A1 Expression محايد 1 دقيقة للقراءة

É barato.

It's cheap.

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Use 'É barato' to point out that an item or service has a low, affordable price.

  • Means: It is cheap / It's inexpensive.
  • Used in: Markets, stores, and when comparing costs with friends.
  • Don't confuse: 'Barato' (cheap) with 'Barata' (cockroach) unless describing a feminine noun!
💰 + ⬇️ = É barato.

شرح بمستواك:

In A1, 'É barato' is a basic tool. You use it to describe things you see while shopping. It uses the verb 'ser' and a simple adjective. You only need to remember to change the ending to 'a' for feminine things like 'casa' or 'comida'.
At the A2 level, you start comparing. You use 'mais barato que' (cheaper than). You also learn the difference between 'é barato' (always cheap) and 'está barato' (on sale today). You begin to use the diminutive 'baratinho' to sound more like a native speaker.
Intermediate learners use 'barato' in more complex sentences, such as 'Achei que seria mais barato' (I thought it would be cheaper). You also start to recognize the Brazilian slang where 'um barato' means something cool or an interesting experience, moving beyond just price.
At B2, you understand the nuance between 'barato' and its synonyms like 'acessível' or 'módico'. You can discuss economic trends using the word and understand when 'barato' is being used sarcastically to imply that something is of poor quality or 'tacky'.
Advanced learners explore the etymological roots and the 'barataria' (deception) history. You can use the word in idiomatic expressions and understand its role in literature or complex social commentary regarding consumerism and the 'cheapening' of culture or labor.
Near-native mastery involves using 'barato' with perfect prosody and register awareness. You can analyze the semantic shift of the word in different Lusophone dialects and use it to navigate high-level negotiations where the choice between 'barato' and 'econômico' carries subtle psychological weight.

المعنى

States that something has a low price.

🌍

خلفية ثقافية

Bargaining (pechinchar) is an art form. Even if something 'é barato', a Brazilian might still ask for a discount just for the social interaction. The phrase 'bom e barato' is a gold standard for restaurants (tascas). Finding a place that is 'barato' but has high-quality food is a point of pride. In Luanda, where the cost of living can be very high, finding something that 'é barato' is rare and often discussed with excitement. Similar to other Lusophone African countries, 'barato' is used in informal markets (dumbanengues) where price negotiation is key.

🎯

Use the Diminutive

Use 'baratinho' when you want to sound more friendly and enthusiastic about a deal.

⚠️

Gender Agreement

Always check if the noun is feminine (ending in -a) to change 'barato' to 'barata'.

🎯

Use the Diminutive

Use 'baratinho' when you want to sound more friendly and enthusiastic about a deal.

⚠️

Gender Agreement

Always check if the noun is feminine (ending in -a) to change 'barato' to 'barata'.

💬

The Slang Factor

If a Brazilian says 'Que barato!', they aren't talking about money. They think something is cool!

اختبر نفسك

Choose the correct form for: 'The house (a casa) is cheap.'

A casa ____.

✓ صحيح! ✗ ليس تمامًا. الإجابة الصحيحة: é barata

'Casa' is feminine singular, so the adjective must be 'barata'.

Complete the sentence with the correct form of 'barato'.

Os livros nesta loja são muito _______.

✓ صحيح! ✗ ليس تمامًا. الإجابة الصحيحة: baratos

'Livros' is masculine plural.

What would you say if a price is low only for today?

Vendedor: Hoje o arroz está em promoção! Você: Que bom! Hoje o arroz ____ ______.

✓ صحيح! ✗ ليس تمامًا. الإجابة الصحيحة: está barato

Use 'estar' for temporary states like sales.

Match the phrase to the context.

Context: You are in a Brazilian club and hear a great song.

✓ صحيح! ✗ ليس تمامًا. الإجابة الصحيحة: Que barato essa música!

In Brazil, 'Que barato' is slang for 'How cool'.

🎉 النتيجة: /4

وسائل تعلم بصرية

Ser vs Estar with Barato

É barato (Permanent)
A loja é barata The store is (always) cheap
Está barato (Temporary)
O arroz está barato The rice is cheap (today/on sale)

Gender Agreement

👨

Masculine (-o)

  • O carro
  • O livro
  • O pão
👩

Feminine (-a)

  • A casa
  • A blusa
  • A fruta

بنك التمارين

5 تمارين
اختر الإجابة الصحيحة Fill Blank

✓ صحيح! ✗ ليس تمامًا. الإجابة الصحيحة:
Choose the correct form for: 'The house (a casa) is cheap.' Choose A1

A casa ____.

