How to Say Common Words and Phrases in Portuguese

Portuguese (Português, Lángua Portuguesa) is a Roman language closely related to Spanish and the official language of more than 250 million people in Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Angpa, Guinea- Bissau and many other countries. As the Brazilian economy grows rapidly, becoming an important part of the world, investing in learning Portuguese is a wise decision, especially when you are planning to travel or do business in the South. America or Africa. ^{[1] X Research Resources} If you want to say common words or phrases in Portuguese, you should start learning basic greetings and sentences, and then continue to expand your vocabulary. Simple words and phrases in Portuguese are easy for beginners, so what are you waiting for? Vamos! (Let’s start!)

Table of Contents

Learn basic greetings

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Learn to say “Hello! “ . The perfect way to get to know Portuguese is to learn how to say hello – with these sentences you can say hello and goodbye to the Portuguese speakers you meet. Here are some common words used to say hello:

Hello: Olá ( oh-la )
Hey or Hey: Oi ( oy ) – informal
Goodbye: Adeus ( ah-deuzh )
Goodbye: Tchau ( cha-oh ) – informal
Note some words with the “informal” note. In Portuguese, it is considered impolite to use informal terms towards someone you don’t know, someone older than you, and someone in authority. These words are not vulgar words – just words that are not meant to be reverent. The important rule is: do not use informal words with people who are not close friends. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Israel Vieira Pereira, PhD

Portuguese translator

Israel Vieira Pereira is Brazilian Portuguese speaking. He is a translator and proofreader.

Israel Vieira Pereira, PhD
Portuguese translator

The best way to learn common words is to immerse yourself in the language. Sign up for an online chat with Portuguese speakers. There are a number of services that connect with native speakers from other countries to help you learn from each other. You can also put yourself in situations where you have to speak Portuguese when necessary.

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Learn how to say hello according to the time of day. Like English, Portuguese also has many different ways to say hello. These greetings allow you to refer to the moment right in the greeting: ^{[3] X Research Source}

Good morning: Bom dia ( Boh-n dih-ah or Boh-n djih-ah in Brazil) – the exact meaning of this phrase is “have a good day” but it is usually taken before noon or before mealtime lunch.
Good afternoon: Boa tarde ( Boh-ah tahr-jia ) – taken at noon or after lunch until dusk.
Good evening or good night: Boa noite ( Boh-ah no-ee-tay ) – used from dusk until dawn.

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Learn to ask questions of others. Portuguese is no different from other languages – after greeting someone, you will often ask about them. Use these simple phrases to ask how people you meet: ^{[4] X Research Sources}

How are you?: Como está? ( Coh-moh esh-tah? or Coh-moh es-tah? – used in Brazil)
How are things?: Como shoulder? (“Coh-moh vye?” (rhymes with the English word “eye”)) – informal
What’s New? (Only used in Brazil) : E who? ( E-aye (pronounced as one syllable)) – informal
Is everything all right?: Tudo bem? (“Too-doo beng?”) – informal

Learn basic communication

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Learn to talk about language. As a beginner to Portuguese, you will probably always have difficulty communicating. Don’t worry – no one can learn a new language in no time. Use the following phrases to explain your situation:

I don’t speak Portuguese – Não falo Português – ( Nah-oom fah-looh poor-too-gess )
I speak English: Falo Ingles ( Fah-looh inn-glesh )
Do you speak English?: Fala inglés? ( Fah-lah inn-gless ) – formal
Do you speak English?: Você fala inglés? ( Voh-say fah-lah inn-gless ) – informal
I don’t get it: Percebo brain ( Nah-oo pehr-say-boo )
Can you repeat it?: Pode repetir? ( Poh-day reh-peh-teer )

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Learn polite conversation. It’s important to learn how to be polite in Portuguese – you don’t want to ruin the reputation of your home country with even an accidental rudeness. Use the following words and expressions to ensure that you are always polite when communicating with others:

