Capoeira Terminology – Words & Commands 

• Abada – Pants or a Capoeira group.
• Academia – A place of training like a hall, gym, school or academy.
• Aluno – Someone learning Capoeira / A pupil or student.
• Angola – A style of Capoeira brought into the mainstream by Mestre Pastinha.
• Angoleiro – Some who practices the Angola style of Capoeira.
• Apanhar – When someone is defeated.
• Apelido – A person’s nickname.
• Arame – This is the Steel String part of the Berimbau.
• Armada – A spinning kick used in Capoeira.
• Arrastao – A take-down used in Capoeira.
• Atabaque – Musical drum people use when they have made a circle around the Capoeiristas.
• Au – Simply a cartwheel.
• Aula – A class or lesson.
• Aviso – The rhythmic music coming from the Berimbau. Dictates the tempo of the game.
• Axe – Capoeira spirit or energy.
• Bahia – One of the 26 states of Brazil (on the east coast of Brazil).
• Bamba – A master or expert at Capoeira.
• Banda – A standing sweep kick where you use your heel.
• Baqueta – The wooden sticks used to play the Berimbau.
• Base – Another word for the Ginga.
• Bater – To defeat.
• Batizao – The Portuguese word for baptism. This is an initiation event for new Capoeiristas.
• Bencao – A strong straight kick.
• Beriba – This is the wood people use to make a Berimbau.
• Berimbau – The main musical instrument used in Capoeira.
• Besouro – Famous Capoeirista. They made a movie about him.
• Bimba – The legendary Mestre Bimba.
• Brincar – Capoeira for children.
• Cabecada – A headbutt used in Capoeira.
• Capoeirista – Someone who does Capoeira.
• Cavalaria – This was a warning noise made by players of the Berimbau to warn of a police raid.
• Caxixi – A rattling instrument that looks like a basket. Played along with the Berimbau.
• Chula – A Capoeira chant.
• Chutar – Kick someone.
• Cintura Desprexada – A exercise Capoeiristas use to help them land on there feet.
• Cocorinha – A defensive squatting position that is used to avoid kicks.
• Comprar – Enter a circle by cutting in on someone.
• Contragolpe – A counter attack move used in Capoeira.
• Contramestre – This is the level below becoming a Mestre.
• Corda – This is the name of the colored belts used in the grading system.
• Corridos – Songs when action is happening in the circle.
• Costas – A move where you show your back.
• Defesa – A defensive maneuver used in Capoeira.
• Desequillibrante – A maneuver that unbalances your opponent.
• Discipulo – This is a disciple of a Capoeira Mestre.
• Dobrao – An old coin that used to be used to play the Berimbau.
• E – Is.
• Ele – He.
• Entrar – When someone enters the Roda.
• Esquiva – A defensive movement.
• Eu – I.
• Faca – A knife.
• Fazer – To make.
• Fechado – To be shut/closed.
• Fechar – To close.
• Ficar – To stay.
• Floreios – A very acrobatic Capoeira maneuver.
• Folha Seca – These are a type of dry leaves.
• Fome – To be hungry.
• Forca – Strength.
• Formatura – An event for when someone becomes a Mestre.
• Forte – Strong.
• Frente – Front.
• Frio – Cold.
• Fundamentos – Used to explain Capoeiras beginnings.
• Galo – A rooster.
• Ginga – The continuous left to right movement. This is the starting point of all moves.
• Golpe – An attack move.
• Gunga – A larger Berimbau.
• Iuna – Slow elegant music played by students.
• Ladainha – It means litany and it is sang by a leader before the game starts.
• Lutar – Fighting.
• Macaco – A Capoeira move.
• Macaquinho – Another Capoeira move.
• Malandragem – Cunning or shifty.
• Malandro – Someone who is streetwise.
• Malicia – Deceptive.
• Mandigueiro – A healer.
• Martelo – A very strong kick.
• Meia Lua De Compasso – A quick spinning kick.
• Meia Lua De Frente – A front facing spinning kick.
• Mestre – The highest level a Capoeirist can reach.
• Moeda – A coin.
• Morena – A tanned skinned lady.
• Morrer – Death.
• Mortal – An acrobatic move.
• Navalha – A large razor used for shaving or cutting hair.
• Negativa – A low guarding move that you outstretch your leg with.
• Onca – A Jaquar.
• Pandeiro – A drum that is famous in Brazil.
• Parafuso – A fast spin kick which the person jumps into the air when doing it.
• Passada – Means your foot work whilst doing Capoeira.
• Pastinha – Another famous Capoeirist. Mestre Pastinha.
• Pe – Your foot.
• Pe Do Berimbau – The front of the Berimbau.
• Peixe – A fish.
• Pesado – Heavy.
• Piao – Headspin.
• Piao De Mao – A spin where the Capoeirist only uses one arm to balance on.
• Pisao – A long straight kick in Capoeira.
• Pisar – A step.
• Pontiera – A powerful straight kick.
• Puxar – Pull.
• Quadras – A form of song which is more prominent in Capoeira Regional.
• Quando – When.
• Que – What.
• Queda – To stumble.
• Queda De Rins – A Capoeira move where you put your face and hands on the ground to balance your body.
• Quexada – A backward spinning kick.
• Quilombo – The name given to fugitive slave communities.
• Rabo De Arraia – A double step to the side into a spinning kick.
• Rasteira – A low spinning sweep move.
• Rasteria PM E – Same as the Rasteria move but without using hands.
• Reco – A tool used to scrape bamboo.
• Regional – The version of Capoeira created by Mestre Bimba.
• Relogio – It means to spin on one hand.
• Roda – This is the circle of people that form around the Capoeirists when the game is played.
• Role – A low spin where you put your hands and feet on the ground during.
• S Dobrado – A low sweep that flows into the player doing a back flip whilst using there hands.
• Sabedoria – To have knowledge.
• Saida – To exit.
• Salvador – This is a city in Bahia, Brazil.
• Samba – Famous Brazilian dance.
• Santo – A saint.
• Senzala – Name of a Capoeira group.
• Sinal – A sign.
• Ter – Have.
• Terra – Land.
• Tesoura – This is a scissor sweep that you use both legs with.
• Tocar – Playing music.
• Vadiar – Up to no good.
• Verga – The main wooden part of the Berimbau. Usually made of Biriba wood.
• Viola – A very high pitched Berimbau.
• Volta Ao Munto – It means around the world and it is when the players circle each other to get a break.
• Zumbi – Well known leader of the Brazilian Slave settlement, the Quilombos.

