A tourist in Rio de Janeiro can ignore Brazil’s etiquette. A devoted learner can’t. In fact, understanding Brazil customs and etiquette—and some of their roots—is a solid path to richer contact with the language.

Because the etiquette of Brazil is fairly different from Portuguese etiquette, learning cultural etiquette in Brazil is a great opportunity to understand Brazilian people. After all, meeting new people and hearing different perspectives contributes to a richer life experience!

[The importance of family, and many more customs, are an open door to Brazilian culture.]

Traveling and getting to know different realities often reveals unthinkable life conditions and habits. Even though the cultures, concerns, and consumption habits worldwide tend to assume a growingly homogenic behavior in comparison to decades ago, there are so many countries in the world and still so many different people.

Getting to know new people and cultures always leads to surprises, both good and bad. That’s why we’ll present the do’s and don’ts of Brazilian etiquette and customs, also giving you a taste of each behavior’s roots and why things are done that way.

Table of Contents

1. Dining Etiquette in Brazil
2. Sightseeing Etiquette
3. Brazil Greetings Etiquette
4. Visiting a House
5. Public Transportation
6. Business Etiquette in Brazil
7. Celebrations Etiquette
8. Conclusion

1. Dining Etiquette in Brazil

Do: Take Your Time Eating

The first of our Brazil etiquette tips is to respect the meal. If you’re not eating fast food and aren’t late to an appointment, take your time.

Brazilians don’t usually have a solid meal structure like Italians do, with a full course, seven-dish dinner. But they’ll eat calmly, even during lunchtime on work days.

While there are exceptions, it’s generally best to eat and leave room for the coffee afterwards—and participate in the small talk after the meal.

Do: Embrace Coffee

Coffee is at the core of Brazilian culture. After the scourge of slavery, it was coffee production and exports that boosted the Brazilian economy. Across the decades, the commodity’s prices and planting cycle have created obstacles to a sustainable production of wealth.

In spite of that, the country is still the world’s top producer of coffee—with more than three times the production of the famous Colombian coffee in 2019. The world’s biggest coffee cooperative is located in Guaxupé, in the state of Minas Gerais.

So, drinking coffee is a widespread habit in Brazil, especially during breakfast and after other meals, both during the workweek and weekend.

Brazilians usually drink sweetened coffee. While this isn’t part of the rigid Brazil table manners and etiquette, it is a habit. If you don’t like your coffee sweetened and you’re in a restaurant, your cup of coffee will probably come from the kitchen unsweetened. But in a workspace, it’s quite possible that the sugar will have been added already. Ask the waiter or the person who prepared the beverage about this detail just to be sure.

In Brazil, it’s not very common to ask for coffee with cream and other ingredients. Black Coffee is king, with Coffee with Milk and Pingado (basically a cup of milk with a splash of coffee) being distant seconds.

If you’re not into coffee, no problem. Just hang around and talk a little until your mates finish drinking this dark elixir.

[This dark elixir awaits for you after every meal]

Don’t: Pay if You’re Invited

If you’re invited to eat, don’t dare to pay! This Brazilian dining etiquette rule is more frequent in familial contexts or among older people; younger people tend to earn less and split the bill without much care for etiquette.

Don’t: Sit at the Head of the Table

This is one of the basic Brazil dining etiquette rules. It’s not exclusively Brazilian, but should be kept in mind while in the country.

The head of the table is “reserved” for the house owner or chief of family, so you’re not supposed to sit there. Only proceed to take that place if you’re invited to do so.

Also, there’s the following saying: “The seater at the head of the table pays the bill.” So, be prepared for the consequences!

Bonus: Brazilian Tipping Etiquette

Tipping in Brazil is always optional. Still, the tradition is to tip the waiter ten percent of the meal’s value. Most restaurants bill the client with both the “rough” value of the meal and with the tip added—clearly showing the different values so that you can make the decision. In some places, the employee will ask if you want to pay the ten percent just to be polite; if you say no, this may be considered rude.

2. Sightseeing Etiquette

Do: Keep it Basic and Watch Out While in Public

This is the saddest of all our Brazilian etiquette tips and is very important. It’s a beautiful country with abysmal violence rates. The announcement of 30,864 homicides in the first seven months of 2019 was considered an achievement compared to the 39,527 homicides registered for the same period the year before.

That’s how absurd the situation is—and theft crimes are even more common.

So, it’s prudent to avoid flashy clothes and accessories if wandering through public spaces, such as a crowded street or the beach. The catch is: there are items that foreigners don’t even understand to be flashy—but are. Some examples include:

• A metallic watch
• A smartwatch
• Luggage
• A cool jacket
• Silver/gold jewelry
• Fancy sunglasses
• Fine shoes
• A cell phone

This means that the dress code for sightseeing should be urban and basic. If you’re riding in a car, you’re safer and thus can be a bit more flexible with styling. If you’re going to the beach, carry just a few items (since you’ll have to watch them all the time) and pick flip-flops instead of shoes.

Cell phones are the most wanted item for criminals; they’re easy to take and profitable in the black market. Avoid making phone calls or reading text messages for longer periods of time while in the street. You can take pictures and talk once in a while, but look around before and be discreet. You can also enter a shop or restaurant to do so.

Do: Take it Easy with Schedules

Some tourist attractions, appointments, or meetings can take longer than expected. Some nations and cultures recommend punctuality. Britons are a proverbial reference in this aspect. In contrast, Brazil customs and etiquette tend to relativize this asset.

People can be late for meetings and appointments. Being five, ten, or even fifteen minutes late is generally not a problem in informal contexts. If you’re thirty minutes late, send a message and your friends will usually understand. Of course, if you’re late for the cinema screening, forget about that session.

But don’t mix things up: Brazil dating etiquette recommends that you don’t leave the person hanging for half an hour. This is especially true if you’re going to meet in a public space, since it can be dangerous to hang out on an empty street, building, etc.

Likewise, delays are generally not part of business etiquette in Brazil. Being a little bit late may be okay for things like meeting a coworker for lunch, but showing up late for negotiations, tests, workshops, conferences, or job interviews is out of line.

3. Brazil Greetings Etiquette

Do: Kiss

A little kiss on the cheek is especially normal in man-woman and woman-woman greetings. The etiquette for some states (Rio de Janeiro) is to kiss both cheeks, while others (São Paulo) recommend one kiss. But you can also find state etiquette that recommends three kisses (Minas Gerais).

To resolve this controversy, the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism has developed a very useful Mapa do beijinho (literally: “Little kiss map”), showing how many kisses are the norm for each state. That one embarrassment of meeting someone is now finally behind you!

Another great strategy is to wait and see how people are greeting one another. If the kiss is too intrusive and intimate in that context, a handshake is enough!

Do: Shake Hands

In Brazilian social etiquette, shaking hands is the most common greeting for formal occasions. In informal situations, it’s normally employed between people of the same sex.

Don’t: Freak Out When Hugged

While the hug can send a bad message and even sexual overtones, it’s relatively normal in Brazil, even among people who aren’t that intimate.

However, there’s a subtle way to differentiate between intimate hugs between friends and greeting acquaintances with a hug.

A warm hug demands contact with the torso and lacing your arms around someone else. A “half-hug” will only demand lacing one arm around someone and making contact with part of the torso (or only the shoulder).

You can make the “half-hug” even more distant by converting it to a handshake and a tap on the shoulder or arm of the person you’re greeting. This is ideal for business and formal environments.

4. Visiting a House

Do: Greet Everyone

In Brazil, guest etiquette demands that you greet everyone. You may think it’s redundant to do this in a room with lots of people, but a person may become offended if you don’t greet them warmly.

Don’t: Stay in Your Safe Zone

If they’ve called you to be a guest in their house, it means they’re sharing their intimacy with you. So, you can loosen up a little bit.

Make sure you observe and respect the family code of the house, but don’t be shy to talk, share some of your ideas, or take part in family activities like watching TV—with a family that was completely strange to you five minutes ago.

A barbecue is the perfect context to exercise this piece of cultural etiquette in Brazil. Meeting a new family, getting to know them while eating good food, and enjoying the afternoon together, is a great experience.

People will be interested in knowing the guest (you) as well. If you observe a lot and act polite, you’ll probably do fine. When in Brazil, do as the Brazilians do.

Don’t: Flush the Toilet Paper

You know what they say: Brazil bathroom etiquette is the best Brazil etiquette—not. Indeed, this tip of Brazil bathroom etiquette is a little awkward, but very important.

Most Brazilians place a little trash can beside the toilet in their bathrooms. You may feel confused about it or even find yourself attracted to its mystery (don’t look inside!).

Instead of flushing used toilet paper, it’s common to dump it into this little trash can. The trash can in the bathroom is disgusting, but the sewer system in Brazil is worse. The condition of the pipes is often not good and the water pressure allows only a little help to flush.

So, get used to the can, because flushing the paper can lead to bad—and even more disgusting—episodes.

[Excuse me, my friend: where is the little trash can?]

5. Public Transportation

Do: Be Active to Call Your Bus

Brazilian public transportation emulates the law of the jungle in many aspects. You’ll struggle to find a seat. People are not very polite. Often, you’ve got to camouflage and find an attitude of balance between dismissing ambulant vendors and not being a jerk.

Well, you have to be inside the bus before managing these issues.

Many countries have only tightly scheduled rides, and people don’t have to signal to the driver to board the bus. This is not the case in Brazil.

Picture yourself at the bus stop. As soon as you identify the bus you want to ride:

• Raise your arm in the air.
• Bend it a little toward the street.
• Sustain your arm until you’re completely sure the driver has seen you.
• Now, you can get in.

[After the procedure, you’re free to hop in and find a seat…]

Do: Mind the Importance of the Sun

When you’re picking a seat on the bus, figure out which side of the bus receives the most sunlight. Solemnly avoid it and take a seat on the other side.

Brazil is a hot country, and riding the bus under the sun is one of the worst experiences of the local public transportation, especially if the bus gets filled with people.

Don’t: Rely on the Taxi Driver

I’m sorry if you’re a taxi driver or know someone who is. If you ride a taxi without knowing the directions to your destination, you may be inviting someone to the depths of your wallet—it’s possible that you’re being scammed.

Take a few minutes to understand the course of the ride before getting into the cab. Get a general notion of the main avenues, so you can notify the driver if you notice something strange.

The rise of Uber, and other companies that navigate with software that shows the course, have made this process more transparent. But there’s always some smart guy out there, eager to get in touch with your money.

6. Business Etiquette in Brazil

Do: Dress Accordingly

Brazil business dress etiquette is paramount in the working place. The clothes are not much different from those in other countries, but in Brazil, the presentation is really important.

Generally, look sharp and clean. If you’re a man, shave or take care of your beard. Brush your teeth, take a bath. And keep it classic:

Man: Shirt, tie, blazer or suit. Leather shoes. Wear a classy watch, if you want.

Woman: Shirt and social pants or skirt, woman’s blazer. High-heel shoes. Some basic jewelry may be suitable.

Sure, the dress code isn’t like that in every workplace. Dress conservatively, at least until you understand the dress code better. This is the basic business etiquette in Brazil (and everywhere else), and it allows you to blend into the team, stylewise.

Always remember: clean looks, fresh clothes, and perhaps a little cologne are welcome everywhere.

Don’t: Criticize Co-workers

This is an important point of Brazil business meeting etiquette. You can sometimes share your personal impressions during professional meetings. However, criticizing ex-co-workers, your old boss, or people in general, is often understood as a strong negative point for you.

[Don’t share the grudge you hold against that terrible boss.]

Do: Accept Help from Locals

One of Brazil’s business downsides is the scandalous number of bizarre regulations. From business restrictions to very specific tax rules (often conflicting between state and federal spheres), doing business in Brazil isn’t easy. In fact, it’s easier to do business in Malawi than in Brazil.

Thus, here’s another important topic of business etiquette in Brazil: gather people you trust to help you in your business. Lawyers, accountants, and people that show useful abilities and regional know-how in your area are precious assets.

7. Celebrations Etiquette

Do: Casual and Clean

Be tidy if you’re going to a social event, especially a party. You don’t have to dress fancy, except if the ambience asks for it.

A person’s appearance is very important in celebrations. Shave your body hair and cut your nails. People love perfume or cologne, and you can always chew on mint gum. It’s not a matter of appearance over substance; it’s just that you care about the event and want to look your best.

Don’t: Be Shy

Shy people can suffer a lot with Brazil customs and etiquette. In social interactions, it’s extremely important to demonstrate enthusiasm and to interact with others. You don’t necessarily have to feel it, but it’s better to show it. Speaking louder, performing gestures, and employing physical contact are a few ways to do this.

If you’re not willing to pretend or to interact much, at least be funny or well-humored. Otherwise, chances are high that you’ll be considered rude or arrogant by the standards of cultural etiquette in Brazil.

Also, don’t feel offended if you’re interrupted by someone at a party or dinner. This is rude among many cultures, but in Brazil, interrupting someone is often a way of showing interest.

Do: Party Hard

People in Brazil really enjoy celebrations. Barbecues, big dinners, and parties are the most common examples.

One aspect of Brazil customs and etiquette in parties that feels strange to foreigners is the length of the celebration. People take a long time to prepare for parties at home. Then, they go somewhere to drink and “warm-up” (called, literally, esquenta) for the festivities. Finally, they get to the party and it lasts a long time.

Some countries have strong restrictions regarding the functioning hours for bars and nightclubs, but this isn’t the case in Brazil. You may not be stepping into a rave, but dinners and parties generally demand some resistance, and even patience, during their later hours.

