Language Guide
Portuguese is the national language of Brazil. It is slightly different to the Portuguese of Portugal as American English is to British English. Portuguese is based on Latin so if you have any experience of French, Spanish, or Italian you'll find it easy to grasp. Lots of Brazilians also speak English and other Latin languages. You will need to speak some Portuguese or at least make an effort to make the most of your holiday in Brazil. Brazilians will not be offended if you can't speak any Portuguese but they are pleasantly surprised when you make the effort.
Masculine names and nouns all end in o and feminine names and nouns all end in a. For example Paulo (male) Paula (female). Men reply "orbigado" for thank you and women reply "obrigada". When answering a question people reply with the verb not yes or no.
Words that end in -al change for singular (-al) and plural (-ais). E.g. Real becomes Reais
The verbs change for each person and time tense and there are 3 verb types, denoted by their endings: -ar -er and -ir plus irregular verbs !
Portuguese has two versions of the verb "to be". One version (estar) is for temporary conditions and the other (ser) for permanent conditions. E.g. temporary condition would be what you are watching on TV whereas a permanent condition would your name and nationality.
If you're a language novice Portuguese does appear hard at the outset but if you stick at it, the final result is very rewarding.
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Basic |
I can't speak Portuguese |
Não posso falar em Portugues |
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My name is… |
Meu nome é… |
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I am … years old |
Eu tenho
… anos |
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I am American |
Eu sou Americano |
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I am English |
Eu sou
Inglês |
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Yes / No |
Sim / Não |
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Please |
Por favour |
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Thank you |
Obrigado / Obrigada |
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Good morning. |
Bom dia |
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Hello |
Oi |
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Alright mate ! (greeting) |
Aí cara ! |
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At
the Bar / Disco |
How much is it to get in ? (cover
charge) |
Quanta custa para entrar ? |
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I’ll have two beers please. |
Dois chop por favour |
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Would you like a drink ? |
Você gostaria de tomar uma bebida ? |
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I’d like a caiparinha please. |
Eu gostaria um caiparinha por favor. |
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Can I have a vodka guaraná please ? |
Um vodka guaraná por favor ? |
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Talking
to people |
What is your name ? |
Qual é seu nome ? |
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Where are you from ? |
De onde esta ? |
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What do you do ? |
Qual e sua profisão ? |
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What have you done lately ? |
O que tem feito |
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Where do you live ? |
De onde você mora ? |
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Lets go out together ? |
Vamos sair juntos ? |
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How old are you ? |
Quantos anos você tem ? |
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Let’s meet here at …. O’clock |
Vamos encontrar aqui as …… horas. |
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What do you like ? |
O que você gosta ? |
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Do you have a boyfriend / girlfriend ? |
Você tem um(a) namorado / namorada ? |
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Numbers |
One, two, three, four, five, six
,seven, eight, nine, ten. |
Um / Uma, dois / duas, três, quarto,
cinco, seis, sete, oito, nove, dez. |
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Twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty,
seventy, eighty, ninety. |
Vinte, trinta, quarenta, sequenta,
sesenta, setesenta, oitenta, noventa. |
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One hundred, one thousand |
Cem , mil |
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Hotel |
How much is the room per night ? |
O que é seu diarío ? |
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I want a room with a view. |
Eu quero uma quarto com a vista. |
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I want air conditioning. |
Eu quero ar conditionado. |
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Can I have a discount ? |
Posso ter um disconto por favour ? |
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Restaurant |
Please can I have the menu ? |
O cardápio por favour ? |
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What is the house speciality ? |
O que está sua especialidade ? |
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I’d like red / white wine with my
meal |
Eu gostaria vinho tinto / branco com
minha comida. |
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Can I have the bill please ? |
A conta por favor. |
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Feijaoda for me please ! |
Feijão pra mim por favor ! |
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Beach |
Can I have a bottle of sparkling /
still water please ? |
Posso ter uma garrafa da aqua com / sem
gas ? |
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Let’s play football ?! |
Vamos jogar futebol ?! |
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Let’s play fresco ball ?! |
Vamos jogar fresco ball ?! |
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Where are the best waves ? |
Onde esta os ondas melhores? |
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Can I have an ice cream please ? |
Um sorvete por favour ? |
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Shopping |
How much is that ? |
Quanta custa ? |
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That’s very expensive. |
Está muito caro. |
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You’re joking mate ! That’s
extortionate ! |
Está brincando cara ! Está caríssima
! |
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What discount can you give me ? |
Quanto disconto posso ter ? |
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Can I try it on please ? |
Posso tentar pra vestir por favour ? |
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Do you have a larger / smaller size |
Você tem um tamanho |
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Taxis |
How much is it to….? |
Quanta custa para...? |
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I want the fare on the meter. |
Quero a tarifa no relógio |
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Coach
Station |
When is the next bus to…? |
Que hora está o prôximo |
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How much is the (one way) fare to…? |
Quanta custa a passagem para… |
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Emergency |
I need a doctor |
Eu preciso um médico |
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I want to speak to the tourist police |
Quero falar com o policia turismo. |
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My friend is seriously ill. |
Meu amigo está |
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Can you help with….? |
Pode ajudar comigo com….? |