Since English has become the very first second most spoken language in the world, it is normal for countries that do not have it as their mother tongue to adopt some of its concepts for themselves, right? However, in some cases, the concepts arising from these loans do not always have a coherent connection with the meaning of the words in English.
Right here, in Brazil, we have examples of some words that are used in English, but their meaning only makes sense to us, Portuguese speakers! Like this? Let me explain! Check out our list of the five English Portuguese words and the corresponding English words to define them!
1 – Shopping
The number one word in our ranking is our dear and beloved mall! Here we have an example of a mega-common loan, but it has a different meaning from the true meaning of “shopping” in English. In Portuguese, we use the word “shopping” in reference to a shopping place, but in English it is not a noun, but a verb! Shopping in English is nothing more than the gerund of the verb shop (which means to buy). The noun, in English, used for shopping is
“Mall”, or “shopping mall”, but never the term shopping alone.2 –billboard
The second word in our ranking is billboard! Let's agree that there is a logic for its use, since the term "outdoor", which, in English, means "of the outside”, is used here in Brazil to refer to signs, signs, panels, etc., exposed to the air free. The idea is valid, but in English, the term used in reference to advertising signs, signs and panels is “billboard”!
Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
3 – Notebook
Thirdly, we have the famous “notebook”, which in English means “notebook”. Here, in Brazil, we use the word notebook to refer to the laptop computer. This type of computer has another name in English, which is "lap top". Therefore, notebook, in English, it's just notebook, and computer is lap top.
4 – Office Boy
In fourth position, a term widely used in our daily lives, the famous "office boy", which, in Portuguese, refers to to the person who provides services for a company or an office, performing bank, messenger services, among others. This is another word invented by Brazilians, because the word used with the same meaning, in English, is administrative.
5 – UPS
Fifthly, we have a very well known device among us, the UPS! It is responsible for turning on the computer's power when there is a power outage, preventing data loss. In English, it is known as UPS - Uninterruptible Power Supply, which stands for uninterrupted power supply. There is a brand called No-Break KS, which belongs to a European company that supplies these generators, so this word ended up establishing itself as the name of the object itself.
By Janaína Mourão
Graduated in Letters - English