Also, gatherings in Brazil can get extremely loud. If you compare the volume of noise in a Brazilian restaurant to what you’d experience eating out in some other country, it doesn’t even make sense. There’s often the sound of the background music and the talking above it. It’s something unpleasant to overcome, especially for foreigners.

Do: Act Solemnly at Funerals

Some cultures are less formal when it comes to funerals, incorporating meals and the sharing of stories involving the deceased, like during in-house receptions. This is not the Brazilian funeral etiquette.

Be quiet, greet, and send condolences. Wear black. Prayers may be part of the process. If you’re not religious, you can consider taking part merely to transmit support and comfort to people who were close to the deceased. They’ll surely appreciate you being mindful of these Brazilian funeral etiquette rules.

8. Conclusion

Cultural etiquette in Brazil is complex, but it’s a matter that can be learned through daily experience.

Still, this article compiles some of the most relevant tips for Brazilian etiquette for foreigners. In order to broaden your cultural knowledge, we highly recommend that you take part in PortuguesePod101.com lessons.

This modern online platform gathers the most useful Portuguese lessons and blends them evenly with informal and cultural knowledge in a way that’s extremely hard to find elsewhere.

Explore PortuguesePod101 and find both free and paid resources on-demand for your learning appetite and practical needs. Brazilian customs and etiquette may be a long way from home, but PortuguesePod101 is only one click away!

Before you go, let us know in the comments how Brazilian etiquette differs from (or is similar to) etiquette in your country. We look forward to hearing from you!

Do you sometimes wish the weekends had more days? When are your next vacations? Do you know your best friend’s birthday? If you want to answer any of those questions in Portuguese, you first need to learn how to talk about dates in Portuguese. Then, you’ll be able to do many more things, like making plans, arranging meetings and celebrating anniversaries!

Talking about dates is a part of everyday interactions. Every time you need to solve some bureaucracy, you need to write your date of birth or indicate today’s date. When making plans with your friends, you better know the days of the week to avoid mix-ups. And if you are a history buff, then you know dates are a must-know! 

Today, you will learn how to write the date in Portuguese, as well as how to talk about it. And of course, if we are talking about dates, we also need to talk about numbers, so you will see plenty of them in this article. To make sure you know how to use all of that properly, we will also go through common phrases related to Portuguese dates and times, including useful questions and answers. 

If you are ready to celebrate important dates with your family, friends or significant other, or anxious to learn how to book appointments and meetings in Portuguese… let’s get started!

Learn how to talk about your busy schedule in Portuguese!

Table of Contents

1. How to Tell the Date
2. How to Say the Days
3. How to Say the Months
4. How to Say the Years
5. Fix the Date of Appointments in Portuguese
6. Must-Know Phrases to Talk about Dates
7. Continue Learning Portuguese With PortuguesePod101

1. How to Tell the Date

Depending on where you are from, you might be used to a different way of telling the date when compared to Brazil or Portugal. But once you get used to the correct format of Portuguese dates, things are straightforward enough.

2 – Format of Dates in Portuguese: Day/Month/Year

Before anything else, let’s take a look at the basic Portuguese vocabulary related to dates.

Dia	“Day”
Mês	“Month”
Ano	“Year”
Semana	“Week”
Dia da semana	“Weekday”
Fim de semana Final de semana	“Weekend”
Data	“Date”

When writing or talking about dates in Portuguese, the usual order is Day, Month and Year. If you are filling a form, you will usually see the date using slashes as separators: DD/MM/YY. 

In more formal texts, it is normally written down in the same way it is said: day + de (“of”) + month + de (“of”)  + year.

Here are some examples to make it clear:

• 07/09/1822 – Brazilian Independence Day
• 25 de abril de 1974 – Revolução dos Cravos (“Carnation Revolution” in Portugal)
• 12 de junho – Dia dos Namorados (“Valentine’s Day” in Brazil)

2 – Talking About Dates

Imagine you are in the doctor’s office, and she asks you what your date of birth is. In this case, you could simply answer using the format discussed above: day, month, year.

But in most situations, you’ll probably be using the date in the middle of a sentence. In those situations, there are some things to pay attention to:

1. Preposition
2. Use of the word dia (“day”)
3. How to say the numbers
4. Consider adding the day of the week

We will go point by point to make sure each item is clear.

1. Preposition

Take a look at the sentences below.

• Eu nasci em 15 de abril de 1995. 
  “I was born on April 15, 1995.”

• Eles se conheceram no dia 25 de dezembro.
  Literally: “They met on the (day) 25th of December.”

• Eles viajarão em maio. 
  “They will travel in May.”

• Minha mãe nasceu em 1960. 
  “My mother was born in 1960.”

Did you notice what these sentences have in common? Hint: look at the preposition.

In Portuguese, before each date, we use the preposition em (“in”) or its contraction em + o = no (“in” + masculine definite article “the”).

2. Add the Word Dia

It’s very common to use the word dia (“day”) before the date if talking about a particular day. 

• Eu tenho consulta no dia 14 [deste mês]. 
  “I have an appointment on the (day) 14th [of this month].”

Just like in English, if you only say the day without any extra information, people will assume you are talking about the 14th of this month – or the next month, if we are already past the 14th.  

Also note that dia is a masculine word. For this reason, you need to use no (contraction em + o) before the word dia.

3. How to Say the Numbers

In Portuguese, we almost always use cardinal numbers to talk about dates (both days and years). The only exception is the first day of each month, for which we use the ordinal number.

• Dia 24 (vinte e quatro) de janeiro.
  “Day 24 (twenty-four) of January ”

• Dia 1º (primeiro) de abril –  Dia da Mentira
  “Day 1st (first) of April – April Fool’s day”

4. Add the day of the week

Sometimes it is a good idea to add the day of the week to make things clearer. For example, if you are scheduling a lunch with a friend or a job interview, you can say the day of the week before the date.

• Está marcado para quarta-feira, dia 02 de junho.
  Literally: “It is scheduled for Wednesday, (day) 2nd of June.”

• Nos encontraremos na segunda-feira, dia 31 de outubro.
  “We will meet on Monday, (day) 31st of October.”

When using the day of the week in front of the date, the preposition may change a bit. In most cases, you will still use the preposition em. However, it needs to agree on gender with the day of the week. We will look into the days of the week in-depth later in this article. For now, just remember that for feminine days of the week, the contraction is na (em + a), and for the masculine days, use the contraction no (em + o).

➜ Hint: when you can substitute the preposition for “in” or “on” in English, it is a safe bet to use em and its contractions.

In some other cases, you will need to use the preposition para (“to”). 

➜ Hint: use para + article when you would use “to” in English. 

3 – Mixing and Matching

Here are some of the several ways you can talk about dates using the information we’ve seen so far.

Talking about the day:

• Hoje é o dia 09.
  “Today is the 9th.” or literally: “Today is the day 9.”

• Amanhã é domingo.
  “Tomorrow is Sunday.”

• Nas quartas-feiras, ele vai ao teatro.
  “On Wednesdays, he goes to the theater.”

Talking about the month:

• Estamos em maio.
  “We are in May.” or “It is May.”

• Ele nasceu em novembro.
  “He was born in November.”

Talking about the year:

• Estamos em 1845. 
  “We are in 1845.” or “It is 1845.”

• Eu me formei em 2020.
  “I graduated in 2020.”

• No ano de 1990, muitas coisas aconteceram.
  “In the year 1990, many things happened.”

And putting it together, we have:

• Hoje é dia 15 de novembro.
  Literally: “Today is day 15 of November.”

• Estamos em julho de 2009.
  “It is July 2009.” or literally: “We are in July of 2009.”

• Nos mudamos em 9 de março de 2019.
  “We moved on March 9th, 2009.” or literally: “We moved on 9 of March of 2019.”

Tenho que terminar este projeto até dia 10, sexta-feira. (“I have to finish this project by 10th, Friday.”)

2. How to Say the Days

1 – The Numbers

The first thing you need to know to talk about days is the numbers from 1 to 31.

As mentioned before, in Portuguese we use cardinal numbers (the most basic form of the numbers). The only exception is when referring to the first day of the month. In this case, we use the ordinal form: primeiro (“first”).

Number	1	2	3	4	5
Dia (“Day”)	Primeiro	Dois	Três	Quatro	Cinco

Number	6	7	8	9	10
Dia (“Day”)	Seis	Sete	Oito	Nove	Dez

Number	11	12	13	14	15
Dia (“Day”)	Onze	Doze	Treze	Quatorze	Quinze

Number	16	17	18	19	20
Dia (“Day”)	Dezesseis	Dezessete	Dezoito	Dezenove	Vinte

Number	21	22	23	24	25
Dia (“Day”)	Vinte e um	Vinte e dois	Vinte e três	Vinte e quatro	Vinte e cinco

Number	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dia (“Day”)	Vinte e seis	Vinte e sete	Vinte e oito	Vinte e nove	Trinta	Trinta e um

➜ Listen to how you can pronounce the Numbers 1-10 and Numbers 11-100 with PortuguesePod101.

2 – Weekdays and Weekends

Now that you know how to say the days, what about the dias da semana (“days of the week”)?

You will see that it’s very easy to remember these days of the week in Portuguese, since they follow a simple format. For Monday through Friday, simply use the ordinal numbers! Since Sunday is the first day of the week, Monday is the second, and so on. 

Let’s start with the weekdays, called dias úteis in Portuguese (literally meaning “useful days”).

Dias úteis	Weekdays	Common abbreviation
segunda-feira	Monday	2a
terça-feira	Tuesday	3a
quarta-feira	Wednesday	4a
quinta-feira	Thursday	5a
sexta-feira	Friday	6a

Some things to note:

• Monday through Friday are feminine words in Portuguese.
• Days of the week are written in lower case in Portuguese, as shown in the table.
• Weekdays always end up with -feira (a word that comes from the Latin feria, and refers to days other than Sunday). Most romance languages use the Latin names for the days of the week, which make reference to pagan gods. Portuguese is an exception, due to Christian influence in Portugal.
• However, in everyday situations, it’s quite common to also say only the first part: segunda, terça, quarta, quinta and sexta. 

Now, time to learn about the best part of the week: o fim de semana or o final de semana (“the weekend”). Note that both words below are masculine.

Fim de semana	Weekend	Common abbreviation
sábado	Saturday	sab.
domingo	Sunday	dom.

Sábado comes from the Sabbath. Domingo comes from the latin Dominicus (Dominica), meaning “the Lord’s Day”.

Dia 17 é uma quinta-feira. (“The 17th is a Thursday.”)

➜ Practice the pronunciation for the days of the week  and superpower your Portuguese language learning with this free vocabulary list on Talking about the Days on PortuguesePod101.

3. How to Say the Months

Now, it’s time to get acquainted with the 12 months of the year. Notice that, just like the days of the week, months do not begin with a capital letter in Portuguese. 

Meses	Months
janeiro	January
fevereiro	February
março	March
abril	April
maio	May
junho	June
julho	July
agosto	August
setembro	September
outubro	October
novembro	November
dezembro	December

Some other good-to-know Portuguese words related to months are:

• Trimestre (“Quarter”)
• Semestre (“Semester”) 
• Estação, estações (“Season”, “seasons”)

And here are some examples of Portuguese sentences using the months:

• Meu aniversário é em dezembro.
  “My birthday is in December.”

• Ele viajou em janeiro.
  “He traveled in January.”

• A minha estação do ano favorita começa em março.
  “My favorite season starts in March.”

• Nós nos formamos em julho de 2025.
  “We graduated in July 2025.”

O verão começa no dia 21 de dezembro. (“Summer starts on December 21st.”)

➜ Do you want to hear how each month is pronounced in Portuguese? Head to this vocabulary list on Talking About Months in Portuguese. 

4. How to Say the Years

We are back to numbers! When talking about years, there is a large variety of possible numbers, so we can’t cover each one individually. Luckily, the same format applies to most numbers – and consequently, to years. 

We will cover some examples of how to pronounce some different years. If you need more information, you can always check our in-depth article on Numbers in Portuguese.

Year	Portuguese Pronunciation
753	Setecentos e cinquenta e três
1500	Mil e quinhentos
1712	Mil setecentos e doze
1989	Mil novecentos e oitenta e nove
2021	Dois mil e vinte e um

As you can see by the examples above, the years are pronounced as any other cardinal number. Unlike in English, in Portuguese, we do not combine smaller numbers. For example:

• 1912 can be pronounced as “nineteen twelve” in English. In Portuguese, that does not happen.

However, years in the 20th century can be shortened, as in the examples below:

• Nos anos 80… (“In the 80s…”)
• Ele lançou seu primeiro álbum em 95. (“He released his first album in 95.”)

And since we just mentioned centuries, here is another difference between Portuguese and English. In English, we use ordinal numbers followed by the word “century”. In Portuguese, we start with the word século (“century”) followed by the number. The number can be ordinal or cardinal, depending on the following rules.

• For numbers smaller than, and including, 10: the century is read as an ordinal number.
• For numbers above 10: the century is read as a cardinal number.

Traditionally, Roman numerals are used to talk about centuries. However, it is becoming increasingly more common to use our good old Arabic numbers. Let’s look at some examples.

• Os acontecimentos do século 10º (pronounced as décimo).
  Os acontecimentos do século X (pronounced as décimo).
  “The events of the 10th century.”

• No começo do século 21 (pronounced as vinte e um).
  No começo do século XVIII (pronounced as vinte e um).
  “At the beginning of the 21st century.”

• O Brasil foi colonizado no século 16 (pronounced as dezesseis).
  O Brasil foi colonizado no século XVI (pronounced as dezesseis).
  “Brazil was colonized in the 16th century.”

Finally, here are some extra sample sentences using years in Portuguese. 