✓ صحيح! ✗ ليس تمامًا. الإجابة الصحيحة: é barata

'Casa' is feminine singular, so the adjective must be 'barata'.

Complete the sentence with the correct form of 'barato'. Fill Blank A1

Os livros nesta loja são muito _______.

✓ صحيح! ✗ ليس تمامًا. الإجابة الصحيحة: baratos

'Livros' is masculine plural.

What would you say if a price is low only for today? dialogue_completion A2

Vendedor: Hoje o arroz está em promoção! Você: Que bom! Hoje o arroz ____ ______.

✓ صحيح! ✗ ليس تمامًا. الإجابة الصحيحة: está barato

Use 'estar' for temporary states like sales.

Match the phrase to the context. situation_matching B1

Context: You are in a Brazilian club and hear a great song.

✓ صحيح! ✗ ليس تمامًا. الإجابة الصحيحة: Que barato essa música!

In Brazil, 'Que barato' is slang for 'How cool'.

🎉 النتيجة: /5

الأسئلة الشائعة

10 أسئلة

No, it's insulting. It implies the person has low morals or is 'easy'.

'Em conta' is slightly more formal and polite, often used in business or by older people.

Not necessarily, but the proverb 'O barato sai caro' suggests that sometimes it does.

Use 'mais barato'. For example: 'Este é mais barato'.

Yes, it is used exactly the same way for prices in Portugal.

The opposite is 'caro' (expensive).

Yes, it means 'very cheap'.

It's a diminutive that makes the phrase sound more casual, cute, or emphasizes the low price.

As a noun, yes. As an adjective, it just means 'cheap' for a feminine object.

Just change your intonation: 'É barato?'

عبارات ذات صلة

🔄

Em conta

synonym

Affordable

🔗

Caro

contrast

Expensive

🔗

Pechincha

builds on

A bargain

🔗

De graça

specialized form

For free

🔄

Acessível

synonym

Accessible/Affordable

أين تستخدمها

🍎

At the Street Market

Vendedor: Três quilos de laranja por cinco reais!

Cliente: Nossa, é muito barato! Vou levar.

informal
👕

Shopping for Clothes

Amiga A: Gostou desta blusa?

Amiga B: Sim, e o preço é ótimo. É barata!

neutral
🏨

Booking a Hotel

Viajante: Este hostel é barato?

Recepcionista: Sim, é o mais barato da cidade.

neutral

Talking about Gas Prices

Motorista: A gasolina está barata hoje.

Passageiro: Verdade, vamos aproveitar para abastecer.

neutral
🤩

Reacting to a Cool Idea (Brazil)

Pedro: Vamos acampar na praia no fim de semana?

Lucas: Que barato! Eu topo.

informal
🍕

Ordering Food

Usuário: O frete deste app é barato?

Amigo: Sim, é apenas dois reais.

neutral

احفظها

وسيلة تذكّر

Think of a 'BARGAIN' at a 'BAR' - 'BAR-ato'.

ربط بصري

Imagine a bright yellow price tag with a very small number on it, sitting on top of a loaf of bread.

Rhyme

Se é barato, eu coloco no prato! (If it's cheap, I put it on my plate!)

Story

You walk into a store in Lisbon. You see a beautiful shirt. You look at the tag and it says 5 Euros. You smile and tell the clerk, 'É barato!'

In Other Languages

In Spanish, it is exactly the same: 'Es barato'. In Italian, it is 'È economico' or 'A buon mercato'.

Word Web

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تحدٍّ

Go to an online Brazilian or Portuguese supermarket website (like Pão de Açúcar or Continente) and find 5 items that you think are 'baratos'. Say the phrase out loud for each.

Review this every time you look at a price tag today.

النطق

Stress The stress is on the second syllable: ba-RA-to.

Open 'e' sound, like 'met' in English.

Standard 'ba' sound.

Tapped 'r', like the 'tt' in 'better' (American English).

In most dialects, the final 'o' sounds like a soft 'u'.

طيف الرسمية

رسمي
O valor é bastante acessível.

O valor é bastante acessível. (General pricing)

محايد
É barato.

É barato. (General pricing)

غير رسمي
É baratinho.

É baratinho. (General pricing)

عامية
É de graça! / É uma pechincha!

É de graça! / É uma pechincha! (General pricing)

From the Spanish 'barato', which comes from the verb 'baratar' (to exchange, to cheat), originating from Vulgar Latin 'barattare'.

