Pré-venda vs. pré-encomenda vs. pré-ordem
When discussing purchasing items before they are released, the Portuguese terms pré-venda and pré-encomenda are the most common. While pré-venda refers to the commercial period or event of selling before a launch, pré-encomenda refers to the specific act of reserving or ordering the item. Pré-ordem is rarely used in standard commerce and is often a direct translation from English used in technical or financial contexts.
Pré-venda
B1This is the most popular term, specifically in Brazilian Portuguese and marketing contexts. It translates to pre-sale. It refers to the period during which a product is available for purchase before its official release date. It is heavily used for video games, concert tickets, books, and electronics.
A pré-venda dos ingressos para o show começa amanhã.
(The pre-sale for the concert tickets starts tomorrow.)
Comprei o jogo na pré-venda para ganhar um desconto.
(I bought the game during the pre-sale to get a discount.)
O novo livro do autor já está em pré-venda na internet.
(The author's new book is already in pre-sale on the internet.)
Pré-encomenda
B2This term focuses on the action of reserving an item rather than the sales event itself. It implies placing a request (encomenda) to secure a unit of a product. It is slightly more formal and more commonly used in European Portuguese or when referring to physical logistics and reservations.
Fiz uma pré-encomenda do novo console para garantir que receberia no dia do lançamento.
(I made a pre-order of the new console to ensure I would receive it on launch day.)
A loja cancelou a minha pré-encomenda por falta de estoque.
(The store canceled my pre-order due to lack of stock.)
Você recebeu o e-mail de confirmação da sua pré-encomenda?
(Did you receive the confirmation email for your pre-order?)
Pré-ordem
C2This is a literal translation (calque) of the English pre-order and is unnatural in daily Portuguese conversation for shopping. The word ordem usually means a command, a sequence, or orderliness, not a commercial purchase. You will mostly see this in technical financial contexts (stock markets) or in poorly translated software interfaces.
O investidor configurou uma pré-ordem de compra antes da abertura do mercado.
(The investor set up a purchase pre-order before the market opened.)
Houve um erro de tradução no aplicativo e apareceu o termo pré-ordem no botão.
(There was a translation error in the app and the term pre-order appeared on the button.)
Em sistemas financeiros, uma pré-ordem pode ajudar a garantir um bom preço.
(In financial systems, a pre-order can help guarantee a good price.)
Summary
Use pré-venda when talking about the sales campaign or the availability status of a new product (very common in marketing). Use pré-encomenda when talking about the specific reservation you made or the action of ordering. Avoid pré-ordem for shopping, as it sounds like a bad translation; it is only acceptable in specific technical or financial trading contexts.