Please: Por favor ( Pooh-r fah-voh-r )
Thanks: Obrigado/a ( Oh-bree-gah-dooh/dah ) – use masculine conjugation if you’re male and female conjugation if you’re female.
No genus: De nada ( Dee nah-dah ) – informal
None: Nah-oomm tah-eehm the queh ( Nah-oomm tah-eehm the queh ) – formal
I’m Sorry: Desculpe ( Desh-cop-pah )

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Learn how to talk about others (and how to respond). Knowing how to ask a few basic questions of the Portuguese speakers you meet will help you make many new friends. Use the following questions and answers for basic communication:

What’s your name?: Como o/a senhor/a se chama? ( coh-moh sen-your/-ah se shahm-ah ) – formal. Note that, in this case, the word senhor for men doesn’t end in the letter “o”.
What’s your name?: Qual é o seu nome? ( Coh eh-oh seh-oh no-mee ) – informal
My name is…: Me chamo [your name] ( Mee sham-oh )
Where are you from?: De onde o/a senhor/a é? ( Djee own-djah oh/ah sen-your/ah eh )
Where are you from?: De onde você é? ( Djee own-djah voh-say eh ) – informal
I’m from…: Eu sou de [your hometown] ( Ee-oh so-oo djee )
What’s going on / What’s going on?: O que aconteceu? ( Oo key ah-cone-teh-see-oo )

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Learn how to ask for help. Not every adventure goes as planned. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to ask a Portuguese speaker for help, you’ll be glad to know these “lifesaving” phrases:

What time is it?: Que horas são? ( Queh o-rah-sh sah-oomm )
I’m lost: Estou perdido ( Esh-toe per-dee-doo / Es-toe per-djee-doo (used in Brazil))
Can you please help me?: Pode ajudar-me, por favor? ( Po-deh azhu-dar-meh, por-fah-vor? )
Save me!: Socorro! ( Soh-coh-hoh! ) – used when in danger

Expand your vocabulary

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Learn to ask general questions. Questions are an important part of everyday communication – you’ll gain more information about the world around you when you ask questions. Learning the following question words will help you know how to improvise specifically in each situation you find yourself in: ^{[6] X Research Source}

Who?: Quem? ( Cang? )
What?: O que? ( Ooh kee? )
When?: Quando? ( Quan-doo? )
Where?: Onde? ( Own-djee? )
Which?: Qual? ( Quah-ooh? )
Why?: Porque? ( Poohr-queh )
Because: Porque ( Poohr-queh )
How much?: Quanto? ( Kwan-toh )
How much is this?: Quanto custa? ( Kwan-toh coos-tah? )

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Learn to call each person. Use the following words to talk about the people in your life and the lives of others:

Father: Pai ( pa-ee )
Mother: Mae ( ma-ee ) – formal
Mother: Mamãe ( muh-ma-ee ) – informal
Men: Homem ( O-men )
Women: Mulher ( Mooh-lyehr )
Friends: Amigo/a ( Ah-mee-goh/gah )
Girlfriend: Namorada ( Nah-mooh-rah-dah )
Boyfriend: Namorado ( Nah-mooh-rah-dooh )

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Learn formal titles. In Portuguese, it is customary to call an elder or a person of authority by their formal title as a way of showing respect. While this formality is often dropped as two people become closer, it takes some time so it’s important not to call someone’s name until they’ve given permission. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Mr: Senhor ( Sen-your ) – this word is also used to refer to “you” in a formal sense
Grandma: Senhora ( Sen-your-ah ) – this is also used to refer to “you” with a formal feminine meaning
She: Senhorita ( Sen-your-ee-tah ) – used for young women (usually unmarried)
Lady/lady: Dona ( Do-nah ) – a formal title for women
Doctorate: Dotour/a ( Doo-tohr/-ah ) – used for people with higher education than bachelor; not necessarily used to refer to doctors.
Professor: Professor/a ( pro-fess-or/-ah ) – for people with a doctorate degree, not necessarily a university lecturer.