• 2020 foi um ano bissexto. 
  “2020 was a leap year.”

• Meu filho nasceu em 1999. 
  “My son was born in 1999.”

• Meus filmes preferidos são da década de 1980. 
  “My favorite movies are from the decade of 1980.”

• Se eu pudesse viajar no tempo, iria para os anos 30. 
  “If I could travel back in time, I would go back to the 30s.”

• Nos casamos em 2010. Já faz quase 15 anos! 
  “We got married in 2010. It’s been almost 15 years!”

Nos casamos em Abril de 2010, cinco anos atrás. (“We got married in April 2010, five years ago.”)

5. Fix the Date of Appointments in Portuguese

Now that you know how to talk about dates, it’s time to put it to use. There are many practical applications to dates in everyday life, like booking appointments and making plans. 

Here are some important Portuguese words and phrases to do so:

• Consulta (“Appointment”)
• Agendamento (“Scheduling”, “appointment”)
• Reserva (“Booking”)
• Encontro (“Date”, romantic)
• Reunião (“Meeting”)
• Disponibilidade (“Availability”)
• Marcar (“To book”, “to schedule”)
• Agendar (“To schedule”)

• Gostaria de marcar uma consulta com o doutor na próxima semana.
  “I would like to make an appointment with the doctor next week.”

• Vocês têm disponibilidade para o próximo mês?
  “Do you have availability for the next month?”

• Qual é a data mais próxima para um agendamento?
  “What is the closest date for an appointment?”

• Gostaria de agendar uma mesa para sexta-feira. 
  “I would like to schedule a table for Friday.”

• É possível reservar um quarto para duas pessoas para o fim de semana que vem? 
  “Is it possible to book a room for two people for next weekend?”

• Tenho um encontro amanhã.
  “I have a date tomorrow.”

• Já podemos marcar a próxima reunião para Dezembro. 
  “We can already schedule the next meeting for December.”

A simple phone conversation to schedule an appointment with your doctor could go like this: 

• Alô, boa tarde. Eu gostaria de marcar uma consulta com a doutora Ana. (“Hello, good afternoon. I would like to make an appointment with Dr. Ana. (feminine)”)
• Claro. Para que dia? (“Of course. For what day?”)
• Ela tem disponibilidade para a próxima semana? (“Does she have availability for next week?”)
• Não, a primeira data disponível é o dia 10 do mês que vem. (“No, the first available date is the 10th of next month.”)
• Dia 10 é uma quarta-feira? (“Is the 10th a Wednesday?”)
• Exatamente. Ela tem disponibilidade de manhã e de tarde. (“Exactly. She has availability in the morning and in the afternoon.”)
• Ok, então podemos marcar para o dia 10, às 11 horas. (“Okay, so we can schedule it for the 10th, at 11 o’clock.”)
• Perfeito. Está marcado. (“Perfect. It is scheduled.”)
• Obrigado! (“Thank you! (masculine)”)

Schedule your appointments like a pro!

6. Must-Know Phrases to Talk about Dates

1 – Talking about Past and Upcoming Dates

We have already seen several ways to say “the next” in the previous examples in this article. But to make it easier for you, here are all the ways to talk about the upcoming dates. 

• Amanhã (“Tomorrow”)
• Depois de amanhã (“Day after tomorrow”)
• Na próxima semana, no próximo mês, no próximo ano (“Next week, next month, next year”)
• Na semana seguinte, no sábado seguinte (“The following week, the following Saturday”)

What about past dates? Here are the most important words and expressions to use:

• Ontem (“Yesterday”)
• Anteontem (“Day before yesterday”)
• Na semana passada, no mês passado, no ano passado (“Last week, last month, last year”)
• Dias atrás, meses atrás, anos atrás (“Days ago, months ago, years ago”)

2 – Important Everyday Phrases

In daily interactions, you will probably ask and answer questions related to dates in Portuguese. You will see that it isn’t too hard at all – especially once you learn these basic Portuguese phrases.

• Que dia é hoje? (“What day is today?”)
• Hoje é o dia 25. (“Today is the 25th.”)

• Que dia da semana é hoje? (“What day of the week is today?”)
• Hoje é quinta-feira. (“Today is Thursday.”)

• Quando as suas aulas começam? (“When do your classes start?”)
• Elas já começaram na semana passada. (“They already started last week.”)

• Quando você estará de férias? (“When will you be on vacation?”)
• No mês que vem, daqui a duas semanas. (“Next month, in two weeks.”)

• Quando é o seu aniversário? (“When is your birthday?”)
• Meu aniversário é em maio. (“My birthday is in May.”)

• Qual é a sua data de nascimento? (“What is your date of birth?”) – formal situations
• Dia 30 de outubro de 1990. (“October 30th, 1990.”)

• Que dia podemos nos encontrar? (“What day can we meet?”)
• Pode ser depois de amanhã. (“It can be the day after tomorrow.”)

3 – Important Dates in Brazil

Now you know all the most important vocabulary, phrases and expressions to talk about Portuguese dates! But before you go, learn the name of some of the most relevant holidays in Brazil.

• Carnaval (“Carnival”)
  Date changes every year

• Páscoa (“Easter”)
  Date changes every year

• Dia das Mães (“Mother’s Day”)
  Segundo domingo de maio (“Second Sunday of May”)

• Férias de Julho (“July vacations”)

• Dia dos Pais (“Father’s Day”)
  Segundo domingo de agosto (“Second Sunday of August”)

• Férias de final de ano (“End-of-year vacations”)

• Natal (“Christmas”)
  25 de dezembro (“December 25th”)

• Virada de ano, Réveillon (“New Year’s Eve”)
  31 de dezembro (“December 31st”)

• Ano-Novo (“New Year”)
  Dia 1º de janeiro (“January 1st”)

Desfile de Carnaval. (“The Carnival parade.”)

7. Continue Learning Portuguese With PortuguesePod101

In this complete guide on Portuguese dates, we covered how to talk about days, days of the week, months and years. You can now ask and answer common questions on the topic, make plans and book appointments. Hopefully, you also learned how to write the date in Portuguese, so you can deal with date-related bureaucracy. 

Do you feel ready to have conversations about Portuguese dates and times? Do you think the article covered everything you needed to know about the topic? Please let us know in the comments!

Now, continue learning Portuguese with the hundreds of free Portuguese resources and the many vocabulary lists available on PortuguesePod101.com. Go ahead and choose your favorite tools to expand your learning opportunities.

If you want to take your Portuguese language learning experience further, members of PortuguesePod101.com get access to the largest language lesson library in the world, with thousands of real lessons by real teachers. Perfect for anyone who wants to learn from anywhere, feel motivated, and be ready to speak Portuguese with confidence. And in the meantime, continue exploring PortuguesePod101!

Whether it’s a Christmas celebration, a birthday party, or a simple barbecue (churrasco!), there’s a family gathering just about every month in Brazil. Yes, those events where small cousins are running around, grandmother asks about your love life, and there’s more food than people can handle.

Learning how to talk about family in Portuguese is essential, even if you don’t attend one of these family gatherings in Brazil (which we recommend you do!). After all, this is a topic that always comes up in conversations. People will ask you about your family, or tell you stories about their own family involving multiple relatives.

In this article, we’ll go over the vocabulary you need to know to talk about all kinds of families, as well as family-related words in Portuguese. We’ll also see some examples of sentences and questions related to family in Portuguese. But first, let’s go over family values in Portuguese-speaking Brazil and more information on family structures. Ready?

Table of Contents

1. An Introduction to Brazilian Families
2. The Basics of the Nuclear Family
3. The Relatives You See at Christmas
4. The New Family: Couples
5. Extending the New Family: In-laws
6. Blended Families
7. Showing Affection: Endearment Terms
8. Learn More Portuguese with PortuguesePod101

1. An Introduction to Brazilian Families

Brazilians tend to have very tight-knit relationships with their families. Family definitely continues to be a strong institution in Brazil, and that’s why it’s always one of the first topics in a conversation. Overall, Brazilians are collectivistic, and it’s not uncommon to see several generations living in the same household or very close by.

Of course, we can’t forget that the local culture also lends a lot of importance to celebrations where the whole family comes together to enjoy each other’s company, great food, and music.

Although the family size in Brazil has diminished over the past several years, it’s still common to see numerous families with plenty of children, cousins, uncles, and aunts. This is especially true in smaller cities and rural areas; families in cosmopolitan regions tend to have fewer children.

Unlike in some other cultures, there aren’t different ways to refer to family members in Portuguese based on their age. What does happen a lot in Brazil is the use of a diminutive suffix at the end of words to indicate affection. You’ll see some examples further along. In addition to that, there are other endearment terms and nicknames that Brazilians use to refer to family members with extra fondness.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Portuguese is a language that tends to use the masculine form when dealing with plurals. This characteristic relates directly to Brazilian society, which is largely patriarchal. We’ll discuss the plurals a bit later in this article as well!

Three generations: avô (“grandfather”), pai (“father”), and filho (“son”).

2. The Basics of the Nuclear Family

Let’s start with the basic vocabulary for talking about your immediate family in Portuguese. It might look like a lot of new words, but we’ll put it all in context with some example sentences!

We’ll start by answering the most important question: How do you say “family” in Portuguese?

Família	“Family”
Parentes	“Relatives”
Mãe	“Mother”
Pai	“Father”
Pais	“Parents”
Irmã	“Sister”
Irmão	“Brother”
Irmãos	“Siblings”
Filho	“Son”
Filha	“Daughter”
Filhos	“Children”

As you can see in the vocabulary table above, when we’re talking about the plural for parents, children, or siblings, we use the masculine form:

• Pai (“father” ) → Pais (“parents” )
• Irmão (“brother” ) → Irmãos (“brothers” or “siblings” )
• Filho (“son” )→ Filhos (“sons” or “children” )

However, if you already know that the siblings or children are all female, then you can use the feminine plural irmãs (“sisters”). If you don’t know, or if there are both male and female siblings, then use the masculine form irmãos (“brothers”). In fact, this plural rule applies to all plurals in Portuguese, so keep that in mind going forward!

Now that you already know the family terms in Portuguese for talking about siblings or children, how can you add more details? Take a look at the words and expressions below.

Mais novo / nova	“Younger”
O mais novo/a mais nova, caçula	“The youngest”
Mais velho / velha	“Eldest”
O mais velho / a mais velha	“The eldest”
Do meio	“Middle” (child or sibling)
Filho único / filha única	“Single child” (male) / (female)
Gêmeos / gêmeas	“Twins”

Great, you’ve just learned a bunch of new vocabulary! You might be wondering how these new words look in a real-life sentence. We’ve got you covered:

• Meu filho mais novo (“My youngest son” )
• Ele é o caçula. (“He is the youngest.” )
• Eu sou a irmã do meio. (“I am the middle daughter.” )
• Ela é a filha mais velha. (“She is the oldest daughter.” )
• Tenho dois irmãos mais velhos. (“I have two older siblings/brothers.” )
• Eu vivo com meus pais. (“I live with my parents.” )
• Ele não tem filhos. (“He doesn’t have children.” )
• Os almoços de família são sempre cheios de parentes. (“The family lunches are always full of relatives.” )

When talking to a Portuguese speaker, the conversation about family could go a bit like this:

A: Como está a sua família? (“How’s your family?” )
B: Estão todos bem. E sua mãe? (“Everyone is doing well. How about your mother?l” )
A: Ela está melhor, obrigado. Você tem irmãos, não é? (“She is better, thank you. You have siblings, right?” )
B: Tenho sim! Um irmão mais novo e uma irmã mais velha. (“I do! A younger brother and an older sister.” )
A: Legal! Eu sou filho único. Meus pais nunca quiseram mais filhos. (“Cool! I am an only child. My parents never wanted more children.” )

3. The Relatives You See at Christmas

As we explained before, Brazilians tend to be very close to their relatives, and family gatherings or reunions are a big affair.

Avó	“Grandmother”
Avô	“Grandfather”
Avós	“Grandparents”
Bisavó	“Great-grandmother”
Bisavô	“Great-grandfather”
Bisavós	“Great-grandparents”
Neto	“Grandson”
Neta	“Granddaughter”
Netos/Netas	“Grandchildren”
Tio	“Uncle”
Tia	“Aunt”
Tios	“Uncles” or plural form of “uncles + aunts”
Tias	“Aunts”

Note that the first plurals in the table above sound “feminine,” even though the plural favors males as explained previously. This is only a matter of making the word sound more pleasant.

/!\ Tio (“uncle” ) and tia (“aunt” ) are also used to informally refer to friends’ parents or other adults.

Primo	“Cousin” (male)
Prima	“Cousin” (female)
Primos	“Cousins”
Sobrinho	“Nephew”
Sobrinha	“Niece”
Sobrinhos	“Nephews” or plural form of “nephews + nieces”
Sobrinhas	“Nieces”
Madrinha	“Godmother”v
Padrinho	“Godfather”
Padrinhos	“Godparents”
Afilhado	“Godson”
Afilhada	“Goddaughter”

Check out some examples of dialogues including questions and answers using the new vocabulary.