12th Century:
16th Century:
20th Century:

حقيقة ممتعة

The word 'barrister' in English and 'barataria' in Spanish share a distant ancestor related to the 'deception' side of this word's history!

ملاحظات ثقافية

Bargaining (pechinchar) is an art form. Even if something 'é barato', a Brazilian might still ask for a discount just for the social interaction.

“Está barato, mas faz por dez reais?”

The phrase 'bom e barato' is a gold standard for restaurants (tascas). Finding a place that is 'barato' but has high-quality food is a point of pride.

“Aquela tasca é boa e barata.”

In Luanda, where the cost of living can be very high, finding something that 'é barato' is rare and often discussed with excitement.

“No mercado do Roque Santeiro era mais barato.”

Similar to other Lusophone African countries, 'barato' is used in informal markets (dumbanengues) where price negotiation is key.

“Este peixe é barato e fresco.”

بدايات محادثة

Você acha que viajar para o Brasil é barato?

Onde você compra roupas baratas?

Qual foi a última pechincha que você encontrou?

Você concorda que 'o barato sai caro'?

أخطاء شائعة

O maçã é barato.

A maçã é barata.

wrong conjugation
Adjectives must agree with the gender of the noun. 'Maçã' is feminine.

L1 Interference

0 1

Eu sou barato.

O preço é barato.

wrong context
Saying 'Eu sou barato' implies you as a person are 'cheap' or have no dignity. Use it for objects.

L1 Interference

0

É barata.

É barato.

wrong conjugation
If you are referring to a masculine noun like 'carro' or 'livro', you must use the masculine ending.

L1 Interference

0

Está barato.

É barato.

wrong context
While both are correct, using 'está' when you mean the item is *always* cheap is a slight nuance error. 'É' is for permanent traits.

L1 Interference

0

In Other Languages

Spanish Very Similar

Es barato

Virtually no difference in the primary sense.

French moderate

C'est bon marché

French uses a fixed phrase, Portuguese uses a flexible adjective.

German Very Similar

Es ist billig

German 'billig' has a stronger negative connotation.

Japanese Very Similar

安いです (Yasui desu)

Japanese adjectives have their own conjugations (past tense, negative), unlike Portuguese.

Arabic Very Similar

إنه رخيص (Innahu rakhees)

Sentence structure (VSO/SVO) differs significantly.

Chinese moderate

很便宜 (Hěn piányi)

Chinese lacks gender agreement and verb 'to be' in this context.

Korean Very Similar

싸요 (Ssayeyo)

Korean uses levels of politeness (honorifics) which Portuguese handles via 'você/senhor'.

Portuguese (PT-PT vs PT-BR) Very Similar

É barato / É em conta

The slang 'cool' meaning is specific to Brazil.

Spotted in the Real World

🎵

(1995)

“A gente fomos comer um feijão...”

A famous Brazilian song about a cheap, fun date in a Brasília (car).

🌐

(2000s)

“Quer pagar quanto?”

A massive retail chain in Brazil famous for low prices.

📺

(2005)

“Isso é muito barato!”

The character Julius is obsessed with prices and finding things that are 'barato'.

سهل الخلط

É barato. مقابل Barata

Learners confuse the feminine adjective with the noun 'barata' (cockroach).

Context is key! If you are in a restaurant and say 'A sopa é barata', you are talking about the price. If you point and scream 'Uma barata!', you found a bug.

É barato. مقابل Baixo

Learners try to say 'preço baixo' as 'preço barato'.

The price is 'baixo' (low), but the object is 'barato' (cheap).

الأسئلة الشائعة (10)

No, it's insulting. It implies the person has low morals or is 'easy'.

common mistakes

'Em conta' is slightly more formal and polite, often used in business or by older people.

comparisons

Not necessarily, but the proverb 'O barato sai caro' suggests that sometimes it does.

basic understanding

Use 'mais barato'. For example: 'Este é mais barato'.

grammar mechanics

Yes, it is used exactly the same way for prices in Portugal.

cultural usage

The opposite is 'caro' (expensive).

basic understanding

Yes, it means 'very cheap'.

grammar mechanics

It's a diminutive that makes the phrase sound more casual, cute, or emphasizes the low price.

practical tips

As a noun, yes. As an adjective, it just means 'cheap' for a feminine object.

common mistakes

Just change your intonation: 'É barato?'

practical tips

Learning Path

Prerequisites

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