Many Brazilians are used to using words and expressions in English in their daily lives, but they are not always aware that the use of these words can be different in English-speaking countries. This can lead to mistakes and misunderstandings when communicating with native speakers.
Therefore, we will present nine English words and expressions used incorrectly in Brazil and how they are used correctly in English-speaking countries.
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Common mistakes when using English expressions in everyday life
Find out now in this article:
1. Home Office:
The term “home office” is used in Brazil in a generalized way to refer to work carried out in a space outside the company, such as the house, internet cafe, cafes and other places.
However, in English-speaking countries, the term refers to the office or home space that the person uses to work. The correct name for work performed in a space outside the company is “remote work”.
2. billboard:
Here in Brazil, we call those giant advertisements on the streets “billboards”. However, in English, “outdoor” means “outdoor” and is used as an adjective. The correct term for these billboards is “billboard”.
3. Mall:
The term “shopping” is already a well-known English word in Brazil to refer to shopping centers, but in English-speaking countries, what would be our “mall” is called “shopping mall” or “shopping center”.
It is even common to speak only “mall”. “Shopping” alone means “buying”, “shopping”, so much so that they say “Let’s go shopping”, to say “let’s go shopping”.
4. Tuxedo:
The “tuxedo” is known in Brazil as a super formal social outfit, even gala, with a bow tie and a lot of elegance.
In English-speaking countries, “smoking” means “smoking”. The name of this costume, in fact, is “tuxedo”.
5. Laptop:
If you use a portable computer, you probably call it a “notebook”, but, in fact, “notebook” is the word that names the “notebook”, the one with sheets for you to write with pencil or pen. In English, this type of computer is called a “laptop”.
6. Pen drive:
“Pen drives” are also not called that by native English speakers. Out there, the names used are “USB drive”, “flash drive” or even “memory stick”.
7. Date show:
The expression “data show” is used in Brazil to refer to projectors used for multimedia presentations. However, this expression does not exist in English. The proper term to refer to this equipment is “projector” or “video projector”.
Understanding the differences between the use of words and expressions in Portuguese and English can improve our ability to communicate and interact with people from different cultures, making us more prepared and confident to face challenges in an increasingly globalized world.
It is always worth learning more about the language and culture of English-speaking countries to avoid possible misunderstandings and embarrassments during a conversation.
In addition, this kind of knowledge can be extremely useful when traveling, negotiating work or studying abroad.