MOVEMENTS

amazonas (au batido): one hand cartwheel kick; trademark capoeira move

armada: basic upright spin kick

arrastao – capoeira takedown, pulling both legs from under an opponent

aú: capoeira style cartwheel

bananeira: handstand or headstand

banda: movement to trip or flank an opponent

bencao: “blessing”; a front kick

cabeçada: headbutt

chamada: literally to call; ritualized movement across roda (mainly used in Angola)

chapa/pisao: flat footed kick to the side

comprar de jogo – to buy a game, entering the circle by cutting in on another player

entrar: to enter

esquiva: escape movement

floreios – acrobatic movements

ginga: basic movement of capoeira

jogar: to play

passape: outside to inside crescent kick

negativa: literally “negative”; basic defense

macaco: “monkey flip”; a low back handspring

meia lua de compasso: low spining kick with hands on the ground

mortal: backflip

piao de cabesa (de mao): spin on the head (spin on the hands)

pontape cruzado/martelo: “roundhouse kick”; strike with the top of foot

queixada: circular kick; strike with the outside of the foot

rasteira: a sweeping trip; trademark capoeira move

role: “roll”; basic defense

tesoura: “scissors”; a takedown

volta ao mundo: “around the world”; circling the roda

GENERAL VOCABULARY

Angola: traditional capoeira; usually played slow and close to the ground

angoleiro: a practitioner of the capoeira angola style

atabaque: a drum

ataque – attacking move or movement initiative

axe: life force; energy of capeira

batizado – the capoeira initiation ceremony; baptism

beriba: wood for making berimbau

berimbau: one-stringed precussion instrument

Besouro: a famous capoeirista who had legendary mandinga, a beetle

Bimba: a famous deceased capoeira mestre; father of capoeira regional

cabaça: gourd resonator of the berimbau

capoeirista: one who plays capoeira

camará: comrade

caxixí: shaker played with the berimbau

corda: “cord”; capoeira belt used to show advancement

corridos: call and response songs accompanying action in the circle

costas: back (anatomy)

