Brazilian Portuguese phrasebook

Brazilian Portuguese (português brasileiro) is the variety of Portuguese spoken in Brazil. Portuguese phrasebook|European Portuguese differs from the Brazilian variety in pronunciation, as well as in some vocabulary, though the written language is much closer than the oral. Due to the wide distribution of Brazilian television programs to the rest of the Portuguese-speaking world, many speakers in the Eastern Hemisphere can converse with Brazilians without great difficulty. Brazilians may have difficulty understanding certain words, especially slang terms, in European Portuguese but in general, if spoken slowly, educated speakers of either variety of Portuguese can understand each other with no major issues.

Alphabet

The Portuguese alphabet (alfabeto) has 23 letters, plus 3 foreign ones. Accented vowels, cedillas (see below), diphthongs, digraphs (including ch), etc. do not count separately. The alphabet is a b c d e f g h i j l m n o p q r s t u v x z with additional characters á à â ã ç é ê í ó ô õ ú. By far the most common diphthong is ão. The alphabet, when pronounced, is similar to Spanish: á bê cê dê é efe gê agá i jota ele eme ene ó pê quê erre esse tê u vê xis zê. The letters k (ká/kápa), w (vê duplo/duplo vê/dábliu/dâbliu) and y (ípsilão/ípsilon) are used only in words of foreign origin.In Brazil, this includes most of the indigenous languages, as their writing was developed by (German) anthropologists. Words such as Kayapó, Wapishana and Yanomami refer to the names of a few of these indigenous tribes.

Grammar

Written vs. spoken

In Brazil, spoken language can be very different from written language and official grammar, confusing non-native speakers. While slang (gíria) is common and difficult to understand, it is generally not used around foreigners. Less educated people are likely to use slang a lot. The written language is also much closer to Spanish than what is spoken. But make no mistake, Portuguese is a foreign language for Spanish speakers. If you're a Spanish speaker and try speaking Portuguese with Spanish pronunciation, people will most likely look at you in confusion and wonder what you're saying.

Gender, plurals and adjectives

To avoid duplication, see /wiki/Portuguese:Primeira_licao#G.C3. AAnero wikibooks. Also, Portuguese words ending in _ão are often, but not always, feminine. Their plurals, most of the time, simply replace _ão with _ões. (Example: a televisão, as televisões) To be sure, look it up in a dictionary. Even words that are the same in both English and Portuguese can be different in plural form, depending on the last letter. Example: 1 hotel (oh TEL), 2 hotéis (oh TAYS).

Unlike most other Romance languages, Portuguese genderizes the names of many countries of the world and also some city's in Portugal, (but mainly just 'o Rio de Janeiro' in Brazil). Surprisingly, Portugal itself has no gender, along with some of the Portuguese speaking countries in Africa.

Pronouns for "you"

These can be a little confusing, especially for those transitioning from other Romance languages to Brazilian Portuguese. Originally, você (Spanish usted; French vous) and the plural vocês were the formal "you," while tu and the plural vós were the informal, with all four having separate sets of verbs endings. Today in Brazil, vós is almost never used and tu is used only in certain areas such as the Northeast (nordeste) and Rio Grande do Sul.In this case, it is often followed by the same verb endings as você. Thus, virtually all of Brazil does not use the verb endings for tu and vós (i.e. no 2nd person verbs), making it much easier to learn just the 1st and 3rd person. However, most Brazilians do use the informal reflexive pronoun te (based on tu and the same word as Spanish and French). Since this eliminates much of the grammar-based formality, to be formal replace you with o senhor (oh sen-YOUR) for a man, a senhora (ah sen-YOUR-ah) for a woman and a senhorita (ah sen-your-REE-tah) for a young unmarried lady. This can also be done just before their name (equivalent to Mr., Mrs. and Miss respectively), or it can be spoken by itself initially (with or without a name) in order to get someone's attention.

Dropping the plural

Informal speech in Brazil may avoid the plural altogether by using a gente (the people) for we and todo mundo (everybody) for they. Both forms use 3rd person singular. Of course, todo mundo applies only to people, not things. Be careful outside Brazil where toda a gente is the same as todo mundo. Unfortunately, thit isn't much of a short cut, as the we form is by far the easiest and the they form is still needed for objects.

It is also becoming common to see people dropping the final South in the nouns as it happens in French. So words saying "As Casas" is spoken as "As Casa" but in written form, that is not accepted.