A: Você tem padrinhos? (“Do you have godparents?” )
B: Sim! Minha madrinha é uma amiga da minha avó. Meu padrinho é meu tio, irmão mais velho do meu pai. (“Yes! My godmother is one of my grandmother’s friends. My godfather is my uncle, my father’s oldest brother.” )
A: Legal! Quantos tios você tem, só um? (“Cool! How many uncles do you have, only one?” )
B: Por parte de pai, só um. Por parte de mãe, tenho um tio e dua tias. (“From my father’s side, only one. From my mother’s side, I have one uncle and two aunts.” )

Another example dialogue:

A: Como foi a festa de aniversário do seu sobrinho? (“How was your nephew’s birthday party?” )
B: Foi muito boa! Todos meus primos estavam lá, então deu pra ver todo mundo! (“It was very good! All of my cousins were there, so I could see everyone!” )
A: E seus avós, eles foram? (“How about your grandparents, did they go?” )
B: Minha avó, sim. Mas meu avô ficou em casa cuidando da minha bisavó. (“My grandmother did. But my grandfather stayed home taking care of my great-grandmother.” )
A: Ah, entendi. (“Oh, I see.” )
B: Mas minha avó ficou feliz de ver todos os netos e netas. (“But my grandmother was happy to see all of her grandchildren.” )

Avó e netos (“Grandmother and grandchildren” )

→ Listen to the pronunciation for the must-know family terms on PortuguesePod101!

4. The New Family: Couples

Beyond the immediate family ties, you also have to learn how to talk about the new family members a married person acquires!

With the new words you’ll see below, you’ll be able to talk about love and passionate relationships. This way, if you need to DTR (define the relationship) in Portuguese, you’ll have nothing to fear!

Here’s how to talk about newly acquired members of the family in Portuguese, and how to define certain relationships.

Casal	“Couple”
Esposo / Marido	“Husband”
Esposa / Mulher	“Wife”
Casados	“Married”
Noivo	“Fiancé” / “Groom”
Noiva	“Fiancée” / “Bride”
Noivos	“Engaged couple”
Namorado	“Boyfriend”
Namorada	“Girlfriend”
Namorados	“Dating couple”
Parceiro	“Partner” (male)
Parceira	“Partner” (female)
Ex	“Ex”
Divorciado	“Divorced” (male)
Divorciada	“Divorced” (female)
Amante	“Lover”
Amantes	“Lovers”
Viúvo	“Widower”
Viúva	“Widow”

Here’s a dialogue example filled with real-life phrases you might hear in Portuguese:

A: Finalmente vou conhecer a sua namorada? (“Will I finally meet your girlfriend?” )
B: Namorada, não. Mas a minha noiva sim! (“Girlfriend, no. But my fiancée, yes!” )
A: Não acredito! (“I don’t believe it!” )
B: Acredite! Tenho uma foto dela, olha. (“Believe it! I have a picture of her, look.” )
A: Ah, muito mais bonita do que sua ex-esposa. Fazem um casal lindo! (“Oh, she is much prettier than your ex-wife. You make a beautiful couple!” )

O casal chegou! (“The couple arrived!” )

→ If love is in the air, you might want to learn these love phrases with PortuguesePod101!

5. Extending the New Family: In-laws

Once the family expands, you’ll have to get used to many more family members! Nothing to worry about, though. In real life, the in-laws tend to be less scary than in the movies.

In Portuguese, it’s not as easy as simply adding “-in-law” to already familiar words. So take your time to practice and understand these different words for the extended family in Portuguese!

Sogro	“Father-in-law”
Sogra	“Mother-in-law”
Sogros	“Parents-in-law” or plural for “father-in-law + mother-in-law”

Genro	“Son-in-law”
Nora	“Daughter-in-law”
Cunhado	“Brother-in-law”
Cunhada	“Sister-in-law”

For example:

• Manda um beijo para a sua sogra. (“Send a kiss to your mother-in-law.” )
• Quantos cunhados você tem? (“How many brothers-in-law do you have?” )
• Meu genro é muito inteligente. (“My son-in-law is very smart.” )

5. Blended Families

Like in many other countries, the family structure is changing rapidly in Brazil. The term “blended family” refers to cases where one or both of the spouses have children from other relationships. That means more family relations and more words to discover!

Here’s a list of words you can use to describe these family ties in Portuguese:

Padrasto	“Stepfather”
Madrasta	“Stepmother”
Enteado	“Stepson”
Enteada	“Stepdaughter”
Enteados	“Stepchildren”
Meia-irmã	“Half-sister”
Meio-irmão	“Half-brother”
Meio-irmãos	“Half-siblings”
Irmã do outro casamento	“Stepsister,” literally translating to “sister from another marriage”
Irmão do outro casamento	“Stepbrother,” literally translating to “brother from another marriage”
Irmãos do outro casamento	“Step-siblings”

As you can see, the terms for step-siblings are a mouthful. As a result, they’re not used very often, and it’s common to just use the words irmão (“brother”), irmã (“sister”), or irmãos (“siblings” ) to refer to step-siblings.

Here are some examples:

• Eu gosto da minha madrasta. (“I like my stepmother.” )
• Nossos meio-irmãos são mais novos. (“Our half-siblings are younger.” )
• A sua enteada tem quantos anos? (“How old is your stepdaughter?” )

A família foi para a praia (“The family went to the beach” )

6. Showing Affection: Endearment Terms

As we said before, family relations are very important and central to Brazilian culture. Therefore, it’s not surprising that there are plenty of endearment terms used to refer to some of the family members we covered in this article.

Why don’t we play a game, then? Take a look at the words below and try to guess what family member each term refers to. After you’re done, scroll down to get the answers!

Mamãe

Papai

Vovó

Vovô

Dinda

Dindo

Bisa

Biso

Titio

Titia

Hey, no cheating!

But if you’re done, here’s the translation for each word:

Mamãe	“Mommy”
Papai	“Dad”
Vovó	“Grandma”
Vovô	“Grandpa”
Dinda	Endearment term for “godmother”
Dindo	Endearment term for “godfather”
Bisa	Endearment term for “great-grandmother”
Biso	Endearment term for “great-grandfather”
Titio	Endearment term for “uncle”
Titia	“Auntie,” endearment term for “aunt”

In addition to the terms listed above, it’s very common to use the diminutive ending to convey affection. For the cases we’re discussing in this article, the endings are:

• -inho for masculine words
• -inha for feminine words

And here are some examples of endearment terms with the diminutive ending.

• Mãe (“mother” ) → Mãezinha
• Pai (“father” ) → Paizinho
• Avó (“grandmother” ) → Vózinha
• Avô (“grandfather” ) → Vôzinho
• Vovó (“grandma” ) → Vovózinha
• Vovô (“grandpa” ) → Vovôzinho
• Prima (“cousin” female ) → Priminha
• Primo (“cousin” male ) → Priminho
• Tia (“aunt” ) → Tiazinha
• Tio (“uncle” ) → Tiozinho
• Neta (“granddaughter” ) → Netinha
• Neto (“grandson” ) → Netinho

In some places in the north and/or the northeast of Brazil, you can also hear the following endearment terms:

• Mainha (“mom”; exclusive to the Northeast)
• Painho (“dad”; exclusive to the Northeast)
• Mana / Maninha (“sis” / “sister” )
• Mano / Maninho (“bro” / “brother” )
• Maninha (“little sister” )
• Maninho (“little brother” )

/!\ While in the north and northeast of Brazil, mano and mana are used to refer to blood relations, those words can also be used as slang throughout Brazil. Context will be your best friend when you encounter those words!

Avôzinho e netinho (“Grandfather and his little grandson” )

7. Learn More Portuguese with PortuguesePod101

We hope this complete guide to talking about family in Portuguese was helpful to you! Now you’re ready to engage in conversation about family members and tell old family tales like a native Portuguese speaker. If you want to take it a step further, practice the pronunciation of the terms and words you learned today.

Were the examples we presented useful? Did we miss any important words you wanted to learn? Let us know in the comments! And remember that you can come back to this article whenever you need to and refresh your memory.

Now it’s time to continue on your language-learning journey! There are more free Portuguese resources and a variety of vocabulary lists available on PortuguesePod101.com. Go ahead and choose your favorite tools to expand your learning opportunities.

If you want to take your learning experience further, members of PortuguesePod101.com get access to the largest language lesson library in the world, with thousands of real lessons by real teachers. Perfect for anyone who wants to learn from anywhere, feel motivated, and be ready to speak Portuguese with confidence. And in the meantime, continue exploring PortuguesePod101!

Travel: Is there any other activity that demands so much planning, money, and time…or that generates so many interesting and fulfilling discoveries?

Yes, traveling can be both a pleasure and a challenge. Leisure in newfound places walks hand in hand with language and cultural barriers. Learning Portuguese basics for travel can be helpful, but it might not be enough to help you generate a truly rich and comfortable experience.

There are many sources online with common Portuguese travel phrases, but many of them fail to illustrate the nuances of the daily vernacular you’ll actually be hearing on your trip. It’s not uncommon to learn some Portuguese travel phrases but neglect to brush up on local manners and signs of politeness. After all, there are many unspoken rules and other subtleties to be mindful of…

In this article, we’ll present to you a list of Portuguese travel phrases that go beyond the basics. This includes some less common phrases as well as cultural information that will allow you to speak in a more flexible and comprehensive manner during your travels in Brazil!

Table of Contents

1. Basic Portuguese for Travel
2. Portuguese Travel Phrases for Transportation
3. Portuguese Travel Phrases for Shopping
4. Portuguese Travel Phrases for Restaurants
5. Asking for and Giving Directions
6. Emergencies
7. Flattery Phrases
8. Useful Phrases to Go Through Language Problems
9. Conclusion

1. Basic Portuguese for Travel

To travel in Portuguese-speaking countries, one must be well-equipped with some fundamental words and expressions.

A- Greetings

Because first impressions are very important, let’s start with some concise greetings. 

• Oi! – “Hi!”
• Olá! – “Hello!”
• Bom dia. – “Good morning.”
• Boa tarde. – “Good afternoon.”
• Boa noite. – “Good evening.”

B- Informal greetings

Friends often greet each other in a very casual manner. 

These phrases sound caring, but they’re not always met with answers or reciprocity. In fact, their informal meaning is closer to “hi,” or even just to signal that you see the other person. Generally, you’ll use these phrases to greet people with whom you’ve had plenty of interactions already.

• Tudo bem? – “How are you doing?”
• Beleza? – “Howdy?”
• E aí? – “What’s up?”
• Salve! – “Ay!”

C- Short answers

Essential communication is at the core of basic Portuguese phrases for travel. Therefore, these short answers will come in handy in a variety of situations.

• Sim – “Yes”
• Não – “No”
• Talvez – “Maybe”
• Pode ser? – “Why not?”
• Eu gostei. / Eu não gostei. – “I liked it.” / “I didn’t like it.” 
• Bom – “Good”
• Ruim – “Bad”
• Bem – “Well” 
• Mal – “Badly”

D- Being polite

Learning some basic etiquette rules can make a big difference in how you’re received when approaching people during your travels. Being polite to a friend, a host, or a stranger shows them that you care to interact properly according to local customs—and this might make them more open to helping you.

• Obrigado. (male) / Obrigada. (female) – “Thank you.”
• Me desculpe. – “I’m sorry.” 
  • Often, people simply say desculpa, which is informal.  
• Peço perdão. – “I beg your pardon.”
  • This is a less common and more formal expression.
• Com licença. – “Excuse me.”
• Por favor. – “Please.”
• Prazer em conhecê-lo. (male) / Prazer em conhecê-la. (female) – “Pleased to meet you.”

Finally, here’s a bonus phrase you’ll definitely need when traveling in a Portuguese-speaking country:

• Você pode tirar uma foto minha, por favor? – “Would you please take a picture of me?”

2. Portuguese Travel Phrases for Transportation

Whether you depend on taxis, subways, trains, or buses for transportation, you can count on the following phrases:

A- Taxi, please!

• Vamos para a [Avenida Presidente Vargas], por favor. – “We are heading to [Presidente Vargas Avenue] please.”
• Você aceita cartão de crédito? – “Do you accept credit card?”
• Você pode esperar um minuto, por favor? – “Could you hold on for a minute, please?”
• Vamos fazer uma parada em outro lugar antes. – “We’re making a stop-by in another place first.”
• Aqui está bom. – “Here is fine.”

Taxis are often an expensive form of transportation in Brazil, though the recent diffusion of ride apps has pushed fare prices down in the last couple of years.  

B- Traveling by bus

A mere bus can take you to so many places…

• Pode me avisar quando estiver perto do [Parque do Ibirapuera]? – “Would you let me know when we get close to [Ibirapuera Park]?”
• Em que ponto eu desço para chegar no [Elevador Lacerda]? – “Where should I get off to get to [Lacerda Elevator]?”
• Quero visitar o [MASP]. Quanto tempo demora até lá? – “I’d like to visit [MASP]. How long does it take until we reach it?”
• Você tem troco para vinte reais? – “May I have change for twenty reais?”
• Este ônibus vai até a estação de metrô/estação de trem? – “Does this bus get to the subway/train station?”
• Até que horas este ônibus funciona? – “When does this bus stop?”

The bus is the most common form of public transportation in Brazilian cities and between municipalities. Commercial flights are not an affordable option for long-distance travel for most of the country’s population.

Some cities offer air-conditioned buses, and some places also have vans and microbuses for public transportation, which are called micro-ônibus or peruas.

C- Riding the train

• Onde eu posso comprar o bilhete? – “Where can I buy a ticket?”
• Eu vou querer dois bilhetes, por favor. – “Two tickets, please.”
• A que horas passa o ultimo trem? – “When does the last train arrive?”
• De que lado fica a saída para a rua [Domingos de Moraes]? – “How can I get from here to [Domingos de Moraes] street?”
• Onde fica o mapa das linhas do metrô? – “Where is the map of the subway lines?”
• Esta é a linha verde do metrô? – “Is this the green subway line?”
• Esta é a plataforma correta para ir até [o Flamengo]? – “Is this the right platform to [Flamengo]?”