defesa: defensive movement

dobrao: coin used to play the berimbau

esquiva: escape movement [basic movement]

fechado: to be closed

fechar: to close

frente: front

gunga: bass berimbau

hora: hour; time

jogador – player

jogo: game; a game of capoeira; the verb is jogar

ladainha: introductory solo of roda or game, usually sung by a mestre

maculêlê: stick fighting dance

malandragem: double-dealing or cunning

malandro: crook or streetwise person

malícia: deception, trickery, double-dealing

mandigueiro: a tricky capoeira player

mangangá: sorcerer, healer in the Afro-Brazilian tradition

mar: ocean

medio: middle pitched berimbau

mestre: master, senior capoeira teacher

moleque: street urchin; punk

nome de guerra – nickname given to a player in the course of his training, sometimes as part of a batizado initiation

pandeiro: a tambourine

Pastinha: famous deceased teacher of Capoeira Angola from Bahia

patuá: amulet worn around the neck for protection

pé do berimbau: position in front of the berimbau

reco-reco: ribbed bamboo scraper

Regional – innovative, modern style of capoeira, associated with Mestre Bimba

roda: circle; circle made of people where capoeira is played

Salvador: capital city of Bahia; birthplace of Capoeira as we know it today

samba: brazilian rhythm and dance

sequencia – sequence of moves learned by players in Regional style

solta: no hands; a jump (au solta)

tocar: to touch; to play music

vadicao: loafing, hanging around; synonym for capoeira

vaqueta: stick used to strike the string of the berimbau

viola: the highest pitched berimbau

So, the only word you know in Portuguese is “capoeira’?

Don’t worry – this basic lesson will teach you how to say yes, no, please, thank you, and other basics of Brazilian Portuguese.

VOCABULÁRIO (VOCABULARY)

Obrigado vs. obrigada

You say obrigado if you are a man, and obrigada if you are a woman.

It’s your gender that determines this… not the gender of the person you are talking to!

Desculpe vs. licença

You say desculpe if you’re apologizing for something.

You say licença if you’re “asking permission” – breaking into a conversation, or trying to get past people on a crowded bus, etc.

YOU AND ME

Finally, we’ll learn one of the first building blocks you’ll need to begin speaking Portuguese: pronouns – words like I, you, he, she, we, and they.

Let’s look at a few examples from capoeira songs:

• Eu quero ver você jogar, paraná = I want to see you play, paraná.
• Dona Maria do Camboatá, ela chega na venda e manda botar = Dona Maria do Camboatá, she arrives at the market and orders people around
• Olha o nego sinhá, ele é mandingueiro = Look at the black guy, lady, he is tricky.
• Que bom / estar com vocês / aqui nesta roda / com este conjunto = It’s good / to be with you all / here in this roda / with this group

PRATICAR (PRACTICE)

Você sabe as palavras básicas de português Faça a prova!

Do you know the basic words of Portuguese? Take the quiz!

3

Created on June 22, 2021

Brazilian Portuguese Basics Quiz

1 / 5

What do you say when...

…você está tentando passar pelo meio de um multidão?

...you’re trying to go through the middle of a crowd?

Obrigado / Obrigada

Licença

Tchau

Desculpe

2 / 5

What do you say when...

…você quer pedir um favor?

...you want to ask a favor?

Por favor

Licença

Tchau

De Nada

3 / 5

What do you say when...

…você vê um amigo na rua?

...you see a friend in the street?

Oi

Sim

Obrigado / Obrigada

Licença

4 / 5

What do you say when...

…alguém lhe dá um presente?

...someone gives you a present?

Não

Tchau

De Nada

Obrigado / Obrigada

5 / 5

What do you say when...

…você pisa no pé de alguém?

...you step on someone’s foot?

Desculpe

Por favor

De Nada

Licenca

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VOCABULÁRIO

MY / YOUR / HIS / HER

Okay, now we know the parts of the body… but how do we say “my leg” or “your arm”?

