128 Portuguese Phrases for Travel and Everyday Life

How would you fare if we transported you to a Portuguese-speaking country right now? Do you have enough phrases under your belt to find your way around?

This post is for all the beginners who want to nail their basic Portuguese phrases. Whether your focus is on European or Brazilian Portuguese, fine-tuning your essentials will make life that much easier.

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Basic Greetings

Greetings are often the first thing you cover when learning a new language—and in Portuguese, it’s no different.

Whether you need a reminder of your basic hellos and goodbyes, or you’re yet to learn them, here are some of the key greetings you need to know:

Portuguese	English
Bom dia	Good morning
Boa tarde	Good afternoon
Boa noite	Good night
Olá	Hello (formal)
Oi	Hello/Hi (informal)
Alô	Hello (on the phone — Brazilian Portuguese)
Está lá	Hello (on the phone — European Portuguese)
Adeus	Goodbye (formal)
Tchau!	Bye/See you later (informal)
Até amanhã	See you tomorrow
Tudo bem?	How are you?
Como tá?	How are you? (informal)
E aí?	How are you? (informal)
Como você está?	How are you? (formal)
Como está?	How are you? (formal)
Eu estou bem, e você/e tú?	I'm good, and you?
Bem, e você?	Good, and you?
Como vai?	How's it going?
Prazer	Nice to meet you
Foi um prazer	It was good to meet you
O senhor/A senhora	You (formal)/ Sir/Madam
Qual é o seu nome?	What is your name?
Me chamo... / Meu nome é...	My name is...

Basic Words and Phrases

Good manners always make a positive impression. If you’re ever traveling to Brazil or Portugal, these terms will help prevent any cultural misunderstandings that might arise from basic etiquette:

Portuguese	English
Sim	Yes
Não	No
Por favor	Please
Com licença	Excuse me
Obrigado/Obrigada	Thank you
De nada	You're welcome
Desculpa/Desculpe	I'm sorry
Perdão	Forgive me/Pardon me
Por quê?	Why?
Estou com saudades	I miss you (Brazilian Portuguese)
Tenho saudades	I miss you (European Portuguese)
Vamos!	Let's go!

Essential Questions and Phrases 

There’s no shame in asking for help when you need it. In fact, it’s all part of the learning experience.

If you’re talking to a native Portuguese speaker, use these phrases to aid your comprehension:

Portuguese	English
Fala inglês?	Do you speak English?
Alguém aqui fala inglês?	Does anyone here speak English?
Não compreendo	I don't understand
Eu compreendo	I understand
Não entendi	I didn't understand
Entendi	I understood/I understand
Eu não sei	I don't know
Como se diz... em português?	How do you say... in Portuguese?
Fale mais devagar, por favor	Please speak more slowly
Que horas são?	What time is it?
Preciso de sua/tua ajuda	I need your help (Use sua in Brazil and tua in Portugal)
Eu estou doente	I'm sick

Essential Portuguese Travel Phrases

Traveling to Brazil or Portugal? Then these questions will definitely help you along the way. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it’ll help you get started:

Portuguese	English
Preciso trocar dinheiro	I need to exchange money.
Como chego ao (à)... ? *	How do I get to...?
Como chego à estação de trem?	How do I get to the train station?
Como chego ao ponto de ônibus?	How do I get to the bus stop?
Para onde vai esse trem/ônibus?	Where does this train/bus go?
A que horas chega... ?	What time does the... arrive?
Sabe onde fica... ?	Do you know where the... is?
Você pode me mostrar no mapa?	Could you show me on the map [where this is]?
Onde é o banheiro?	Where is the bathroom? (Brazilian Portuguese)
Onde fica a casa de banho?	Where is the bathroom? (European Portuguese)
Carro	Car
Ônibus	Bus (Brazilian Portuguese)
Autocarro	Bus (European Portuguese)
Avião	Plane
Trem	Train
Táxi	Taxi
Bicicleta	Bike
Parada de ônibus	Bus stop

*Grammar note: use ao for masculine nouns, à for feminine. 

