jesseking Last updated: December 28, 2022

75+ Portuguese Travel Phrases and Words for 1 Awesome Trip

The first step to learning Portuguese travel words and phrases is to say them out loud, no matter how you might sound.

Well, maybe that’s the second step. Because the first step is actually learning the phrases.

That’s why in this post, you’ll find not only over 75 crucial Portuguese travel phrases and words for a successful trip, but also some key pronunciation tips and a customizable way for you to actually form relevant sentences.

Portuguese Travel Phrases and Words

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Portuguese Travel Phrases and Words

Even if you don’t know any Portuguese, a lot of Portuguese words sound similar to their English counterparts, so rest assured that learning this language won’t be as difficult as you may think!

Portuguese sentence structures are also similar to English, so that makes things easier.

In the list below, we cover some basic Portuguese travel phrases and vocabulary that you can turn into your own phrases.

Learn the phrases and study the words you think you’ll be most likely to use on your travels for a personalized travel phrasebook!

While there are lots of similarities between variances of Portuguese, this list will be most helpful on a trip to Brazil.

Basic Portuguese Phrases and Words

There are some basic phrases words that you’ll be using over and over when interacting with other people in Portuguese.

Memorize them first, as you’ll almost certainly need them on your trip!

Olá — Hello (formal)

Oi — Hello (informal)

Como você está? — How are you? (formal)

Como está? — How are you? (formal)

Como tá? — How are you? (informal)

E aí? — How are you? (informal)

Bom dia — Good morning

Boa tarde — Good afternoon

Boa noite — Good night

Adeus — Goodbye

Bem, e você? — I’m well, and you?

Foi um prazer — It was good to meet you

Tchau — See you later (informal)

Até logo — See you later (formal)

Obrigado — Thank you (if you’re male)

Obrigada — Thank you (if you’re female)

Desculpa — Sorry or excuse me

Por favor — Please

Onde está o banheiro? — Where is the bathroom?

Com licença — Excuse me

Por favor — Please

Preciso trocar dinheiro — I need to exchange money

Sim — Yes

Não — No

Fala inglês? — Do you speak English?

Portuguese Food Words and Phrases

No cultural experience is complete without food. And you need to know more than the word cachaça (a spirit produced mainly in Brazil).

Here are the phrases to remember:

Eu quero ___ — I want ___

Pode dar me ___, por favor? — Can you please give me ___? (Slightly more polite.)

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

Transportation Phrases and Words

If you’re planning on walking the whole time you’re traveling, you may not need to know about transportation, but this is unlikely!

Besides, this vocabulary might still come in handy if someone’s yelling something like, “Cuidado! Tem muitos carros!” (Careful! There are a lot of cars!)

Que horas chega ___? — What time does the ___ arrive?

Sabe onde fica ___? — Do you know where the ___ is?

Carro — Car

Ônibus — Bus

Avião — Plane

Tren — Train

Taxi — Taxi

Bicicleta — Bike

Parada de ônibus — Bus stop

Asking for Directions in Portuguese

In order to get to the sites you want to see and the restaurants you want to try, you’re probably going to have to ask for directions. Here are the basics:

Pode me dizer como chegar ___? — Could you tell me how to get to ___?

Onde está ___? — Where is ___?

Hotel — Hotel

Quarto — Room

Museu — Museum

Parque — Park

Catedral — Cathedral

Cachoeira — Waterfall

Aeroporto — 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… left/right/etc.

Shopping in Portuguese

Tourists are always looking for trinkets to bring home, so 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:

Vou pagar só 5 dólares. Nada mais. — I will only pay five dollars. Nothing more.

Quanto custa esta ___? — How much does this ___ cost?

Você tem ___? — Do you have ___? (Used when asking for things)

Camisa — Shirt

Saia — Skirt

Calças — Pants

Vestido — Dress

Sapatos — Shoes

Souvenir — Souvenir

Lembrança — Souvenir

Just Fake It

And when all else fails, try saying a word in English with a Portuguese accent. There’s a good chance you’ll be understood.

As I mentioned above, English and Portuguese also share many cognates, like banana (banana) and dólares (dollars).

There are also some words that Portuguese-speaking people might know from social media. Usually, these will be more modern or technology-based words like internet (internet), telefone (telephone), computador (computer), and televisão (television).

Even if words aren’t cognates, you can learn other useful phrases through language learning programs like FluentU.

FluentU will allow you to see these phrases and more be used in context by native speakers in authentic video clips. You’ll also have access to interactive subtitles and quizzes to solidify your understanding.

You can even learn with FluentU on the go with an app on iOS and Android.

If you’re tempted to just use English wherever you travel, just remember: learning Portuguese will open you up to a whole new culture and people who you’d have never otherwise been able to interact with.

Have a good trip!