You use meu or minha based on if the word for the body part is masculine or feminine (NOT depending on whether you are male or female!) For example:

Meu braço = my arm (braço is a masculine word)

Minha barriga = my belly (barriga is a feminine word)

Can you label each body part in the vocabulary list as masculine or feminine?

If you want to talk about a body part in the plural, just add “s” to both the word and the possessive:

Seus dedos = your fingers

Suas pernas = your legs

Finally, if you want to talk about someone else’s arms/legs/whatever, use dele (if the peson is male) and dela (if the person is female):

O rosto dele = His face

O pé dela = Her foot

Note that in this case dele and dela come after the noun!

Talking about injuries

If a visiting mestre wants you to do queda de rins but you’re recovering from a shoulder dislocation, what do you say?

Here are a couple useful phrases:

…está machucado/machucada = …is injured

…está doendo = …hurts

So in this case, you could say Meu ombro está machucado.

PRATICAR (PRACTICE)

Você sabe as palavras básicas de português Faça a prova!

Do you know the basic words of Portuguese? Take the quiz!

0

Created on June 22, 2021

Parts of the Body – Quiz #2

1 / 7

A mão esquerdo dela está machucada.

Correcta

Incorrecta

It should be: A mão esquerda dela está machucada. (Mão is a feminine word)

2 / 7

Dei uma chapa no rosto dele.

Correcta

Incorrecta

3 / 7

Dobra seu joelhos.

Correcta

Incorrecta

4 / 7

Meu braço direito está machucado.

Correcta

Incorrecta

5 / 7

Bati meu cabeça no chão.

Correcta

Incorrecta

It should be: Bati minha cabeça no chão.

It should be: Bati minha cabeça no chão.

It should be: Bota sua perna esquerda em frente.

6 / 7

Bota seu perna esquerda em frente.

Correta

Incorreta

7 / 7

Minha barriga está doendo.

Correta

Incorreta

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VOCABULÁRIO (VOCABULARY)

GRAMÁTICA (GRAMMAR)

Numbers in Portuguese are pretty straightforward. The only slightly tricky part is that the numbers “one” and “two” change depending on the gender of the object – in Portuguese, objects as well as people have gender. You’ll learn more about this in a future lesson.

Um menino = One boy (a boy)

Uma menina = One girl (a girl)

Dois apartamentos = Two apartments

Duas casas = Two houses

NÚMEROS DE TELEFONE (PHONE NUMBERS)

To ask for someone’s phone number, say “Qual é seu número de telefone?”

To respond, you say “Meu número é…”

Now, when giving a phone number, we say meia instead of seis:

555-6862

Cinco-cinco-cinco, meia oito meia dois.

Some people will “combine” the digits into larger numbers (five-five-five-eighteen-thirty-four):

555-1834

Cinco-cinco-cinco, dezoito trinta-e-quatro

PRATICAR (PRACTICE)

Você sabe as palavras básicas de português Faça a prova!

Do you know the basic words of Portuguese? Take the quiz!

3

Created on June 23, 2021

Numbers

1 / 8

Número de passaporte: 49012485

Passport number: 49012485

quatro nove zero um dois quatro oito cinco

quatro nove zero um dois cinco oito quatro

quatro sete zero um duas quatro sete cinco

2 / 8

Número de celular: 734-2938

Cell phone number: 734-2938

sete três quatro, dois nove três oito

sete dois quatro, um sete três oito

seis três cinco, dois nove oito três

3 / 8

Quantas cordas tem um berimbau?

How many strings does a berimbau have?

um

meia

dois

uma

Because "corda" is feminine, we say "uma corda" and not "um corda." Like Mestre Pastinha sang in his ladainha about the berimbau: "Berimbau é um instrumento / de uma corda só..."

4 / 8

Quantos pneus tem um carro?

How many tires does a car have?

um

quarto

cinco

5 / 8

Quantos dedos tem uma mão?

How many fingers are on one hand?

cinco

dois

três

6 / 8

Quantas letras tem a palavra "capoeira"?

How many letters are there in the word "capoeira"?

quarto

oito

cinco

7 / 8

Quantos berimbaus têm em uma roda de capoeira angola?

How many berimbaus are there in a capoeira angola roda?

um

três

dois

8 / 8

Quantos dias há em uma semana?

How many days are there in a week?

seis

sete

dez

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The average score is 75%

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