Portuguese Phrase
Conta pra gente por que você está animado com a vaga.
Meaning
The sentence asks the listener to explain the reasons behind their excitement for a job opening. It’s a friendly, slightly informal way to invite the candidate to share their motivation.
When to use
Use this phrase in a job interview, a recruitment chat, or an informal networking conversation when you want to know what drives a candidate’s enthusiasm for the role.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Contapragenteporquevocêestáanimadocomavaga.
Imperative (Conta)
‘Conta’ is the affirmative imperative of the verb ‘contar’ (to tell), used here to ask someone to share information.
Colloquial contraction (pra)
‘Pra’ is the informal contraction of ‘para’, meaning ‘to/for’. It’s common in spoken Brazilian Portuguese.
Question word (por que)
‘Por que’ (two words) introduces a why‑question. Do not confuse it with ‘porque’ (one word) which means ‘because’.
Subject pronoun (você)
‘Você’ is the second‑person singular pronoun. In Brazil it’s the default way to address someone politely.
Progressive state (está animado)
‘Estar’ + adjective expresses a temporary state. ‘Animado’ agrees in gender with the speaker (masculine here).
Prepositional phrase (com a vaga)
‘Com’ introduces the object of excitement – ‘the vacancy/position’. The article ‘a’ matches the feminine noun ‘vaga’.
🗨In Conversation
Conta pra gente por que você está animado com a vaga.
Tell us why you are excited about the position.
Eu adoro a missão da empresa e vejo muita oportunidade de crescimento.
I love the company's mission and I see a lot of growth opportunities.
✕Common Mistakes
Conta pra gente porque você está animado com a vaga.
‘Porque’ (one word) means ‘because’; the question requires ‘por que’ (two words).
Conta pra gente por que você está animada com a vaga.
The adjective must agree with the speaker’s gender. Use ‘animado’ for a male speaker, ‘animada’ for a female speaker.
Conta para gente por que você está animado com a vaga.
In spoken Brazilian Portuguese ‘pra’ is preferred; using ‘para’ sounds overly formal in this context.
↔Alternatives
Fale para nós por que você está empolgado com a vaga.
Tell us why you are thrilled about the position.
Explique por que você está interessado na vaga.
Explain why you are interested in the position.
Diga-nos o que te motiva a concorrer a essa vaga.
Tell us what motivates you to apply for this position.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, using ‘pra’ instead of ‘para’ gives the sentence a relaxed, conversational tone, which is perfect for informal interviews or chat‑based recruiting. In formal written communication (e.g., a cover letter) you should use ‘para’. Also, ‘animado’ is neutral, but many speakers prefer ‘empolgado’ when talking about excitement for work, as it sounds a bit more enthusiastic.