166 Portuguese Abbreviations, Acronyms and Contractions

Portuguese abbreviations make communication quick and easy. For example, you might say “Sra.” instead of Senhora (Missus) and “fds” instead of fim de semana (weekend).

Get to know the most common and most useful Portuguese abbreviations, acronyms and contractions for all your communication needs. 

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Portuguese Abbreviations

Below are some of the most common Portuguese abbreviations, organized by theme. Abbreviations are typically used in writing, and you’ll generally see these in letters, emails and text messages. 

Address abbreviations

Books and literature abbreviations

Measurement abbreviations

Title and name abbreviations

Day and month abbreviations

Miscellaneous abbreviations

Portuguese Acronyms

An acronym is formed by taking the initial letters of words in a phrase or name. For example, UNESCO stands for “United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.” Check out the table below for a breakdown of some common Portuguese acronyms. 

Portuguese Contractions

Portuguese, like English, often sticks words together. Here are some of the most common contractions you’ll see used in everyday Portuguese. Unlike most other shortenings, you’ll actually hear these spoken in addition to seeing them written. 

Because of this, a good way to practice them is to watch videos that come with subtitles or transcripts, since you’ll see contractions written and hear them spoken at the same time. FluentU could be a good option for this.

Text Abbreviations in Portuguese

When you’re sending text messages, use these abbreviations to make your Portuguese chats quick and casual. 

You’re all caught up on Portuguese abbreviations, contractions and acronyms! You can save some time when texting, or look just like a native Portuguese speaker thanks to these quick terms!

And One More Thing...

If you're like me and enjoy learning Portuguese through movies and other media, you should check out FluentU. With FluentU, you can turn any subtitled content on YouTube or Netflix into an engaging language lesson.

I also love that FluentU has a huge library of videos picked specifically for Portuguese learners. No more searching for good content—it's all in one place!

One of my favorite features is the interactive captions. You can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and examples, which makes it so much easier to understand and remember.

And if you're worried about forgetting new words, FluentU has you covered. You'll complete fun exercises to reinforce vocabulary and be reminded when it’s time to review, so you actually retain what you’ve learned.

You can use FluentU on your computer or tablet, or download the app from the App Store or Google Play. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)