Independence Day in Brazil: The Portuguese Words for Army, Navy and Air Force

Quick Lesson: Independence Day in Brazil and the Armed Forces

Today's the 7th of September, Brazil's Independence Day, and if you walk round any major Brazilian city you'll see military parades taking over the streets. In Brazil, we call this a Desfile Cívico.

Let's use today's event to learn how to talk about the Armed Forces in Portuguese!

Vocabulário Útil / Useful Vocabulary

• Exército = Army
• Marinha = Royal Navy / Navy
• Aeronáutica or Força Aérea = Royal Airforce / Air Force
• Desfile Cívico = Civic/Military Parade
  
  (Note: we don't say "Marinha Real =Royal Navy " or "Força Aérea Real = Royal Airforce" in Brazil, since we're a republic, just Marinha and Aeronáutica!)

Como usar em uma frase / How to use it in a sentence:

• "Hoje eu vou assistir ao desfile cívico." (Today I'm off to watch the civic parade.)
• "O Exército, a Marinha e a Aeronáutica estão nas ruas." (The Army, the Navy and the Air Force are out on the streets.)
  

*Extra Vocabulary

If you're looking at the photos from today's parade in Rio de Janeiro, here's how to name what you see in Portuguese:

• Tanque de guerra = War tank
• • Example: "Eu tirei uma foto do tanque de guerra." (I took a picture of the war tank.)
• Soldado = Soldier
• • Example: "Os soldados marchavam em sincronia." (The soldiers were marching in sync.)

Rio de Janeiro Context

Parades in Rio are massive, usually held near historical landmarks, which adds a bit more meaning to watching war tanks roll down streets built on top of the country's colonial history.

Drop a sentence below using "soldado" or "tanque de guerra" to practise!

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