Trains in Brazil are reserved for urban and freight transportation only. The railways were a popular long-distance transport decades ago, before cars became popular in the country.

3. Portuguese Travel Phrases for Shopping

So many options to choose from, so many phrases to learn… Don’t panic, let’s be practical.

Our social interactions while shopping tend to be brief and no-nonsense, so an elaborate vocabulary isn’t necessary to get what you need. For example: If you spot a nice fruit, you can point at it, ask for the price using gestures, and finish the purchase. Or, if shopping online, you could use a digital translator.

On the other hand, it might not always turn out this way. Buying a gift for a friend in a foreign country, for instance, could be confusing. It’s not always easy to explain your interests or to formulate questions to a native speaker.  

Here are just a few survival phrases in Portuguese for making the most of your trip to the store or mall: 

• Quanto custa isto? – “How much does it cost?”
• Qual peça você recomenda? – “What piece/item do you recommend?”
• Qual é a lembrança mais popular da loja? – “What is this store’s most popular souvenir?”
• Vocês aceitam pagamento por PayPal? – “Can I use PayPal for payment?”
• O preço está em reais ou em dólares? – “Is the pricing in reais or in dollars?”
• Você tem esta camiseta em tamanho médio? – “Does this T-shirt come in medium size?”
• Será que este item chega até terça-feira? – “Might this item be in stock by Tuesday?”

4. Portuguese Travel Phrases for Restaurants

The most common activity we can all relate to? Eating. Whether you’re ordering food or asking your waiter/waitress a question, this basic Portuguese travel phrases list for restaurants has got you covered. 

• Uma mesa para quatro, por favor. – “Table for four, please.”
• Posso ver o menu, por favor? – “May I see the menu, please?”
• Água, por favor. – “Water, please.”
• Uma cerveja, por favor. – “Beer, please.”
• Um copo de suco de laranja, por favor. – “A glass of orange juice, please.”
• Vocês têm opções vegetarianas/veganas? – “Do you have vegetarian/vegan options?”
• A sobremesa está inclusa? – “Does it include the dessert?”
• Sou alérgico a glúten. (male) / Sou alérgica a glúten. (female) – “I am allergic to gluten.”
• Garçom! – “Waiter!”
• Garçonete! – “Waitress!”
• Pode dividir a conta em dois? – “Would you split the bill?”
• Está delicioso! – “It’s delicious!”
• Como se chama este prato? – “What do you call this dish?”
• Não acredito que isso é peixe… – “I can’t believe it’s fish…”

5. Asking for and Giving Directions

How can I get to Christ, the Redeemer?

Some of the most important Portuguese phrases for travelers are those used to ask for and give directions. Finding yourself lost with no means of communication never makes for a nice vacation or business trip! 

• Onde fica o banheiro? – “Where is the toilet?”
• A estação [Santa Cruz] fica aqui perto? – “Is [Santa Cruz] station nearby?”
• Onde fica a estação de metrô mais próxima? – “Where is the nearest metro station?”
• Pode me dizer para que lado é o Jardim Botânico? – “Could you tell me which way to Jardim Botânico?”
• Como eu faço para chegar ao [Cristo Redentor]? – “How can I get to [Christ, the Redeemer]?”
• Vire à direita. – “Turn right.”
• Vire à esquerda. – “Turn left.”
• Siga em frente. – “Go ahead.”
• Siga reto. – “Go straight.”
• Atravesse a rua. – “Cross the street.”
• Para o outro lado – “To the other side”

6. Emergencies

To get help, one must learn to ask for it.

Travels are full of discoveries and opportunities for adventure. Of course, there’s always room for unexpected events…some of which might not be pleasant. Here are some crucial Portuguese basics for travel to help you out in an emergency: 

• Ajuda, por favor! – “Help, please!”
• Você pode me ajudar? – “Can you help me?”
• Chame uma ambulância. – “Call an ambulance.”
• Chame a polícia. – “Call the police.”
• Chame os bombeiros. – “Call the firemen.”
• Tem algum médico aqui? – “Is there a doctor around here?”
• Perdi meu passaporte. – “I lost my passport.”
• Roubaram minha carteira. – “Someone stole my wallet.”

The most useful emergency numbers for travelers in Brazil are:

Police: Call 190 to report emergencies, and 197 to make inquiries and give information to the police.

Medical ambulance: Medical emergencies can be reported through calls to 192.

Fire service: Call 193.

Don’t forget to read our vocabulary list for useful phone call phrases, so you can act correctly on the spot if needed. Also, check the emergency phone numbers in Portugal and Angola.

7. Flattery Phrases

Embrace the confetti and throw some of it too: it makes people happier.

Flattery often pays off for tourists and foreigners. Pick people from any culture you want: they’ll most likely react in a positive way to flattery, especially if it’s genuine. To use a Brazilian expression for this universal vanity: Everyone likes to get some confetti thrown at them.

So, basic Portuguese travel phrases for flattery might open doors and build bridges between people! You can use them at the gym, during a meeting with friends, on a date, or in other contexts. Just use them at your discretion.

• As pessoas no Brasil são muito gentis. – “People in Brazil are very kind.”
• Eu adoro os brasileiros. – “I love Brazilians.”
• Eu gosto muito da comida portuguesa. – “I like Portuguese food very much.”
• Eu amo Angola. – “I love Angola.”
• Eu amo o seu país. – “I love your country.”
• Quero ser seu amigo. (male) / amiga. (female) Você tem Instagram? – “I want to be your friend. Do you use Instagram?”
• Eu quero morar aqui. – “I want to live here.”
• Você é lindo! (male) / Você é linda! (female) – “You are pretty!”

8. Useful Phrases to Go Through Language Problems

One common error that learners of a foreign language make is “overthinking” instead of talking intuitively, because they want to speak everything perfectly. This pretension might be an obstacle to developing oral fluency.

Sometimes, just learning the phrases isn’t enough and we need to ask native speakers for help. But why not at least do it correctly and in the foreign language? This self-improving and humble attitude is very constructive toward a speedier learning process.

• Você fala inglês? – “Can you speak English?”
• Não estou te entendendo. – “I don’t understand you.”
• Pode repetir? – “Can you repeat?”
• Fale mais devagar, por favor. – “Please speak slowly.”
• Você pode escrever, por favor? – “Would you write it down, please?”
• Como se lê isto? – “How do you read this?”
• Você pode soletrar para mim? – “Could you spell it out for me?”
• Eu não falo português muito bem. – “I don’t speak Portuguese very well.”
• Eu não falo nada de português. – “I don’t speak Portuguese at all.”

9. Conclusion

In this article, you learned a lot of basic Portuguese travel phrases that will keep you busy for some time and hopefully provide you with good cultural insight. The best part is that you have access to these expressions for free—all it takes is a few clicks or taps on your computer or cellphone. 

It’s a good idea to write down these expressions and practice them often. Indeed, reading and understanding content is nice, but active learning is the best way to build complex knowledge.

Are there any travel phrases you would still like to know or a situation we didn’t cover? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll get back to you! 

PortuguesePod101 provides many resources that are guaranteed to put you on a thrilling and productive learning path. Apart from vocabulary lists that are easy to consult and focused on practical situations, PortuguesePod101 provides a variety of multimedia lessons and content for Portuguese learners at every level. By subscribing to a Premium PLUS account, you also gain access to private lessons to boost your conversation skills and help you absorb important cultural information.

Check out PortuguesePod101’s resources for free and take your Portuguese studies to the next level!

Learning the numbers in Portuguese solves many problems. You can ask for caipirinhas (a Brazilian cocktail) for you and your buddies. Or count the goals in a soccer match. Or know how much a ticket from Sao Paulo to Rio will cost… You can also negotiate your salary, answer how many months (or years) you plan to stay in the country, and tell people your age.
Like in any other language, it’s important that you learn at least the numbers to ten in Portuguese right at the start. That will solve some communication problems when you’re speaking to a Brazilian or Portuguese person who doesn’t speak English.

Exciting, isn’t it? When do we begin? Well, sit down, take it easy, breathe—count to ten.

→ Want to review numbers vocabulary in Portuguese before reading this article? PortuguesePod101 has you covered!

Table of Contents

1. Portuguese Numbers 1-10
2. Portuguese Numbers 10-20
3. Portuguese Numbers 10-100
4. Numbers Up to 1000
5. How to Give Your Phone Number
6. How to Use Numbers When Shopping
7. Saying Prices
8. Learn Numbers in Portuguese and Much More with PortuguesePod101

1. Portuguese Numbers 1-10

First of all, we’ll go over the basic numbers that even kids know how to count. Baby steps before bigger plans. You’ll have to lay these bricks in order to reach bigger numerical structures.

Numbers in Portuguese are called números. If you’re familiar with any of the other Romance languages, this word may sound familiar to you. And so should this list of numbers in Portuguese from one to ten:

• 1     Um
• 2     Dois
• 3     Três
• 4     Quatro
• 5     Cinco
• 6     Seis
• 7     Sete
• 8     Oito
• 9     Nove
• 10     Dez

An interesting thing to note is that the number one in Portuguese transcends its function as a number for English speakers. Um is also used as an indefinite article in Portuguese, playing the role of “a(n)” in English.

So, when um acts as an indefinite article, it can be declined to its feminine form, based on the noun it’s referring to. Uma is the preferred form for counting feminine nouns. For instance:

• Ele colheu uma banana da bananeira.
  “He picked a banana from the banana tree.”
• Olho para a cesta e vejo: uma, duas, três maçãs…
  “I look at the basket and see: one, two, three apples…”
• Rolamos sobre um monte de folhas.
  “We roll over a pile of leaves.”

The other number that can decline to its feminine form is dois (which is duas in its feminine form). However, it isn’t used as an indefinite article.

Oh! And since we’ve started from the basics, let’s not forget the smallest of all integers—zero. Well…you can call it zero. The only significant detail with this one is the pronunciation: the “e” sounds like it does in the word “bell.”

Baby steps – We’ll get to the big ones soon.

2. Portuguese Numbers 10-20

Now that we’ve covered the very basics, giving you a strong foundation, we’re going to go through a rocky path of numbers that may sound pretty irregular to foreign speakers—but at least there aren’t many of them.

The thing is, they kind of make logical sense to foreigners, but not all of them.

From ten to twenty, half of the numbers in Portuguese sound irregular and the other half remind learners of the “-teen” numbers:

• 10      Dez
• 11      Onze
• 12      Doze
• 13      Treze
• 14      Catorze or Quatorze
• 15      Quinze
• 16      Dezesseis
• 17      Dezessete
• 18      Dezoito
• 19      Dezenove
• 20      Vinte

Actually, you may see that 11 (onze), 12 (doze), 13 (treze), and 14 (quatorze) are a combination of the first four integers with dez (10). It may seem a little off the first time you hear them, but don’t let the “e” at the end of these numbers (or the different spelling) confuse you!

3. Portuguese Numbers 10-100

Now, what about the large numbers in Portuguese? How do they work?

Portuguese is really logical sometimes (only sometimes), and luckily for you, that includes numbers. Once you’ve memorized 0-19, it gets simpler from 20 on.

Starting with 20 (vinte), all you have to do is “add” the numbers by placing “and” between the parts of the sum.

So, 21 is vinte e um (“twenty and one”), 22 is vinte e dois (“twenty and two”), and so on.

The logic behind the units is easier to get. To put this knowledge into practice, you can start by counting in Portuguese using the sets of tens:

• 30      Trinta
• 40      Quarenta
• 50      Cinquenta
• 60      Sessenta
• 70      Setenta
• 80      Oitenta
• 90      Noventa
• 100      Cem

These work just like vinte (20). For instance, 34 is trinta e quatro and 79 is setenta e nove.

When you get over 100, you just have to add more numbers the same way. For example: cento e cinquenta e seis is 156.

It’s just a matter of adding numbers up with figures above twenty.

4. Numbers Up to 1000

By now, counting numbers in Portuguese is probably as easy as eating breakfast for you. But we’re headed to the top! It’s time to cover numbers above 100 in Portuguese.

The following numbers in Brazilian Portuguese will help you keep track of your monthly expenses and read the cost of travel tickets. Once again, you can detect a pattern from hundred to hundred:

• 100      Cem
• 200      Duzentos
• 300      Trezentos
• 400      Quatrocentos
• 500      Quinhentos
• 600      Seiscentos
• 700      Setecentos
• 800      Oitocentos
• 900      Novecentos
• 1000      Mil

Banking in Portuguese: The joy of counting sets of hundreds in a foreign language.

5. How to Give Your Phone Number

Learning numbers in Portuguese is very useful. But the key to understanding a new language in its subtleties is to interact with speakers of that language and to start networking. That means getting to know people. Going out is a great way to start taking new, adventurous steps into a foreign culture and meeting interesting people.

While you’re talking with new people, there may come a time when you want to exchange phone numbers with them. To help you be prepared for that situation, here are some phrases you can use to give your number in Portuguese, or to ask someone for theirs.

• O meu número é…
  “My number is…”
• Qual é o seu número de telefone?
  “What is your phone number?”
• Me passa o seu número?
  “Can you give me your number?”

As for how to say numbers in Portuguese, the numbers are usually spoken individually in Brazil. In European countries, they’re grouped into sets of tens or hundreds.

• O meu número é nove, sete, oito, seis, cinco, sete, sete, zero.
  “My number is 9786-5770.”

Eventually, though, digits can also be grouped into two sets. This usually happens when there’s a zero in the combination:

• O meu número é nove, sete, oito, seis, cinco, sete, setenta.
  “My number is 9786-5770.”

