Costume vs. Costume in Portuguese: A Habit or a Disguise — Practice

Costume usually means a habit or custom

In Brazilian Portuguese, costume commonly refers to a habit or customary practice. The expression ter o costume de means “to be in the habit of.” It does not usually mean an outfit for a party.

Use fantasia for a costume or dress-up outfit

A costume worn for Carnival, Halloween, or a themed party is usually fantasia. You can describe the character or ask whether the store has the outfit in your size.

Watch for the phrase ter o costume de

When costume appears after ter o costume de, the sentence is usually describing something someone habitually does. If the sentence is about clothing, use fantasia or roupa. The surrounding verb and context prevent a misleading literal translation.

Remember: Costume is commonly a habit; fantasia is a dress-up costume.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. I have a habit of walking after dinner.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Tenho o costume de caminhar depois do jantar.

2. Is it customary to take off your shoes in this house?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   É costume tirar os sapatos nesta casa?

3. I’m going to wear a pirate costume at Carnival.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Vou usar uma fantasia de pirata no Carnaval.

4. Do you have this costume in a child’s size?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Vocês têm essa fantasia no tamanho infantil?

5. She has a habit of reading on the bus.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ela tem o costume de ler no ônibus.

6. The shop sells costumes and accessories.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A loja vende fantasias e acessórios.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Costume is commonly a habit; fantasia is a dress-up costume.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Costume vs. Costume in Portuguese: A Habit or a Disguise? lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.