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In Brazil, what does 'umas três quadras' mean when giving directions?

Three blocks

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  1. Three blocks ✔
  2. Three kilometers
  3. Three hours

Why: Quadra means a city block in Brazil, so umas três quadras is about three blocks. In Portugal the usual word is quarteirão.

Huh, didn't know that: Quadra also means a sports court in Brazil.

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References

Answer: Three blocks. Quadra means a city block in Brazil, so umas três quadras is about three blocks. In Portugal the usual word is quarteirão.

  1. FSI Brazilian Portuguese FAST, Volume 1 (Foreign Service Institute) fsi-language-courses-media.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/languages/Portuguese/FAST/Volume%201/FSI%20-%20Portuguese%20FAST%20-%20Volume%201.pdf
    umas três quadras
    Checked 2026-10-11.
  2. Priberam: quadra dicionario.priberam.org/quadra
    Quadrilátero formado pela reunião de casas ou edifícios que dá para quatro ruas ou travessas.
    Checked 2026-10-11.

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