Sure, there are some exceptions to this “formula” of Portuguese phone numbers, but there aren’t many. One exception would be the prefix 0800 in Brazil. This prefix is used for free hotlines, and it’s called zero oitocentos (“zero-eight hundred”).

Also, there’s a deep-rooted term in Brazil that’s frequently referred to in telephone numbers. This term is meia, and it can make a Portuguese-learner feel like an alien.

Meia is a word that means both “sock” and “half” in Portuguese. What number do you think it is?

If we’re dealing with telephone numbers, which range from 0 to 9, perhaps five would be a good approximation—but it isn’t. Meia is equivalent to six.

Indeed, it’s the abbreviation of meia dúzia (“half a dozen”), which equals six. The word is linked to how people used to measure things by the dozen, especially groceries. Even today, many egg cartons still hold a dozen eggs.

Most students learn this one the hard way, so consider this a valuable lesson!

“Did you say meia?”

6. How to Use Numbers When Shopping

You may notice that when shopping in Brazil, it can be a struggle to get coins and small change from the cashier. Indeed, Brazilians don’t care much about using coins. The local coins, centavos, are represented after the comma in the price, but they aren’t taken seriously. Since the 1 centavo coin has been abolished, it’s impossible to pay exact prices that aren’t round (that don’t end with 5 or 0) with physical currency.

So, buyers and sellers often round up the price to a number ending in 0 or 5 to make it easier to get a proper real bill.

Here’s an example of a conversation you may have when shopping:

A: Boa tarde! Quanto está custando este celular novo da vitrine?
B: Este celular sai por R$850. A compra também pode ser parcelada em dez vezes de R$85.

A: “Good afternoon! How much does this new cell phone from the store display cost?”
B: “This cell phone costs R$850. We can also set the payment for ten installments of R$85.”

It’s common practice in Brazilian retail to set payment installments for a wide array of products. The payment plan can sometimes reach tens of installments, which may appear odd to many foreigners. However, these installment plans are very common, especially for electronic equipment, furniture, paying tuition, housing, cars, and loans.

A: Está um pouco caro para mim… Por quanto [dinheiro] você consegue me fazer estes dez livros?
B: O preço completo é de R$400, mas consigo fazer R$350.

A: “That’s a bit pricey… Can you lower the price for these ten books?”
B: “The full price would be R$400—I can make it R$350.”

Now let’s talk about discounts. Everybody is happy when they see that interesting items are on sale. But before you can really enjoy a sale, you have to understand its terms. If you see some indication of a 50% discount in the display window, but you’re not sure it applies to the shoes you want to buy, you can confirm the information with the seller by asking:

• Este sapato também custa metade do preço na promoção?
  “Does this shoe also cost half the price on sale?”

In terms of fractions, metade (“half” ) is the only one you’ll see when shopping. Other discount amounts are usually given as a percentage.

7. Saying Prices

There’s a certain way to say numbers in Portuguese when giving prices—and it’s slightly different from how it’s done in English.

In Brazil, the values before and after the comma are joined by the word e (“and”). In Portugal, they’re joined by the word com (“with”).

“Este sapato também custa metade do preço na promoção?”

8. Learn Numbers in Portuguese and Much More with PortuguesePod101

Now you have the basic and intermediate figures, and that’s a good starting point when learning how to say numbers in Portuguese. If you decide to go even further and learn the sets of thousands, you’ll be able to negotiate payment for jobs, speak properly with your bank manager, and engage in some interesting calculations.

But what about the Portuguese numbers’ pronunciation? And other relevant cultural information you’ll need to understand the reality of Portuguese-speakers and their countries of origin?

Private lessons from a private teacher will increase your potential and let you learn more easily about numbers in Portuguese and a whole set of topics for everyday life. That’s the aim of lessons from PortuguesePod101.

The interface is simple to use and the content is planned and designed to retain your attention in a fun and constructive manner. Try and exercise your domain over numbers in Portuguese, and you’ll be on cloud nine!

Before you go, let us know in the comments how you’re doing with Portuguese numbers so far! We’ll be glad to answer any questions.

Happy Portuguese learning!

Making mistakes is a part of life. There’s no way around it, and that’s why knowing how to apologize is a must. Whether we inadvertently make a mistake or say something we didn’t mean, saying “I’m sorry” is always necessary. It doesn’t mean it’s an easy thing to do, but it’s something we have to deal with.

Now that you’re learning a new language, it’s also a good idea to expand your vocabulary and include ways to say sorry in Portuguese. After all, mistakes in pronunciation, word choice, or comprehension is a part of the process. That’s totally okay! By using the right words to apologize, you can make the process smoother.

As you gain more experience with the Portuguese language, there will be more situations in which you might need to apologize and take responsibility. It might be at work, with a friend, or even to offer condolences. Whatever the circumstances, after reading this guide, you’ll know the best ways to apologize in Portuguese!

Table of Contents

1. The Most Important Words for Apologizing
2. Taking the Blame
3. Work and Business Situations
4. Offering Your Condolences
5. How to Forgive
6. Continue Learning Portuguese with PortuguesePod101

Mil desculpas! (“I’m sorry a thousand times!”)

1. The Most Important Words for Apologizing

How do you say sorry in Portuguese? If you want the most straightforward way, you can go with desculpa. However, there are plenty of other useful words and phrases you can use. 

Desculpa (“Sorry”)

This word can be used in a few different ways, as shown in the examples below. 

• Desculpa! (“Sorry!”)

You can simply say desculpa after saying something you regret, bumping into someone, or breaking a glass at your friend’s house.

• Me desculpa. (“Sorry.” / “Forgive me.”)
• Você me desculpa? (“Do you forgive me?”)
• Desculpe a demora. (“I’m sorry for the delay.”)

Desculpe sounds more formal in Brazil. It can also appear in the form me desculpe (“forgive me,” “I’m sorry”). 

• Peço desculpas. (“I apologize.”)

Another alternative for more formal settings.

• Desculpa aí, esqueci completamente de te ligar. (“Sorry, I totally forgot to call you.”)

Using the word aí (“there”) makes the apology sound very informal. You can use the phrase above when talking to your friends, for example.

• Desculpa, você sabe que horas são? (“Excuse me, do you know what time it is?”)

/! Note that, if you opt to use the more formal version of desculpe, you’ll have to pay attention to the number of people you’re apologizing to.  Talking to one person: Me desculpe, esqueci do nosso almoço. (“I’m sorry, I forgot about our lunch.”) Talking to two or more people:  Me desculpem, esqueci do nosso almoço. (“I’m sorry, I forgot about our lunch.”) Listen to and read along with a real-life example of how to apologize to multiple people in this lesson by PortuguesePod101.

And because Brazilians love some exaggeration, you can make your apologies really clear by adding “a thousand” to it.

• Mil desculpas! (“I am sorry a thousand times!”) 

Drag the i in mil (miiiil desculpas), and you have a heartfelt apology! This is an informal way to say “I’m sorry.”

Did you just say you’re sorry?

Other Useful Words

For more variety, you can add these additional Portuguese words for sorry to your vocabulary.

Perdão (“Pardon”)

Perdão is definitely used less often than desculpa, but you might still hear it in Brazil.

• Ai, perdão! (“Oh, sorry!”) 

If you’ve just dropped something on someone’s foot, for example, you might say this.

• Me perdoa, por favor! (“Forgive me, please!”)

Now, if you hurt someone’s feelings or have offended them in some way, me perdoa is a good choice.

Com licença (“Excuse me”)

Do you need to ask someone for directions? Or maybe pass on a narrow corridor? Then use com licença (“excuse me”). 

• Com licença, você pode me ajudar? (“Excuse me, can you help me?”)
• Com licença, posso passar rapidinho? (“Excuse me, could I just squeeze past?”)
• Com licença. (“Excuse me.”)

You don’t need to add anything else if you’re just asking to pass or if you need some space in a crowded place. 

Foi mal (“My bad”)

This is by far the most informal way to say “I’m sorry.” Use it with your close friends to sound like a native Portuguese speaker! 

• Foi mal, não trouxe sua camiseta. (“Sorry, I didn’t bring your T-shirt.”)

This way of apologizing works best for small mishaps. Foi mal isn’t a good option when you’ve just crashed your best friend’s brand-new car, for example!

Emphasize it

Here are some ways to show that you’re very sorry in Portuguese:

• Me desculpa mesmo. (“I’m really sorry.”) 
• Sério, foi mal. (“For real, I’m sorry.”)
• Mil desculpas, de verdade. (“I’m sorry a thousand times, really.”)

Foi minha culpa, me desculpa, amor! (“It was my fault, forgive me, love!”)

➜ Check out this vocabulary list to see more common ways to say sorry and practice your pronunciation with PortuguesePod101!

2. Taking the Blame

Sometimes we have to own up to our mistakes. That means taking the responsibility—or even the blame—for things that go wrong. 

Take the Responsibility

Acknowledging that you’re guilty of hurting someone or are responsible for a mistake will help you grow!

• Minha culpa (“My fault”)
  • Foi minha culpa, não tranquei a porta. (“It was my fault, I didn’t lock the door.”)
  • É minha culpa, não dela. (“It’s my fault, not hers.”)

• Assumir a responsabilidade (“Take the responsibility”)
  • Eu assumo toda a responsabilidade por este erro. (“I take all the responsibility for this mistake.”)

• Eu não devia ter dito isso. (“I shouldn’t have said that.”)

Sometimes you also need to explain what happened. In this case, you can say:

• Foi minha culpa, eu não sabia que… (“It was my fault, I didn’t know that…”)
• Foi minha culpa, eu pensei que… (“It was my fault, I thought that…”)

State Your Case

What about when it’s not really your fault or you didn’t mean it?

• Não foi minha culpa. (“It wasn’t my fault.”)
• Foi sem querer! (“I didn’t mean it!”)
• Não foi por mal. (“I meant no harm.”)

Own Up to Your Mistake, Brazilian Style

Here are a few more phrases you can use to apologize in Brazilian Portuguese like a native. These are informal and colloquial ways of admitting that you made a mistake.

• Eu estraguei tudo. (“I messed it all up.”)
• Pisei na bola. (“I made a mistake.”)
• Errei feio. (“I made a big mistake.”)

Me desculpa, de verdade. (“I’m sorry, really.”)

➜ Check out this lesson about apologizing to your significant other on PortuguesePod101.com.

3. Work and Business Situations

In business settings or at work, you can use most of the words we’ve already seen to say sorry in Portuguese. The best options are me desculpe (“I’m sorry”), peço desculpas (“I apologize”), and eu assumo a responsabilidade (“I take the responsibility”).

Not Happening Again

Besides apologizing, you should also learn how to say that you won’t make the same mistake again in the future.

• Isto não vai se repetir. (“This is not going to happen again.”)
• Não vai acontecer novamente. (“It won’t happen again.”)
• Prometo que nunca mais faço isso. (“I promise I won’t do it again.”)

Spell it Out

At work, you might also need to email an apology to your colleagues. If that happens, you can use these sentences:

• Peço desculpas a todos. (“I apologize to you all.”)
• Eu gostaria de me desculpar com a equipe. (“I would like to apologize to the team.”)

Apologies in Customer Service

There’s another word that means “sorry” in Portuguese, but it’s used mainly in customer service: lamento (“I’m sorry”). You might hear it when dealing with a bank, trying to reach customer support on the phone, or when shopping in Brazil. 

• Lamentamos informar que… (“We regret to inform you that…”)
• Lamento senhor, não estamos abertos aos domingos. (“I’m sorry sir, we are not open on Sundays.”)

Lastly, you might also hear businesses apologizing to customers in the following ways:

• Por favor, aceite nossas desculpas. (“Please, accept our apologies.”)
• Pedimos desculpas por qualquer inconveniência causada. (“We apologize for any inconvenience caused.”)

Lamento, não temos mais ingressos para este filme. (“I’m sorry, we don’t have tickets available for this movie anymore.”)

➜ Do you want to hear more tips on apologizing in Portuguese? This video by PortuguesePod101 is a perfect tool to learn more on the topic and practice your listening!

4. Offering Your Condolences

” ‘Sinto muito’ e ‘me desculpe’ são intercambiáveis, exceto em um funeral.” (” ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I apologize’ usually mean the same thing, except at a funeral.”) – Demetri Martin 

The quote above is a light-hearted way to remember one thing: Sometimes, it’s better to stick to the norm! That’s very true for whenever you find yourself in a sad situation in which you need to express your condolences to an acquaintance or close friend.

Here are some of the formal sentences you can use:

• Meus pêsames pela sua perda. (“My condolences for your loss.”)
• Minhas sinceras condolências. (“My sincere condolences.”)
• Lamento sua perda. (“I’m sorry for your loss.”)

With close friends, you can say:

• Sinto muito pela sua perda. (“I’m really sorry for your loss.”)
• Fiquei muito triste de saber sobre… (“I was very sorry to hear about…”)

And, of course, don’t forget to offer support in this difficult moment. 

• Conta comigo para o que precisar. (“Count on me for whatever you need.”)
• Se precisar de qualquer coisa, estou aqui. (“If you need anything, I’m here.”)
• Se eu puder te ajudar de qualquer jeito, me avisa. (“If I can help you in any way, let me know.”)

5. How to Forgive

Now that you know all of the ways to apologize and say sorry in Portuguese, here are some ways to answer apology requests. After all, forgiving is good for your health and for your social well-being!

The options at the bottom of this list are the most informal ones, while the ones at the top can be used in pretty much any situation.

• Estas coisas acontecem. (“These things happen.”)
• Não se preocupe. (“Don’t worry.”)
• Não foi nada. (“It was nothing.”)
• Está desculpado. (“You’re forgiven.”)
• Tudo bem. (“It’s alright.”) 
• Sem problemas. (“No problems.”)
• Esquece. (“Forget it.”)