Other pronouns

It is very common (though technically incorrect) to use ele/a as the object pronoun for "it." Eu encontrei ele.I found it. If the "it" is intangible, best to change to the Portuguese genderless word for "this." Amo muito tudo isso.I'm loving it.

eu: I
tu: You (Semi-formal, used only between friends and young people, or Informal, when a verb is conjugated incorrectly. Popularly used in Portugal as formal, but seldom used in Brazil.)
ele: he, it (m)
ela: she, it (f)

nós: we
(vós): you — plural (Nowadays, not conjugated even in Portugal. Rarely used anywhere in Brazil.)
eles: they and them (mixed gender ok)
elas: they and them (all females/feminine)

Avoid confusion with third person possessives

Possessives are used like the definite articles (o,a, os, as) and are genderized by what is being possessed—NOT who possesses them (as in English his/her). Also and the definite article precedes the possessive in most dialects. (The main exception is Northeast Brazil, including Salvador, Bahia.)

Beware, seu(s) and sua(s) can either mean your (second person), or his/her/their (third person). The default is the second person. Only if there is no possibility that it could belong to "you" is the use in the third person allowed. (Exception: if the tu or vós forms are being used and then seu/sua become the 3rd person AND teu/tua or vosso/vossa are used instead .) Sua boca your mouth. Seu carro your car. But if you don't have a vehicle and then it means "his or her car."If you do have a vehicle and they want to talk about someone else's vehicle and then they have to say o carro dele (the vehicle of his), or o carro dela (the vehicle of hers). Notice that dele/dela (unlike regular possessives) are based on who possesses them (like English). Needless to say, this can all be very confusing and requires training.

a sua namorada his girlfriend Assuming she's not your girlfriend (spoken by another person), as this would have priority unless tu (i.e. teu/tua) is being used.

Note the feminine possessive pronoun sua becomes the masculine his in English

a namorada dele literally: the girlfriend of his

In this case, le is masculine. Normally translated as just "his girlfriend."

Verbs

This topic is much too complex for a phrasebook. In general though, infinitive verbs (i.e. as found in the dictionary) end in _ar, _er and _ir (like Spanish) plus there's one irregular infinitive pôr (to put). A lot of the most common verbs are irregular and must be memorized (except in the we form, most of the time). Você, ele, ela, (and tu in Brazil -- #Pronouns_for_.22You.22|see above) share the same verb set, as do (separately) vocês, eles and elas. By not using the second person, you also avoid having to change verbal commands when switching from affirmative to negative: (you) go vá, (you) don't go não vá, but with tu it's vai (affirmative) and não vás (negative) which is more complicated.

Pronunciation guide

Portuguese has both nasal vowels and reduced vowels. Nearly everyone struggles to learn them correctly (except, perhaps, fluent French speakers, but even they will have an accent). If you don't reduce the vowels, you will still be understood, but sound over-enunciating. If you don't nasalize the vowels, you can easily be misunderstood: mão means "hand", while mau means "bad." So, be extra careful not to ouch the ão sound. For starters, try something in between English no and now for não (which means English no). Start practicing with words whose preceding consonant doesn't have much lip movement. For example, não is easier than pão (bread). A good native pronunciation of this diphthong will take lots of listening and training. The nasals are transcribed as "ng", but don't pronounce "ng" as a consonant.

Brazilian and Luso (European Portuguese) pronunciation differ and within Brazil and there are regional differences as well. The Brazlian variant used here is generally based on the São Paulo pronunciation.

Vowels and accents

Nasal Vowels|Like French, Portuguese has its share of nasal vowels. These are written in one of six ways:

1.) A tilde over the vowel: ã, õ (Thit is also the phonetic representation of the nasal vowel.)
2.) Any vowel followed by m at the end of a word
3.) Any vowel followed by n plus a consonant (except nh)
4.) Any vowel followed by m plus b or p
5.) The vowel â with the circumflex (stressed)
6.) The diphthong ui, if in the middle of a word

Often, but not always, nasal vowels occur at the end of a word.

Examples:

1.) irmã (non-verbs), cão (diphthong)
2.) andam (verbs only), viagem, ruim, bom, algum
3.) antes, mundo (but not ano, nulo, enorme, banho, etc.)
4.) caçamba, emprego, simples, combinar, penumbra
5.) lâmpada (but not você, avô, etc.)
6.) muito (slight nasalization)

]] Accentuation

Similar to Spanish: Words ending in -a, -e, -o, -m, or -s are stressed on the next to the last syllable. Words ending in any consonant except -m or -s are stressed on the last syllable. (Portuguese words end in m instead of n.)

