Portuguese includes basic nouns, laundry verbs, common phrases for shopping and services, and label-reading skills. Practice short dialogues, pay attention to care labels like lavável and lavagem a seco, and use polite phrases such as por favor and obrigado/obrigada to communicate effectively in everyday situations.
