When we talk about a job opening, a vacant position, or even an empty space, the word you're looking for in Portuguese is vacância. It's a useful noun to have in your vocabulary, especially if you're navigating job searches or talking about availability.
It can refer to a job vacancy, like há uma vacância para gerente de vendas (there's a vacancy for a sales manager). You might also hear it in a more general sense, referring to an empty spot or a lack of occupation.
Pronunciation Guide
- Pronouncing the 'ã' as a simple 'a' sound instead of a nasal vowel.
- Forgetting the 'nh' sound, which is similar to the 'ny' in 'canyon'.
Examples by Level
A empresa tem uma vacância para um novo gerente.
The company has a vacancy for a new manager.
Existe uma vacância na equipe de vendas.
There is a vacancy on the sales team.
Eles anunciaram a vacância na internet.
They announced the vacancy on the internet.
Preciso preencher a vacância rapidamente.
I need to fill the vacancy quickly.
Há uma vacância para professor de inglês.
There is a vacancy for an English teacher.
A vacância foi aberta ontem.
The vacancy was opened yesterday.
Muitas pessoas se candidataram à vacância.
Many people applied for the vacancy.
Você viu a vacância de emprego?
Did you see the job vacancy?
Há uma vacância para gerente de vendas na nossa empresa.
There is a vacancy for sales manager in our company.
A vacância foi anunciada no jornal local e online.
The vacancy was announced in the local newspaper and online.
Muitas pessoas se candidataram à vacância.
Many people applied for the vacancy.
Estou procurando uma nova vacância em outra cidade.
I am looking for a new vacancy in another city.
A empresa tem várias vacâncias abertas no momento.
The company has several open vacancies at the moment.
Ele preencheu a vacância de diretor de marketing.
He filled the vacancy of marketing director.
A vacância oferece um bom salário e benefícios.
The vacancy offers a good salary and benefits.
Precisamos preencher esta vacância rapidamente.
We need to fill this vacancy quickly.
A empresa tem uma vacância para gerente de projetos.
The company has a vacancy for a project manager.
Estamos tentando preencher a vacância o mais rápido possível.
We are trying to fill the vacancy as quickly as possible.
Houve uma vacância inesperada no departamento de marketing.
There was an unexpected vacancy in the marketing department.
Muitas empresas estão com vacância em posições de tecnologia.
Many companies have vacancies in technology positions.
Você viu o anúncio da vacância para analista financeiro?
Did you see the advertisement for the financial analyst vacancy?
A universidade abriu uma vacância para professor de biologia.
The university opened a vacancy for a biology professor.
É difícil encontrar candidatos qualificados para algumas vacâncias.
It's difficult to find qualified candidates for some vacancies.
A nova reestruturação criou algumas vacâncias internas.
The new restructuring created some internal vacancies.
A vacância do cargo de diretor gerou grande expectativa entre os funcionários, ansiosos por novas lideranças.
The vacancy of the director position generated great anticipation among employees, eager for new leadership.
Here, 'vacância' refers to the unoccupied position of director.
Com a recente vacância na equipe de desenvolvimento, estamos buscando preencher a lacuna com um profissional qualificado.
With the recent vacancy in the development team, we are looking to fill the gap with a qualified professional.
'Vacância na equipe' indicates an open spot within a team.
A notícia da vacância no conselho administrativo abriu oportunidades para novos membros contribuírem com suas perspectivas.
The news of the vacancy on the administrative board opened opportunities for new members to contribute their perspectives.
This example uses 'vacância' to mean an empty seat on a board.
A vacância de professores em áreas rurais é um desafio persistente para o sistema educacional do país.
The vacancy of teachers in rural areas is a persistent challenge for the country's educational system.
Here, 'vacância de professores' means a lack of available teachers.
A empresa anunciou a vacância de vários postos de trabalho, incentivando candidaturas de profissionais experientes.
The company announced the vacancy of several job positions, encouraging applications from experienced professionals.
'Vacância de postos de trabalho' directly refers to job openings.