Asking for Directions 

In order to get where you want to go, you’re probably going to have to ask for directions. Here are the basics:

Portuguese	English
Pode me dizer como chegar... ?	Could you tell me how to get to... ?
Onde está... ?	Where is... ?
O hotel	The hotel
O quarto	The room
O museu	The museum
O parque	The park
A catedral	The cathedral
A cachoeira	The waterfall
O aeroporto	The airport
Esquerda	Left
Direita	Right
Reto	Straight ahead
Por aí	Around there
Em frente	In front of
Atrás	Behind
Rua	Road
Avenida	Avenue
Estrada	Highway
Faixa	Lane
Seguir	To follow
Virar	To turn
Vira a...	Turn...

Shopping 

If you see something you’d like to bring home, you’ll need to know a thing or two about making purchases.

It might feel unnatural, but haggling is the norm in many countries. Here’s how to let the vendor know you won’t budge from your budget:

Portuguese	English
Quanto custa?	How much does it cost?
Quanto custa esta... ?	How much does this... cost?
Que horas abre/fecha?	What time does this place open/close?
Que horas vocês abrem/fecham?	What time do you open/close?
Vou pagar só 5 dólares. Nada mais.	I will only pay five dollars. Nothing more.
Você tem... ?	Do you have... ? (Used when asking for things)
Camisa	Shirt
Saia	Skirt
Calças	Pants
Vestido	Dress
Sapatos	Shoes
Souvenir	Souvenir
Lembrança	Souvenir

Words and Phrases for Food

No cultural experience is complete without food. How about trying the famous Brazilian brigadeiro dessert pictured above? 

If you’re ever in Brazil you’ll need to know more than the word cachaça  (a spirit produced mainly in Brazil).

Here are some essential Portuguese phrases to remember:

Portuguese	English
Eu quero...	I want...
Pode dar me..., por favor?	Can you please give me... ?
Bebidas	Drinks
Água	Water
Refrigerante	Soda
Suco	Juice
Leite	Milk
Vinho	Wine
Cerveja	Beer
Comida	Food
Salada	Salad
Arroz	Rice
Feijão	Beans
Carne	Meat
Frango	Chicken
Sobremesa	Dessert
Bolo	Cake
Sorvete	Ice cream
Maçã	Apple
Mamão	Papaya
Morango	Strawberry
Manga	Mango
Maracujá	Passionfruit
Goiaba	Guava
Açaí	Acai berry
Caju	Cashew fruit

Quick Tips to Make Learning Basic Portuguese a Breeze

Learning a language, as you already know, is a commitment.

It takes time to build up your vocabulary, study the grammar rules and get your pronunciation just right.

But you know what? All that groundwork doesn’t have to be stressful.

As long as you know what you’re trying to achieve and how you’re going to achieve it, the transition between all learning phases—from beginner to advanced—should go quite smoothly.

At this stage, in particular, there are two key points that we recommend you focus on:

Learn in context

Your first mission is to put your learned phrases into context. Memorizing words and sentences isn’t going to do any good if you don’t know how to apply them in your daily life.

With all the resources you can readily access these days, it’s easy and fun to get actively involved in practicing your linguistic skills—no matter how basic—beyond memorization.

For instance, the exercises and native content you’re exposed to through the FluentU program’s authentic videos will help you see how each new phrase and language rule you’re studying fits into natural Portuguese speech.

Other great sources like Portuguese short stories, fun local cartoons, engaging Portuguese movies and authentic TV shows can also help you get a feel for the basics.

Learn out loud

The second thing to think about is pronunciation. A language learner’s ultimate goal is to get fluent, after all—so the earlier you start practicing those sounds, the better.

Watching online video lessons can be quite helpful at this stage. Regardless of which dialect you’re learning, finding the right material is as simple as searching for basic phrases, greetings and other key vocabulary terms in your chosen dialect.

Don’t just listen to how words are said, though—actually repeat them out loud. Pause the video after each word or phrase and come back to it a couple of times.

And if you need some extra reassurance on the pronunciation front, try inputting each separate word into your preferred Portuguese dictionary or translator app to hear how it’s spoken. Again, repeating them to yourself out loud is a must.

 

Now that you have these essential Portuguese phrases, you’re ready to start using this new vocabulary in your own conversations!

Even if you’re not going traveling, try using these phrases in your everyday life. And for more advanced phrases, check out our post on Portuguese sayings and quotes for every occasion. 

These phrases will provide you with the necessary building blocks to help you on your Portuguese journey to fluency!

Boa viagem! (Have a good trip!)

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)