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Learn the names of some familiar animals. Knowing the names of animals in Portuguese will be extremely helpful, especially when you take a trip to the rainforest in Brazil or Angpa. Here are some more common words for animals that you may come across:

Dog: Tall ( Cah-oohm )
Dog (Brazil only) : Cachorro ( Cah-sho-hoo )
Cat: Gato ( Gah-tooh )
Bird: Pássaro ( Pah-sah-row )
Fish: Peixe ( Pay-shay )
Monkey: Macaco ( Mah-cah-coh )
Lizard: Lagarto ( Lah-gar-toh )
Bug: Percevejo ( pair-sair-ve-zhoh )
Spider: Aranha ( Ah-rah-nyah )

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Learn body parts. Knowing how to depict different body parts is a necessity if you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of getting hurt or injured in a foreign country. Use the following words to talk about the body: ^{[8] X Research Source}

Head: Cabeça ( Cah-beh-sah )
Arm: Braço ( Brah-so )
Legs: Perna ( Pair-nah )
Hand: Crown ( Mah-oohm)
Feet: Pe ( Peh )
Fingers: Dedo ( Deh-dooh )
Toe – Dedo (like the word finger) – you can say “Dedo do pé” ( Deh-dooh dooh peh ), which literally translates to “toe of the foot”
Eyes: Olhos ( Ole-yus )
Mouth: Boca ( Boh-cah )
Nose: Nariz ( Nah-reese )
Tai: Orelhas ( Oh-rel-yase )

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Learn to describe physical problems. As noted above, getting sick or injured in a foreign country is no fun. Make your problems easy by learning these words to describe health conditions:

I’m in pain: Estou magoado ( Ees-toh mah-goo-ah-doo )
My [body part] is broken: Meu [body part, such as arm] está quebrado ( May-oh brah-so es-tah kay-brah-doh )
I bleed: Eu estou sangrando ( Eh-oh ees-toh san-grand-oh )
I feel uncomfortable: Me sinto mal ( Mee seen-toh ma-oo )
I’m not feeling well: Sinto-me doente ( Seen-toh-may doo-en-tee )
I have a fever: Estou com febre ( Ees-toh cohn feb-ray )
I have a cough: Estou com tosse ( Ees-toh cohn tohs-ay )
I can’t breathe: Eu brain posso respirar ( Eh-oh nah-oo po-so ray-spee-rar )
Doctor!: Medico! ( Meh-jee-coh )

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Learn slang! Now that you have a fair amount of Portuguese words and phrases, expand your vocabulary by learning some practical slang words. Real-life Portuguese speakers often don’t use dry, easy-to-understand language like you’ll find in books. Each Portuguese-speaking country and region has its own slang, colloquial expressions and expressions that add to the character of their language. Here are some common slang words (all of which are informal ). ^{[9] X Research Source}

Awesome! (Europe and Africa only) : Fixe ( Feesh )
Awesome! (For Brazil only) : Legal ( Lay-gah-oo )
Oh my!: Nossa ( Nos-ah )
Oh my god!: Puxa / Puxa vida ( Poo-sha / Poo-sha vee-dah )
Shut up!: Cale-se! / Cala a boca! ( Cah-lee drunk / cah la boh-ca )
What?: Beleza? ( Beh-leh-zah )
Best friend (both male and female): Parceira/o ( par-say-rah )
Charming boy/girl: Gatinha/o ( Gah-cheen-yah/yoh )
Money: Grana ( Gran-ah )
Foreigner: Gringo ( Green-go )

Advice

Don’t give up if you get stuck because learning basic words in a new language also takes a lot of time. If you don’t master the language soon then keep practicing and practicing!
The Portuguese “m” is often pronounced quite similar to the English “n”.
Similarly, the Portuguese “nh” is often pronounced like the English “ny” sound (as in “I nu it”)
Try listening to Portuguese music to immerse yourself in this new language. To speak Portuguese like a Brazilian, you should try listening to music in São Paulo and Brasília because there is often a “standard” and popular Brazilian accent.
The “l” at the end of a word is pronounced like a long “u” or “oo” sound.

Steps

Learn basic greetings

Learn basic communication

Expand your vocabulary

Advice

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