Faca
- Knife.
Iê, faca de ponta / Iê sabe furar
A pointed knife can pierce
Facão
- Machete.
Meu facão bateu embaixo / A bananeira caiu
My machete struck low / The banana tree fell
Falar
- To speak, to say.
É verdade meu amigo, escute o que eu vou falar
It’s true my friend, listen to what I am going to say
Fazer
- 1) To do. 2) To make.
1) Você não sabe o que pode fazer o nego
You don’t know what this guy can do
2) Beriba é pau pra fazer berimbau
Beriba is the wood used to make the berimbau
Fechar
- To close.
Fecha o corpo camarada na Santa Arca do Salomão
Close your body, comrade, in the Holy Arc of Solomon
In capoeira and candomblé, having a “closed body” means being physically invulnerable to certain types of attacks. A closed body is obtained through magical prayers and preparations.
Ficar
- To stay, to be, to become.
Se essa roda fica boa, não vai terminar agora
If this roda is good, it won’t end yet
Lá no céu tem três estrelas, todas três em carreirinha
Uma é minha, outra é sua, a outra vai ficar sozinha
In the sky there are three stars, all three in a line
One is mine, another is yours, and the third will stay alone
Filho - Filha
- Son, daughter.
Quando meu filho nascer, vou perguntar à parteira
Que é que meu filho vai ser? Meu filho vai ser capoeira
When my son is born, I’ll ask the midwife
What will my son be? My son will be a capoeirista
A manteiga não é minha, é pra filha do senhor
The butter is not mine, it’s for the master’s daughter
Floreio
- Flourish, a fancy movement.
Folha Seca
- Dry leaf. In capoeira, also refers to a type of backflip.
Eu pisei na folha seca, ouvi fazer chuê chuá
I stepped on the dry leaf, I heard it go crunch crunch
Fora
- Outside.
Jogo de dentro, jogo de fora
Jogo bonito é o jogo de angola
Inside game, outside game
The game of angola is a beautiful game
Força
- Strength, force.
Agradeço pai Ogum a força dos orixás
I thank father Ogum for the strength of the orixás
Formatura
- Graduation.
Mestre Bimba was the one who introduced the tradition of a capoeira "graduation." A student who was formado (graduated) was one who had completed Mestre Bimba's six-month course and gained an understanding of the basic movements of capoeira regional. Over time, however, the meaning and usage of this word has changed. Nowadays, aformado is usually someone with five to ten years of capoeira experience, who is ready to begin teaching classes on their own.
Frente
- Front.
Eu vi a cutia com coco no dente
Com chapéu de palha quebrado na frente
I saw the cutia with coconut in its mouth
With a straw hat broken in front
Fundamento
- Basics, fundamentals, roots.
