sem
Portuguese, preposition/ˈsẽj̃/
sem is spelled S-E-M (3 letters) and appears 1,349 times per million words in written Portuguese, the 70th most frequent Portuguese word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Sem is a Portuguese preposition meaning “-less; without (not having, containing, characteristic of, etc.)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) defines it as “indicativa de carência ou ausência”.
What does sem mean in English?
preposition
- 1
-less; without (not having, containing, characteristic of, etc.)
um livro sem capa
- 2
without (not doing or not having done something)
Ele gosta de comer tudo sem dividir.
- 3
no (indicates lack of possibility or allowance)
Sem fotos.
Source: English Wiktionary, Portuguese section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How Portuguese dictionaries define it
preposition: 1. indicativa de carência ou ausência
The definition in the Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), in Portuguese.
Source: Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
How do you pronounce sem?
- Brazil /ˈsẽj̃/
- Brazil [ˈsẽɪ̯̃]
- Portugal /ˈsɐ̃j̃/
Sources: English Wiktionary, Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to sem
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is sem in Portuguese?
sem appears 1,349 times per million words in written Portuguese.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).