Intonation matters in that last one, so be sure to sound friendly to convey that there’s nothing to worry about.

• Ah, que isso. (“Oh, of course.”)

In this case, the meaning conveyed is “don’t worry about it” or “it was my pleasure,” when said with a playful and friendly intonation.

Forgiveness is an important part of happy relationships.

6. Continue Learning Portuguese with PortuguesePod101

We hope that after reading this article, you feel ready to apologize with ease and smooth things over at any time! Learning how to say sorry in Portuguese will be a handy skill as you navigate the journey of learning a new language. This is also a helpful guide you can come back to whenever you find yourself in a situation where apologies—or forgiveness—are needed. 

We would love to hear your thoughts on this article! Did we miss any important words for apologizing in Portuguese? Let us know in the comments. 

And now, it’s time to put it into practice. To start, you can check out these tips to remember words better. Or go ahead and choose a vocabulary list to study or discover another free resource on PortuguesePod101.com.

If you want to take your learning experience further, members of PortuguesePod101.com get access to the largest language lesson library in the world, with thousands of real lessons by real teachers. Perfect for anyone who wants to learn from anywhere, feel motivated, and be ready to speak Portuguese with confidence.

Happy Portuguese learning!

Not everything can be translated. The Biblical story of the Tower of Babel tells of a time when all humans stopped speaking the same language to drown in the confusion of different idioms. The conflicts have spread throughout humankind, which has been dissolved into different tribes.

Indeed, communication is full of perils. Speech is the root of every possible human bond and results in building or destroying bridges. Normally, when a message fails to be transmitted, the consequences aren’t good.

This effort to translate is hard enough in daily matters. But what about the untranslatable Portuguese words and those of other languages?

The benefits of learning untranslatable Portuguese words may not be obvious at first sight, but they exist. For one, it’s a good way to learn more about the culture of the target country and to understand more about the native speakers’ mindset.

That’s why you’re about to grow as a student with the help of a brand-new list of untranslatable Portuguese words from PortuguesePod101!

Disclaimer

The following words will be presented with a literal translation, which could also be properly called an approximate meaning. Because these are Portuguese words with no English equivalent, right? But we’ll do our best to communicate the actual meaning after the literal translation to make it as precise as possible.

Table of Contents

1. Saudade
2. Fado
3. Gostosa
4. Tapioca
5. Oca
6. Xodó
7. Desbundar
8. Cafuné
9. Ouvido e orelha
10. Anteontem
11. Cadê
12. Caprichar
13. How PortuguesePod101 Can Help You Learn More Untranslatable Words in Portuguese

1. Saudade

Literal Translation:

There isn’t one.

Meaning:

Feelings of nostalgia and longing for something, someone, or some situation. Normally, these are melancholy feelings, but can also carry joyful undertones.

Example Situations:

To long for a dead relative; missing a childhood object; to miss an ex-partner (or the feelings you felt toward them); to yearn to go back in time to a situation.

Usage in a Sentence:

• Sinto saudade dela.
  “I miss her.”
• Que saudades da casa da minha infância…
  “Oh, how I long for the house of my childhood…”

When it comes to words often used together with this term, people usually “have” saudade or “feel” saudade.

The feeling can also be expressed as a lament with the help of que: Que saudade da casa da minha infância…

Additional Notes:

Some people see this as one of the most beautiful untranslatable Portuguese words. The word is largely employed in lyrical context, which is probably the best context to learn the many ways it can be used.

Saudade ranges from modern Brazilian music from the end of the 1950s (João Gilberto’s Chega de Saudade album) back to the poems of Luís Vaz de Camões (Nascerão Saudades Do Meu Bem, for instance) in the 17th century. These were some of the most important contributions in shaping the pillars of the popular Portuguese idiom that we know today.

Actually, saudade has been present in Portuguese poetry since it began. The medieval cantigas de amigo (“friend songs,” or romantic chivalry lyrics) already used the word to describe the feeling of maidens left behind by their knights to die in battles.

So, if you search well enough, you may draw the conclusion that this is not only a very old and beautiful word, but also one of the most popular untranslatable words in Portuguese.

2. Fado

José Malhoa’s painting “Fado” (1910) depicts a working class Portuguese couple in a moment of artistic contemplation.

Literal Translation:

“Fate”

Meaning:

Besides being a less popular translation for “fate,” fado is the name of a popular melancholic Portuguese music genre.

Example Situation:

The most common use of fado is in fado lyrics, such as Tudo isto é fado by poet Aníbal Nazaré, and it was made famous by the voice of Portuguese singer Amália Rodrigues:

Almas vencidas/Noites perdidas/Sombras bizarras(…)/Amor ciúme/Cinzas e lume/Dor e pecado/Tudo isto existe/Tudo isto é triste/Tudo isto é fado(… )

“Beaten souls/Lost nights/Bizarre shadows(…)/Love jealousy/Cinders and lights/Pain and sin/All this exists/All this is sad/All this is fado(…)”

Usage in a Sentence:

Fado can be used with and without musical context, though the latter is much less common.
When the word is used in lyrics, it can depict both the song genre and fate, depending on the situation.

Additional Notes:

Exposure to fado singers’ and instrumentalists’ works will not only lead you to find popular poetry and more interesting untranslatable Portuguese idioms. It will also present to you the unique universe of Moorish and European musical expression and instruments, blended into Portugal’s modern musical pride.

Also, you’ll certainly find some of the most beautiful Portuguese words and phrases we need in English.

3. Gostosa

Literal Translation:

“Tasty”

Meaning:

To use gostosa is similar to using “hot” to describe an attractive woman. It can also be used for men, adapted to gostoso.

Example Situation:

Gostosa is an adjective and one of the funny untranslatable Portuguese words on this list. But as you may have imagined, to call someone “tasty” can be perceived as very vulgar by the person receiving the compliment.

An example situation for the appropriate use of this word would be in a context of informality and intimacy. It’s sexy talk. For instance, if used during flirting, gostosa normally would not be employed to establish first impressions—don’t be a jerk.

Usage in a Sentence:

• Já te disseram que você é bem gostosa?
  “Did someone ever tell you that you’re very hot?”

4. Tapioca

Literal Translation:

There isn’t one.

Meaning:

It’s a type of edible flour made of manioc, but the word is normally used to describe a fine pancake recipe prepared with this flour and various types of fillings.

Example Situation:

Tapioca is a noun, which means it can be qualified by adjectives. The most common ones for an interested gourmand would be doce or salgado (“sweet” or “salted”), since these are the flavors offered when ordering one.

Despite the choice of fillings, there aren’t many ways to prepare tapioca: mostly, it’s fried (frita) in a pan without oil. But you might find other ways to serve it, since it’s growingly incorporated into other plates and candies. For instance: dadinho de tapioca (“little tapioca dice” ) or sorvete de tapioca (“tapioca ice cream”).

Usage in a Sentence:

• Esta tapioca com manteiga está deliciosa, mas prefiro com recheio doce.
  “This buttered tapioca is delicious, but I’d rather eat one with a sweet filling.”

Additional Notes:

This isn’t one of the hard Portuguese words to learn or use. Indeed, rather than learning this example of untranslatable Brazilian Portuguese words, you’re probably better off tasting a sample of tapioca! To savor it is also untranslatable…

This Brazilian delicacy is a native dish and very popular in the Northern and Northeastern regions of the country. In the time of colonization, it was fed to the slaves and also served as food for settlers. Presently, it’s a “trendy” option for snacks and sandwiches among gym enthusiasts, since it can be prepared as a very thin yet consistent and energetic pancake, and filled with “healthy” ingredients.

5. Oca

Niemeyer’s Oca building is inspired by primordial native constructions

Literal Translation:

There isn’t one.

Meaning:

An indigenous dwelling made out of wood and vegetable fibers—typically found in Brazil.

Don’t confuse this word with the Portuguese translation for “hollow,” which is pronounced “oh-kah.” The word in question here should be pronounced with an “open o” (like in the word “rock”).

Example Situation:

Consisting of three letters, this is probably one of the least hard Portuguese words to learn from this list. It’s normally employed in native contexts.

Usage in a Sentence:

The word is typically used to describe indigenous houses, and not in connotative manners. A group of ocas can be called an aldeia.

Additional Notes:

The format of an oca is rounded and it can vary in size. To imagine one, you just need to picture a coconut sunken halfway into the ground.

The form of the oca has served as inspiration for modern architectural structures in Brazil. The most famous one is Oscar Niemeyer’s Oca in the Ibirapuera Park, in São Paulo. It’s a museum for small- to medium-sized expositions.

6. Xodó

Literal Translation:

There isn’t one.

Meaning:

The dearest one; the loved one

Example Situation:

Xodó can be used to refer to different types of people for whom the speaker feels tenderness. Relatives, especially children, can be xodós. For example, a grandson can be a grandmother’s xodó, and vice-versa. Pets, dear objects, and hobbies can be xodós as well.

Finally, this word can also be applied in a dating context as a synonym for a valentine or a dear one.

Usage in a Sentence:

Xodó is a popular example of untranslatable words in Portuguese vocabulary. It should be used in informal register.

An example of the expression’s usage in a dating context is Dominguinhos’ song Xodó, also interpreted by Luiz Gonzaga. This forró singer is among Brazil’s most famous musicians of all time. The chorus of the tune is as follows:

• Eu só quero um amor/Que acabe o meu sofrer/Um xodó pra mim/Do meu jeito assim/Que alegre o meu viver
  “All I want is a valentine/That will end my suffering/A valentine for me/Just the way I like it/That will lighten up my living”

The term can also refer to the relationship itself, not the valentine.

Other examples outside of the dating context are:

• Ele tem um xodó tremendo pelo carro.
  “He is tremendously in love with his car.”
  (Note that the “relationship” meaning is employed in this case, but in a connotative manner.)
• A garotinha era o xodó do professor de História.
  “The little girl was the dearest of the history teacher.”

7. Desbundar

Literal Translation:

There isn’t one.

Meaning:

This is one of the most complex untranslatable Portuguese words on this list. Essentially, this verb is equivalent to “dazzle”…but not only that. It also carries behavioral tones that are not encompassed by “dazzle.” For example, desbundar can refer to losing control, becoming inebriated, or taking to deviant sexual behavior.

Finally, to free yourself from social constraints in general can be described as desbundar (the verb) or desbunde (the noun, which is the liberating act itself).

Example Situation:

Someone at a party after their fourth glass of caipirinha is ready to desbundar—if they haven’t already.

Usage in a Sentence:

• Beatriz desbundou de vez após consumir tanta droga.
  “Beatriz has lost track completely after consuming so many drugs.”
• O turista desbundou quando viu o Rio Amazonas.
  “The tourist was bedazzled by the sight of the Amazonas River.”

Additional Notes:

Desbundar and desbunde are more examples of why untranslatable Portuguese terms are somewhat hard for foreigners to understand fully, even after they learn the general idea. Foreign speakers lack certain cultural information, which is sometimes hard to get.

We’ve already commented on musical and literary repertoire related to other words. In this case, desbunde (in the sense of liberation or losing track of reality) was popularized in the context of the Brazilian dictatorship of the 1960s. That was when desbunde got this sense among artists who were experimenting with cultural norms, sexual liberation, and aesthetic modernization.

8. Cafuné

Literal Translation:

There isn’t one.

Meaning:

Running your fingers through one’s hair

Example Situation:

Though it may seem like a romantic gesture, a cafuné is a normal form of affection in Brazil among friends and relatives. Though it can certainly be used in a romantic context as well.

Usage in a Sentence:

• Vem cá me fazer um cafuné.
  “Come here and give me a cuddle.”

9. Ouvido e orelha

Literal Translation:

“Ear” and…”ear”

Meaning:

This may come across as something odd.

Ouvido stands for the inner part of the ear (the ducts inside the tiny hole of the ear), whereas orelha is the outer part of the ear—its “structure.”

Example Situation:

Typically, when it comes to hearing something or having pain in the ear, the speaker will refer to the ouvido.

When talking about the physical structure of the ear, the part seen by the eyes, the speaker will talk about orelha.

Usage in a Sentence:

• Vou ao médico, pois estou com dor de ouvido.
  “I’m going to the physician because I feel pain in my ear.”
• Levei uma bolada na orelha e agora ela está vermelha como um pimentão.
  “They’ve kicked the ball against my ear and now it is red as a pepper.”

Additional Notes:

Someone with large ears is often called orelhas de abano (“fan ears”).

Someone with good hearing skills is considered to have ouvidos de tísico or ouvidos de tuberculoso (both synonyms for “tuberculous ears”).

10. Anteontem

Literal Translation:

“Before yesterday”

Meaning:

It is the day before yesterday.

Example Situation:

Actually, an English speaker can find an equivalent for this word in “ereyesterday.” But since this form is extremely archaic, we consider anteontem to be one of the important untranslatable Portuguese words for new learners.

Anteontem is freely and often used in Portuguese conversations not only in Brazil, but also in Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, and Guiné-Bissau.

Usage in a Sentence:

• Você deveria ter feito a reserva anteontem…
  “You should have done the reservations the day before yesterday…”
• Ela assistiu um filme terrível anteontem.
  “She watched a terrible movie the day before yesterday.”
• Aonde todos foram anteontem?
  “Where did everybody go the day before yesterday?”

Other commonly used verbs that go with anteontem are: comer (“to eat”), tocar (“to play”), jogar (“to play”), and the list goes on.

Additional Notes:

Fun fact: This word is an example of linguistic bricolage in Portuguese. It’s the exact combination of antes (“before” ) and ontem (“yesterday”).

