Dialogue

Vocabulary

Learn New Words FAST with this Lesson’s Vocab Review List

Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.

Or sign up using Facebook
Already a Member?

Lesson Notes

Unlock In-Depth Explanations & Exclusive Takeaways with Printable Lesson Notes

Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.

Or sign up using Facebook
Already a Member?

Lesson Transcript

Welcome to Can-Do Portuguese by PortuguesePod101.com.
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use essential social expressions in Portuguese.
For example, "Excuse me" is
Com licença.
Sabrina Santos is on the train. A fellow passenger drops his wallet as he exits the train. Sabrina picks up the wallet and chases after the man.
Before you listen to the dialogue, let's preview some of its key components.
Com licença.
"Excuse me."
Com licença.
Com licença.
De nada.
"You're welcome."
De nada.
De nada.
Muito obrigado.
"Thank you very much."
Muito obrigado.
Muito obrigado.
Desculpa.
"I'm sorry."
Desculpa.
Desculpa.
Nâo, tudo bem.
"No, it's alright."
Nâo, tudo bem.
Nâo, tudo bem.
Listen to the following three short dialogues between Sabrina and the man.
Sabrina is chasing the man on the platform with the wallet in her hand.
Com licença.
Sim?
Sabrina hands the man the wallet.
Muito obrigado.
De nada.
Sabrina turns to board the train, but the doors shut.
Desculpa.
Não, tudo bem.
Once more with the English translation.
Sabrina is chasing the man on the platform with the wallet in her hand.
Com licença.
"Excuse me."
Sim?
"Yes?"
Sabrina hands the man the wallet.
Muito obrigado.
"Thank you very much!"
De nada.
"You're welcome."
Sabrina turns to board the train, but the doors shut. The man apologizes.
Desculpa.
"I'm sorry."
Não, tudo bem.
"No, it's alright."
Let's break down each of these expressions.
First, do you remember how Sabrina Santos says,
"Excuse me."
Com licença.
First is com, "with." Com. Com.
Next is licença, meaning "consent" in this context. Licença. Licença.
All together, Com licença. literally means "With permission," but it translates as "Excuse me."
In this context, Com licença is used to get someone's attention.
Com licença.
This expression is used in many types of situations, and fits well in addressing someone in a formal manner. Sabrina uses it because she’s speaking with someone she doesn’t know.
Do you remember how the passenger acknowledges Sabrina by saying,
"Yes?"
Sim?
Sim? "Yes?" Sim?.
Sim?
The second part of the conversation takes place after Sabrina returns the passenger’s wallet.
Do you remember how the passenger says,
"Thank you very much."
Muito obrigado.
First is muito, "very." Muito. Muito.
Next is obrigado, which literally means "obliged" or "indebted," but translates as "thank you." Obrigado. Obrigado.
Note: Obrigado is an adjective. In Portuguese, adjectives must agree with the noun they modify. As Victor is talking about himself, he uses the masculine adjective, obrigado.
A female speaker would use the feminine adjective, obrigada, to talk about herself. Obrigada.
Together it's Muito obrigado, literally, "Very obliged," but it translates as "Thank you very much."
Muito obrigado.
Do you remember how Sabrina says,
"You're welcome."
De nada.
First is de, "of." De. De.
Next is nada, "nothing." Nada. Nada.
Together it's De nada, literally "of nothing," but it translates as "You're welcome."
De nada.
De nada is the most common way of saying "You're welcome," and it can be used in all situations.
After the train doors shut and Sabrina misses her train, do you remember how the passenger apologizes to Sabrina by saying,
"I'm sorry."
Desculpa.
"I'm sorry." Desculpa. Desculpa.
Desculpa is from the verb desculpar, meaning "to excuse." Desculpar.
Victor feels responsible for Sabrina missing her train and apologizes by saying "Desculpa," "I'm sorry."
Desculpa is a casual way to say "I’m sorry," and commonly used in everyday life. Desculpa. In many scenarios in Brazil, it’s more appropriate than its formal counterpart, Desculpe.
You can use it in many types of situations, including apologizing for something you regret or something that you did, like accidently bumping into someone.
Do you remember how Sabrina replies,
"No, it's alright."
Não, tudo bem.
This starts with Nâo, which means "no" in this context. Não. Não.
Next is tudo, which means "all" or "everything." Tudo. Tudo.
Last is bem, "well." Bem. Bem.
All together, Nâo, tudo bem, literally "No, all is well," but it translates as "No, it's alright."
Não, tudo bem.
This is a common phrase used to express that things are alright.
Obrigado derives from the idea that one is "obliged" to thank someone. It’s actually a shortened version of obrigado a retribuir o favor, meaning "obliged to return the favor."
Remember, the gender will depend on the speaker:
obrigado when said by a man, or
obrigada, when said by a woman.
Let's look at the expressions once more. Listen and repeat, or speak along.
Com licença.
"Excuse me."
Com licença.
Sim?
"Yes?"
Sim?
Muito obrigada.
"Thank you very much."
Muito obrigada.
De nada.
"You're welcome."
De nada.
Desculpa.
"I'm sorry."
Desculpa.
Tudo bem.
"It's alright."
Tudo bem.
Nâo, tudo bem.
"No, it's alright."
Nâo, tudo bem.
Let's review.
Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the native speaker, focusing on pronunciation.
Ready?
Do you remember how Sabrina Santos says,
"Excuse me."
Com licença.
Com licença.
And how the passenger says,
"Yes?"
Sim?
Sim?
Do you remember the word for "Thank you." for a male speaker?
Obrigado.
Obrigado.
And for a female speaker?
Obrigada.
Obrigada.
Do you remember how how the male passenger says
"Thank you very much."
Muito obrigado.
Muito obrigado.
And how to say
"You’re welcome."
De nada.
De nada.
Do you remember how the passenger says,
"I'm sorry."
Desculpa.
Desculpa.
And how Sabrina says,
"No, it's alright."
Não, tudo bem.
Não, tudo bem.
Let's practice.
Imagine you're Susana Santos , and you receive a popular Brazilian candy from your Portuguese language teacher.
Say, "Thank you very much."
Ready?
Muito obrigada.
De nada.
Listen again and repeat.
Muito obrigada.
Muito obrigada.
Let’s try another.
Imagine you're Samuel Santos , and a passenger bumps into you.
Respond by saying, "No, it's alright."
Ready?
Desculpa.
Não, tudo bem.
Listen again and repeat.
Não, tudo bem.
Não, tudo bem.
Let’s try one more.
Imagine you're Samuel Santos and you see a man drop his wallet.
Get his attention.
Ready?
Com licença.
Sim?
Listen again and repeat.
Com licença.
Com licença.
In your language journey, you will come across licença, "excuse me," a shortened version of Com licença. Licença is informal, but it’s commonly used as a way to excuse oneself when in a hurry, such as on public transportation or in a crowded place when someone is trying to pass through or to make way. Licença.
Well done! This is the end of the lesson and the Can Use Essential Social Expressions unit of this course.
Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills.
What's next?
Show us what you can do.
When you're ready, take your assessment.
You can take it again and again, so try anytime you like.
Our teachers will assess it, and give you your results.
Keep practicing — and move on to the next lesson!

Comments

Hide