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