11. Cadê

Literal Translation:

“Where is”

Meaning:

This is a subtle example of Brazillian Portuguese words you can’t translate into English. You most certainly can ask where something is in English. But can you do it in one word? Cadê, also known as quede or quedê, is the contraction of “where is” (onde está) in one word—even though onde está doesn’t sound anything close to cadê.

Example Situation:

If you’ve lost something or want to know where someone is, cadê is the word of choice.

Fun fact: In the late 1990s, Cadê was the name of a Brazilian web search engine, similar to Google.

Usage in a Sentence:

• Cadê o chinelo?
  “Where is the flip flop [sandal]?”
• Cadê Tereza?
  “Where is Tereza?”

Additional Notes:

Actually, quede is the contraction of que é de…? which is an archaic way of asking for something’s whereabouts. Curiously enough, que é de is the exact equivalent to “what became of…?”

Cadê or quedê are preferable to quede, which can also refer to a sports shoe or a golf caddie. Or you can engage in truly untranslatable Portuguese phrases asking where the caddie is: quede o quede?

12. Caprichar

Literal Translation:

“To make it in a whimsical way”

Meaning:

To put effort into something; to execute something well

Example Situation:

This is yet another interesting case of Portuguese words with no English translation. The literal translation of capricho (the noun) would be “whim.” In Portuguese, capricho can also mean “whim,” actually.

But for some reason, the verb caprichar is different. When someone capricha in something, they’re doing it well or at least putting effort into it.

Usage in a Sentence:

• Este relatório será apresentado ao chefe, então por favor capriche!
  “This report will be presented to the boss, so please make it as good as you can!”
• Tem como fazer este cachorro-quente bem caprichado?
  “Can you make this hot dog a big and fat one?”

Note that the term has been employed in a connotative manner. A caprichado hot dog would be a big and fat one in the eyes of the speaker. This is what’s expected from the snack for it to be the best possible.

Additional Notes:

As you may have noticed, other forms of words can derive from caprichar. The noun capricho is one of them, and the adjective caprichado is another very common example. Either way, all of these words are often employed in colloquial register rather than formal.

13. How PortuguesePod101 Can Help You Learn More Untranslatable Words in Portuguese

A friendly push can lead a beginner or intermediate speaker to a truly clear path of knowledge. In fact, learning a language alone is usually harder than connecting to other people, teachers, and cultures in the process.

PortuguesePod101 is a database that gathers free resources for Portuguese speakers at every level. Our sections and lessons are organized to guarantee a balanced approach to the content. Untranslatable terms in Portuguese will be easier to learn when you combine formal “classroom” teaching and informal, relaxed articles, podcasts, videos, and other learning tools.

Indeed, the MyTeacher feature is one to behold. This fast-track to fluency will give you guidance, one-on-one contact, and personalized feedback to help you improve your Portuguese skills. You’ll get to learn Portuguese terms we wish existed in English, and many other important cultural traits that are hard to get elsewhere without going abroad.

Get access to a whole new world of knowledge with PortuguesePod101. We’ll give you the tools—you finish the job!

Before you go, let us know in the comments if any of these words were new to you. We look forward to hearing from you!

Yes, even beginners can quickly learn conversational Portuguese well enough to carry on real conversations with native speakers. Of course, beginners won’t be able to carry a conversation the same way they could in their native language. But, just knowing a few tips like which questions to ask to keep a conversation going are all you need to speak and interact with real native speakers! But before we get to specific suggestions, let’s first take a closer look at how having real Portuguese conversations is so vital to your mastery of the language.

Learning to Carry a Conversation is Vital to Mastery of Any Language

Communicating with other people is the very point of language and conversation is almost second nature in our native tongue. For beginners or anyone learning a new language, conversations aren’t easy at all and even simple Portuguese greetings can be intimidating and awkward.

However, there are 3 vital reasons why you should learn conversational Portuguese as quickly as possible:

• Avoid Awkward Silences: Nothing kills a conversation faster than long periods of awkward silence, so you need practice and specific strategies to avoid them.
• Improve the Flow of Conversation to Make a Better Impression: When you know what to say to keep a conversation going, communication becomes much easier and you make a better impression on your listener.
• Master the Language Faster: Nothing will help you learn to speak Portuguese faster and truly master the language than having real conversations with native speakers. Conversations quickly expose you to slang, cultural expressions, and vocabulary that force you to absorb and assimilate information faster than any educational setting—and that’s a great thing!

But how can you possibly have real conversations with real Portuguese people if you are just starting out?

3 Conversation Strategies for Beginners

1. Ask Questions to Keep a Conversation Going

For beginners and even more advanced speakers, the key is to learn to ask questions to keep a conversation going. Of course, they can’t be just random questions or else you may confuse the listener. But, by memorizing a few key questions and the appropriate time to use them, you can easily carry a conversation with minimal vocabulary or experience. And remember, the more Portuguese conversations you have, the quicker you will learn and master the language!

2. Learn Core Vocabulary Terms as Quickly as Possible

You don’t need to memorize 10,000’s of words to learn conversational Portuguese. In fact, with just a couple hundred Portuguese words you could have a very basic Portuguese conversation. And by learning maybe 1,000-2,000 words, you could carry a conversation with a native speaker about current events, ordering in restaurants, and even getting directions.

3. Study Videos or Audio Lessons that You Can Play and Replay Again and Again

If you want to know how to carry a conversation in Portuguese, then you need exposure to native speakers—and the more the better. Ideally, studying video or audio lessons is ideal because they provide contextualized learning in your native language and you can play them again and again until mastery.

PortuguesePod101 Makes it Easier and More Convenient Than Ever to Learn Conversational Portuguese

For more than 10 years, PortuguesePod101 has been helping students learn to speak Portuguese by creating the world’s most advanced online language learning system. Here are just a few of the specific features that will help you learn conversational Portuguese fast using our proven system:

• The Largest Collection of HD Video & Audio Lessons from Real Portuguese Instructors: PortuguesePod101 instructors have created hundreds of video and audio lessons that you can play again and again. And the best part is: They don’t just teach you Portuguese vocabulary and grammar, they are designed to help you learn to speak Portuguese and teach you practical everyday topics like shopping, ordering, etc!
• Pronunciation Tools: Use this feature to record and compare yourself with native speakers to quickly improve your pronunciation and fluency!
• 2000 Common Portuguese Words: Also known as our Core List, these 2,000 words are all you need to learn to speak fluently and carry a conversation with a native speaker!

In all, more than 20 advanced learning tools help you quickly build vocabulary and learn how to carry a conversation with native speakers—starting with your very first lesson.

Conclusion

Although it may seem intimidating for a beginner, the truth is that it is very easy to learn conversational Portuguese. By learning a few core vocabulary terms and which questions to ask to keep a conversation going, just a little practice and exposure to real Portuguese conversations or lessons is all it really takes. PortuguesePod101 has created the world’s largest online collection of video and audio lessons by real instructors plus loads of advanced tools to help you learn to speak Portuguese and carry a conversation quickly.

Act now and we’ll also include a list of the most commonly used questions to keep a conversation going so you can literally get started immediately!

Learn 4 tools and techniques to stop translating in your head and start thinking in Portuguese

Going through Portuguese lessons is enough to get by and learn the basics of Portuguese, but to truly become fluent you need to be able to think in Portuguese. This will allow you to have conversations with ease, read smoothly, and comprehensively understand natives. To do this, you need to go beyond just completing daily or weekly lessons.

We naturally translate in our heads because it’s viewed as the easiest way to learn the definitions needed when learning a language. This way of learning can actually hinder your skills and fluency later on. If your brain has to make neural connections between the word you’re learning, what it means in your native tongue, and the physical object the connection will not be nearly as strong. When you bypass the original translation between Portuguese and your native language then there is a more basic and strong connection between just the Portuguese vocabulary word and the tangible object.

In this blog post, you will learn the 4 important techniques to easily and naturally begin to speculate about the daily occurrences in your life. The best part is all of these techniques are supported and can be achieved through PortuguesePod101.com.

Create Your Free Lifetime Account and Start Learning the whole Portuguese Language from the Beginning!

1. Surround yourself with Portuguese

By surrounding yourself with Portuguese constantly you will completely immerse yourself in the language. Without realizing it you’ll be learning pronunciation, sentence structures, grammar, and new vocabulary. You can play music in the background while you’re cooking or have a Portuguese radio station on while you study. Immersion is a key factor with this learning process because it is one of the easiest things to do, but very effective. Even if you are not giving the program your full attention you will be learning.

One great feature of PortuguesePod101.com is the endless podcasts that are available to you. You can even download and listen to them on the go. These podcasts are interesting and are perfect for the intention of immersion, they are easy to listen to as background noise and are interesting enough to give your full attention. Many of them contain stories that you follow as you go through the lessons which push you to keep going.

2. Learn through observation

Learning through observation is the most natural way to learn. Observation is how we all learned our native languages as infants and it’s a wonder why we stop learning this way. If you have patience and learn through observation then Portuguese words will have their own meanings rather than meanings in reference to your native language. Ideally, you should skip the bilingual dictionary and just buy a dictionary in Portuguese.

PortuguesePod101.com also offers the materials to learn this way. We have numerous video lessons which present situational usage of each word or phrase instead of just a direct translation. This holds true for many of our videos and how we teach Portuguese.

3. Speak out loud to yourself

Speaking to yourself in Portuguese not only gets you in the mindset of Portuguese, but also makes you listen to how you speak. It forces you to correct any errors with pronunciation and makes it easy to spot grammar mistakes. When you speak out loud talk about what you did that day and what you plan to do the next day. Your goal is to be the most comfortable speaking out loud and to easily create sentences. Once you feel comfortable talking to yourself start consciously thinking in your head about your daily activities and what is going on around you throughout the day.

With PortuguesePod101.com you start speaking right away, not only this, but they have you repeat words and conversations after a native Portuguese speaker. This makes your pronunciation very accurate! With this help, you are on the fast path to making clear and complex sentences and then actively thinking about your day.

4. Practice daily

If you don’t practice daily then your progress will be greatly slowed. Many people are tempted to take the 20-30 minutes they should be practicing a day and practice 120 in one day and skip the other days. This isn’t nearly as effective because everyday you practice you are reinforcing the skills and knowledge you have learned. If you practice all in one day you don’t retain the information because the brain can realistically only focus for 30 minutes at most. If you’re studying for 120 minutes on the same subject little of the information will be absorbed. Studying everyday allows you to review material that you went over previous days and absorb a small amount of information at a time.

It’s tough to find motivation to study everyday, but PortuguesePod101.com can help. It’s easy to stay motivated with PortuguesePod101.com because we give you a set learning path, with this path we show how much progress you’ve made. This makes you stick to your goals and keep going!

Conclusion

Following the steps and having patience is the hardest part to achieving your goals, it’s not easy learning a new language. You are essentially teaching your brain to categorize the world in a completely new way. Stick with it and you can do it just remember the 4 tools I taught you today! With them, conversations, reading, and understanding will become much easier. The most important thing to remember is to use the tools that PortuguesePod101.com provides and you will be on your way to being fluent!

Learn Portuguese With PortuguesePod101 Today!

Speaking is usually the #1 weakness for all Portuguese learners. This is a common issue among language learners everywhere. The reason for this is obvious: When language learners first start learning a language, they usually start with reading. They read online articles, books, information on apps and so on. If they take a class, they spend 20% of their time repeating words, and 80% of the time reading the textbook, doing homework or just listening to a teacher. So, if you spend most of your time reading instead of speaking, you might get better at reading but your speaking skills never grow. You get better at what you focus on.

So if you want to improve you speaking skills, you need to spend more of your study time on speaking. Here are five tips to help you get started:

1. Read out loud
If you’re listening to a lesson and reading along, read out loud. Then re-read and speed up your tempo. Do this again and again until you can speak faster. Try your best to pronounce the words correctly, but don’t obsess about it. Read swiftly, emote and put some inflection on the sentences. Reading aloud helps to train the muscles of your mouth and diaphragm to produce unfamiliar words and sounds.

2. Prepare things to say ahead of time.
As you may know from experience, most learners run out of things to say. But, if you prepare lines ahead of time, you won’t be at a loss for words in conversations. This will help you not only to learn how to say the words, but how to say them in the right context. A good way to prepare yourself before conversations is with our Top 25 Questions Series, which teaches you how to ask the most common conversational questions, and how to answer them, in Portuguese:

Click here to learn the top 25 Portuguese questions you need to know.

3. Use shadowing (repeat the dialogues as you hear them).
Shadowing is an extremely useful tool for increasing fluency as well as improving your accent and ability to be understood. Shadowing helps create all the neural connections in your brain to produce those words and sentences quickly and accurately without having to think about it. Also, as mentioned in tip #1, shadowing helps develop the muscle memory in all the physical parts responsible for the production of those sounds. Depending on what your primary and target languages are, it’s quite likely that there are a lot of sounds your mouth just isn’t used to producing. Shadowing can be done, for example, when watching TV shows or movies or listening to music.

Each one of our lessons begins with a dialogue. Try to shadow the conversation line by line, and you’ll be mastering it in no time.

Click here to for a FREE taste of our Absolute Beginner series!

4. Review again and again.
This is the key to perfection, and we can’t emphasize it enough. Most learners don’t review! If you review and repeat lines again and again, you’ll be speaking better, faster and with more confidence.

5. DON’T BE AFRAID TO MAKE MISTAKES!
You’d be surprised by how many people try to avoid talking! The more you speak, the faster you learn – and that is why you’re learning Portuguese. Practice speaking every chance you get: whether it’s ordering coffee, shopping or asking for directions.