Portuguese Phrase
Programar é um ótimo hobby.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘Programming is a great hobby.’ It states that coding is considered a pleasant pastime rather than a job. The word hobby is an English loanword that sounds natural in everyday Brazilian Portuguese.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to talk about programming as a leisure activity, for example in casual conversation, on social media, or when introducing yourself in a tech‑meetup.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Programaréumótimohobby
Infinitive verb
Programar is the infinitive form of the verb ‘to program’, used here as a noun to denote the activity.
Ser (é)
É is the third‑person singular present of ser, used for permanent or defining statements.
Indefinite article (um)
Um is the masculine singular indefinite article; it must agree with the gender of the noun that follows.
Adjective agreement (ótimo)
Ótimo is a masculine singular adjective; it matches the gender of hobby (masculine).
Borrowed noun (hobby)
Hobby is an English loanword that kept its masculine gender in Portuguese (um hobby).
🗨In Conversation
Programar é um ótimo hobby.
Programming is a great hobby.
Concordo! Eu também adoro codificar nos fins de semana.
I agree! I also love coding on weekends.
✕Common Mistakes
Programar é uma ótimo hobby.
Hobby is masculine, so the article and adjective must be masculine (um, ótimo).
Programar está um ótimo hobby.
Use ser (é) for a permanent characteristic, not estar (está).
Programar é um ótima hobby.
The adjective must match the gender of hobby (masculine), so use ótimo, not ótima.
↔Alternatives
Programar é um passatempo excelente.
Programming is an excellent pastime.
Programar é um hobby muito legal.
Programming is a very cool hobby.
Gosto de programar como hobby.
I like programming as a hobby.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, coding has moved from a strictly professional activity to a popular hobby, especially among students and young professionals. Hackathons, coding clubs, and ‘meetups de programação’ are common places where people share this hobby. When speaking informally, Brazilians often use the English word hobby unchanged, but in formal writing you might prefer ‘passatempo’ or ‘atividade de lazer’.