legais

Legais is the plural form of the Portuguese adjective legal, used to describe things related to law or that are legally permitted. In formal writing, it appears in phrases such as documentos legais (legal documents), conformidade legal (legal compliance), and processos legais (legal proceedings). The plural form is the same for masculine and feminine nouns: legais.

In addition to its technical legal sense, legal is also common as slang in Brazilian Portuguese meaning "cool" or "neat." Phrases like que legal! and coisas legais appear frequently in everyday speech, though this sense is informal and not used in official texts.

Etymology and related terms: The adjective legal derives from Latin legalis, meaning pertaining to the law, from lex, legis (law). Related terms include legalidade (legality), ilegal (illegal), legitimidade (legitimacy).

Regional usage: In Portugal, Brazil, and other Portuguese-speaking communities, the legal sense is universal; the slang sense is widespread especially among younger speakers in Brazil.

See also: Legislation, Legality, Law, Legal systems.