sobre
Portuguese, preposition
sobre is spelled S-O-B-R-E (5 letters) and appears 1,698 times per million words in written Portuguese, the 53rd most frequent Portuguese word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Sobre is a Portuguese preposition meaning “on; atop; on top of (located on the top surface of)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is also a first/third-person singular present subjunctive of sobrar. With an accent, sôbre is a different word: “pre-reform spelling (used until 1971 in Brazil and 1945 in Portugal)…”. The Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) defines it as “elemento formador de adjuntos adverbiais que exprimem a ideia de”.
What does sobre mean in English?
preposition
- 1
on; atop; on top of (located on the top surface of)
Deixaram um livro sobre a mesa.
- 2
over; above (in or through the space above)
O pássaro voou sobre a muralha.
- 3
about; concerning (on the subject of)
Discorremos sobre a guerra.
verb
- 1
first/third-person singular present subjunctive
- 2
third-person singular imperative
prefix
- 1
over-, super-
preposition
- 1
pre-reform spelling (used until 1971 in Brazil and 1945 in Portugal) of sobre
Source: English Wiktionary, Portuguese section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How Portuguese dictionaries define it
adverb: 1. emprega-se para designar que o vento sopra por ante-avante do pano
preposition: 1. elemento formador de adjuntos adverbiais que exprimem a ideia de: 2. na parte superior de, em cima de, por cima ou acima de: 3. em posição superior e distante: 4. acima de, em lugar superior, em situação dominante ou de influência:
noun: 1. qualquer das últimas velas trapezoidais dos navios (tipo corveta)
prefix: 1. sobre; além de; por cima; demais
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.
Forms of sobre
- sôbre alternative
Source: English Wiktionary and Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to sobre
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is sobre in Portuguese?
sobre appears 1,698 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).