Para evitar a vacância de talentos, a organização implementou um programa de retenção e desenvolvimento de funcionários.
To avoid the vacancy of talents, the organization implemented an employee retention and development program.
In this context, 'vacância de talentos' implies a shortage or departure of skilled individuals.
A repentina vacância no departamento de marketing levou à reestruturação de algumas funções e responsabilidades.
The sudden vacancy in the marketing department led to the restructuring of some roles and responsibilities.
This sentence uses 'vacância' to describe an unexpected opening in a department.
A administração pública está tentando solucionar a vacância de servidores em setores essenciais, que afeta a qualidade dos serviços.
The public administration is trying to solve the vacancy of civil servants in essential sectors, which affects the quality of services.
'Vacância de servidores' refers to a lack of public employees.
Often Confused With
This is 'vagância', not 'vacância'.
This is 'férias', not 'vacância'. 'Vacância' refers to an empty job/position.
While a vacant position is empty, 'empty' as an adjective is 'vago' or 'desocupado', not 'vacância'.
Idioms & Expressions
"Preencher uma vacância"
To fill a vacancy
A empresa está buscando preencher uma vacância na área de marketing. (The company is looking to fill a marketing vacancy.)
neutral"Vacância de cargo"
Job vacancy
Foi anunciada uma vacância de cargo para gerente de projetos. (A job vacancy for project manager was announced.)
neutral"Vacância no mercado de trabalho"
Vacancy in the job market
Há muitas vacâncias no mercado de trabalho para profissionais de tecnologia. (There are many vacancies in the job market for technology professionals.)
neutral"Período de vacância"
Period of vacancy
Durante o período de vacância, as responsabilidades foram redistribuídas. (During the period of vacancy, responsibilities were redistributed.)
neutral"Deixar uma vacância"
To leave a vacancy
Quando ele se aposentou, deixou uma vacância importante na equipe. (When he retired, he left an important vacancy on the team.)
neutral"Vacância imobiliária"
Real estate vacancy
A taxa de vacância imobiliária na cidade diminuiu este ano. (The real estate vacancy rate in the city decreased this year.)
neutral"Declaração de vacância"
Declaration of vacancy
Após a saída do diretor, foi feita uma declaração de vacância. (After the director's departure, a declaration of vacancy was made.)
formal"Vacância repentina"
Sudden vacancy
A vacância repentina pegou a todos de surpresa. (The sudden vacancy caught everyone by surprise.)
neutral"Criar uma vacância"
To create a vacancy
A reestruturação da empresa vai criar algumas vacâncias. (The company's restructuring will create some vacancies.)
neutral"Vacância temporária"
Temporary vacancy
Haverá uma vacância temporária enquanto o funcionário estiver de licença. (There will be a temporary vacancy while the employee is on leave.)
neutralEasily Confused
Sounds very similar to 'vacância' but has a completely different meaning.
'Vagância' means 'vagrancy' or 'idleness', referring to a state of wandering without a fixed home or purpose.
A polícia investiga casos de vagância na área. (The police investigate cases of vagrancy in the area.)
Both relate to time off, but 'férias' refers specifically to vacation time for an individual.
'Férias' means 'vacation' or 'holiday', a period of time when someone is not working.
Estou de férias na praia esta semana. (I'm on vacation at the beach this week.)
Relates to being unoccupied, but it's an adjective for people or things, not a noun for a position.
'Desocupado' means 'unoccupied' or 'idle' (for a person), or 'empty' (for a place). It's an adjective.
O apartamento está desocupado há meses. (The apartment has been empty for months.)
Similar root and meaning of 'empty' or 'available', but 'vago' is an adjective.
'Vago' means 'vague', 'empty', or 'available'. It's an adjective describing the state of something.
Ainda há um lugar vago na fila. (There's still an empty/available spot in the line.)
Refers to a gap or missing part, which can be seen as an empty space, but not necessarily a 'position'.
'Lacuna' means 'gap', 'lapse', or 'missing piece', often in knowledge or a text.
Há uma lacuna no meu conhecimento sobre este assunto. (There's a gap in my knowledge about this topic.)
