Cota vs. quota vs. contingente
The Portuguese words cota and quota generally refer to a share, percentage, or financial bracket, but they have distinct regional preferences and specific usages. Cota is the preferred spelling in Brazil for shares and affirmative action policies. Quota is more common in Portugal for dues or market shares. In contrast, contingente does not refer to a financial slice, but rather to a specific body of people (like troops) or a batch of goods restricted by number.
Cota
B2This is the most common spelling in Brazilian Portuguese for a designated share, a financial contribution, or social affirmative action spots. It usually refers to a specific portion assigned to someone or a required payment.
A universidade reservou cinquenta por cento das vagas para o sistema de cotas.
(The university reserved fifty percent of the spots for the quota system.)
Sua cota de participação nos lucros foi depositada hoje.
(Your share of profit participation was deposited today.)
Cada morador deve pagar a cota do condomínio até o dia dez.
(Each resident must pay the condo fee by the tenth.)
Quota
B2While often interchangeable with cota, this spelling is standard in European Portuguese. It frequently refers to membership dues, market shares, or technical limits (like disk space). In Brazil, it is rarer and usually restricted to formal legal or financial contexts.
A empresa está tentando aumentar a sua quota de mercado.
(The company is trying to increase its market share.)
Ele esqueceu de pagar a quota mensal do clube esportivo.
(He forgot to pay the monthly due of the sports club.)
Você excedeu a sua quota de armazenamento no servidor.
(You have exceeded your storage quota on the server.)
Contingente
C1This refers to a fixed number or quantity of people (workforce, military troops) or goods (imports/exports). Unlike the other two, it emphasizes a collective group or a batch forming a limited whole.
O governo enviou um grande contingente de soldados para a fronteira.
(The government sent a large contingent of soldiers to the border.)
O contingente de importação de carne foi reduzido este ano.
(The meat import quota was reduced this year.)
Temos um contingente enorme de desempregados no setor industrial.
(We have a huge number of unemployed people in the industrial sector.)
Summary
Use cota for general shares, affirmative action spots, and monthly fees, especially in Brazil. Use quota for market shares, membership dues (especially in Portugal), or technical limits. Use contingente when talking about a specific body of troops, a workforce, or a batch of physical goods.