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Get By with the Basics: 45 Basic Portuguese Phrases for All Your Needs

Get By with the Basics: 45 Basic Portuguese Phrases for All Your Needs

How would you fare if we transported you to a Portuguese-speaking country right now?

Do you haveenough phrases under your beltto find your way around?

This post is for all thebeginnerswho want to nail their basic Portuguese phrases.

Whether your focus is on European orBrazilian Portuguese, fine-tuning your essentials will make life that much easier.

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

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

It takes time tobuild up your vocabulary, study thegrammar rulesand get your pronunciation just right.

But you know what?All that groundwork doesnt have to be stressful.

As long as you know what youre trying to achieve and how youre going to achieve it, the transition between all learning phasesfrom beginner to advancedshould go quite smoothly.

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

Your first mission is toput your learned phrasesinto context.Memorizing words and sentences isnt going to do any good if you dont know how to apply them in your daily life.

With all the resources you can readily access these days, its easy and fun to get actively involved in practicing your linguistic skillsno matter how basicbeyond memorization.

For instance, the exercises and native content youre exposed to throughthe FluentU programsauthentic videos will help you see how each new phrase and language rule youre studying fits into natural Portuguese speech.

FluentU uses authentic Portuguese videos like movie clips, music videos and news segments to teach the language. But youre not thrown into these videos without assistance: Each clip is equipped with interactive subtitles, a contextual dictionary (accessible through the aforementioned subtitles), a transcript and a post-video follow-up quiz.

You can save any word from any video as a multimedia flashcard and study it with quizzes that adapt to your learning progress. Try searching for any individual word or phrase from this list in FluentU and youll find flashcards for its various meanings as well as any videos where the term appears.

Basically,FluentUprovides you with a way to immerse yourself in the language the way native speakers really use it, while actively building your vocabulary and reinforcing grammar rules. You can find it in your browser or get theiOSorAndroidapp for mobile learning.

Other great sources likePortuguese short stories, funlocal cartoons, engagingPortuguese moviesand authenticTV showscan also help you get a feel for the basics.

The second thing to think about ispronunciation.A language learners ultimate goal is to get fluent, after allso the earlier you start practicing those sounds, the better.

Watchingonline video lessonscan be quite helpful at this stage. Regardless of which dialect youre learning, finding the right material is as simple as searching for basic phrases, greetings and other key vocabulary terms in your chosen dialect.

Dont just listen to how words are said, thoughactuallyrepeat 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 yourpreferred Portuguese dictionaryortranslator appto hear how its spoken. Again, repeating them to yourself out loud is a must.

Sounds easy enough, right? Now that weve covered our basic practice rules, its time to look at those essential phrases.

Greetings are often the first thing you cover when learning a new languageand in Portuguese, its no different.

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

1.Bom dia/Boa tarde/Boa noite Good morning/afternoon/night

Note that the former is used in Brazil while youd say the latter in Portugal.

11.Eu estou bem, e voc/e t? Im good, how are you?

Note thate voc?is the form of and you? most commonly used in Brazil.E t?is the preferred form in Portugal, though you tend to hear it in certain parts of Brazil too.

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

In Brazil,por favoris also commonly used in the same way that excuse me is said in English when youre trying to politely grab someones attention.

Note thatobrigadois masculine and therefore said by men and boys;obrigadais the feminine counterpart that women and girls would use.

16.Desculpa/Desculpe Im sorry

Both are a variation of the same thing, thoughdesculpeis slightly more formal.

19.O senhor/a senhora Formal way of saying you when addressing a man(senhor)or a woman(senhora)

For example:O senhor/a senhora poderia me ajudar? Would you be able to help me?

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

If youre talking to a native Portuguese speaker, use these phrases to aid your comprehension:

20.(Voc/O senhor/A senhora) Fala ingls? Do you speak English?

In Portugal, just sayingFala ingls?will suffice. In Brazil, its more common to precede withvocor, if appropriate, the more formal versions of you.

21.Algum aqui fala ingls? Does anyone here speak English?

22.Não compreendo I dont understand

24.Não entendi I didnt understand [what you said]

25.Entendi I understood/I understand (the past in this sense is used as an affirmation)

27.Como se diz em Portugus? How do you say in Portuguese?

28.Fale mais devagar, por favor Please speak more slowly

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

29.Onde o banheiro? Where is the bathroom? (Brazilian Portuguese)

30.Onde fica a casa de banho? Where is the bathroom? (European Portuguese)

31.Quanto custa? How much does this cost?

33.Que horas abre/fecha? What time does this place open/close?

An alternative to this is:Que horas vocs abrem/fecham? What time do you open/close?

34.Para onde vai esse trem/ônibus? Where does this train/bus go?

35.Como chego ao () How do I get to?

Grammar note: useaofor masculine nouns,for feminine.

For instance:Como chego 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?

36.Voc pode me mostrar no mapa? Could you show me on the map [where this is]?

37.Qual o seu nome? What is your name?

38.Me chamo My name is

An alternative to this is:Meu nome

39.Estou com saudades/Tenho saudades I miss you (Brazilian/European Portuguese respectively)

41.Preciso de sua/tua ajuda I need your help (Usesuain Brazil andtuain Portugal)

Weve given you a solid foundation to work with herenow its time toget creative!

Once youve covered all the basic phrases above, spend some time expanding on your existing knowledge!

You might go from asking for directions to giving out directions.

You could learn how to order things at a restaurant or bakery.

Or you can spend some time delving into the basic conversation starters you might want to use when chatting with Portuguese-speaking friends or family members.

As you can see, just 45 phrases and words provide excellentbuilding blocksto help you to pave your path into fluency. So go forth and have fun with the linguistic and cultural intricacies of the Lusophone world!

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

Born in Brazil, raised in New Zealand and currently based in France, Thalita is a freelance writer and journalist with a penchant for linguistic adventures.

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