Tips
Direct Translation
The most straightforward translation for 'vacância' is vacancy. Think of it as a direct equivalent when referring to open positions.
Job Context
You'll most often hear 'vacância' in the context of employment. For example, 'Há uma vacância para gerente' means 'There's a vacancy for a manager'.
Distinguish from 'Vago'
While 'vago' means vacant or empty, 'vacância' specifically refers to the state of being vacant, often for a position or office.
Singular Noun
'Vacância' is a singular feminine noun. It will always be used with feminine articles and adjectives, e.g., 'A vacância foi preenchida' (The vacancy was filled).
Formal Usage
This word is generally used in more formal or professional contexts, like job postings or official announcements. It's less common in casual conversation.
Example: Government
When a political office becomes available, you might hear, 'A vacância no cargo do prefeito' (The vacancy in the mayor's office).
Example: University
Universities might announce 'vacâncias para professores' (vacancies for professors).
Phrase with 'abrir'
To say a position becomes vacant, you can use 'abrir uma vacância'. For example, 'Uma nova vacância abriu' (A new vacancy opened).
Phrase with 'preencher'
To fill a vacancy, use 'preencher uma vacância'. 'Eles precisam preencher a vacância rapidamente' (They need to fill the vacancy quickly).
Cognate Alert
While 'vacância' looks like 'vacation', they are false cognates. 'Vacation' in Portuguese is 'férias'. Remember 'vacância' for vacancy, not holiday!
Test Yourself 24 questions
vacâncias = vacancies
vacâncias de emprego = job vacancies
vacâncias = available rooms
Read this aloud:
Eu procuro por uma vacância.
Focus: va-CÂN-ci-a
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Há uma vacância no meu apartamento.
Focus: va-CÂN-ci-a
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Esta é uma boa vacância.
Focus: BO-a va-CÂN-ci-a
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
This sentence means 'There is a vacancy in the company.'
This sentence means 'I saw a vacancy for a teacher.'
This sentence means 'The vacancy was filled quickly.'
The word 'vacância' refers to an open position.
Listen for how 'vacâncias' is used in the plural.
The context implies a job opening that caused a stir.
Read this aloud:
Não há vacância para novos estagiários neste momento.
Focus: va-CÂN-cia, es-ta-GI-a-rios
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Você sabe se existe alguma vacância na sua área de especialização?
Focus: va-CÂN-cia, es-pe-cia-li-za-ÇÃO
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
A vacância da presidência abriu espaço para novas candidaturas.
Focus: va-CÂN-cia, pre-si-DÊN-cia, can-di-da-TU-ras
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
This sentence describes a company announcing a new job opening for a project manager.
This sentence indicates that the university has an open position for a quantum physics professor.
This sentence explains that a significant leadership void occurred after the director's departure.
/ 24 correct
Perfect score!
Direct Translation
The most straightforward translation for 'vacância' is vacancy. Think of it as a direct equivalent when referring to open positions.
Job Context
You'll most often hear 'vacância' in the context of employment. For example, 'Há uma vacância para gerente' means 'There's a vacancy for a manager'.
Distinguish from 'Vago'
While 'vago' means vacant or empty, 'vacância' specifically refers to the state of being vacant, often for a position or office.
Singular Noun
'Vacância' is a singular feminine noun. It will always be used with feminine articles and adjectives, e.g., 'A vacância foi preenchida' (The vacancy was filled).
Related Content
More work words
a curto prazo
A2Over a short period of time; short-term.
à exceção de
B1With the exception of; apart from.
a longo prazo
A2Over a long period of time; long-term.
a não ser que
A2Unless; except if; only if not.
a partir de
A2Starting from; from a certain point in time or place.
a prazo
A2For a period of time; on credit or payment terms.
a tempo inteiro
B1Full-time; working the full number of hours considered normal for a job.
a tempo parcial
B1Part-time; working less than full-time hours.
abdicar
A2To give up, to abdicate; to renounce or relinquish a throne, right, power, or claim.
acessível
B1Available, accessible; easy to approach or use.