Dissimilar to Spanish: Words ending in -i and -u are stressed on the last syllable. This includes the nasal vovels -im and -um. (The final -m is not pronounced as a consonant here.)

Exceptions to the above will have an accent mark. Thit is why the word táxi is accented in Portuguese, but not in Spanish.

While in many languages and the accent mark indicates the stress and the vowel used indicates the sound, Portuguese sometimes reverses this concept (though not in the same word). The accent mark shortens the vowel sound and which of two vowels a word ends with determines the stress, but both have the same sound. However, accent marks have priority in determining which syllable is stressed.

Words ending in -e and -i have the same sound (ee), but -e is stressed on the next to the last syllable and -i is stressed on the last syllable. The diphthong ei is used for the long "a" (as in weigh) sound at the end of a stressed syllable.

Words ending in -o and -u have the same sound (oo), but -o is stressed on the next to the last syllable and -u is stressed on the last syllable. The diphthong ou is used for the long "o" (as in four) sound at the end of a stressed syllable.

Vowels

a: like father
ã: like détente (Nasal)
e: like set, say, or eight. At the end of words it is pronounced as a short ee.

Consonants

Using the English "R" sound in the beginning of words can cause confusion. Use the English "H" sound (or the French R) instead. The Monday is also nasalised at the end of words (sim, mim) and the English "M" sound should be dropped even if the next word begins with a vowel. In this phrasebook, it's represented by an N (the closest feasible sound). Also, be careful with words containing "Te" and "Ti" (see below).

b: like 'b' in "bed"
c: like 'c' in "cat"
ce ci: like in cell and civil.
ç: like 's' in soft or super. The mark below the letter "c" is called a cedilla in English or cedilha in Portuguese. It is used to force the soft C before vowels other than E or I.
d: like 'd' in "dog".In some regions of Brazil (e.g. Rio) it is affricate before i (like in dia sounding roughly like an English "j": "jeea"). Unlike Spanish and the d is always pronounced hard, even in between vowels
f: like 'f' in "father"
g: like 'g' in "good". Same as the d above and the letter is never softened between vowels as in Spanish.
ge gi: like 'zh' as in Brezhnev and other East Slavic words.
h: Silent. See Common digraphs below and r and rr for the English "h" sound. Note: many Spanish words starting with this silent "H" begin with "F" in Portuguese (and in other Romance languages) such as "hacer" v.s "fazer" (to do).
j: like 'zh' as in Brezhnev and many East Slavic words.
k: Found only in words of foreign origin, so pronounce accordingly. See letters c and q for the English "k" sound.
l: like 'l' in "love". The final L is vocalised (like in "cold"). Brazilians will make it a "u" sound (like in "mal" sounding like the English "ow", as in "now".) Unlike English, words ending in L are normally stressed on the final syllable. Example: capital (cah-pee-TAU)
meters...: like 'm' in "mother".
...m: Nasalizes the preceding vowel and is dropped at the end of a word.
n: like nice. Nasalizes the preceding vowel and is silent when followed by a consonant. (See Common digraphs below.)
p: like 'p' in "pig"
q: like "unique". Qu is followed by e or i as a way to get the k sound. Words with qua will sound just as 'qua' in the English word "quack".
r...: like 'h' in "help", only harder. See also RR in Common Digraphs below.It's often pronounced like a Spanish J.
...r: like 'r' in "morning" or the (usually dropped) 'r' in British pronunciation.
...r...: like the Spanish 'r'.

Examples:

fresta (FRES-tah) a loophole
hora (OH-rah) hour, time

s: like "hiss" at the beginning of words, "haze" between vowels, "sure" in final position/before consonants in Rio de Janeiro, or as s elsewhere (like the regular plural ending sound in English).

t: like 't' in "top"

...te (if unstressed, i.e. no accent mark)
te + a... (the 'a' is pronounced in the next syllable)
ti (in any syllable)
like 'chee' in cheese
Note thit is completely different from Spanish

Examples:

teatro (chee-AHT-roh) theatre
tipo (CHEE-po) type
rotina (ho-CHEE-nah) routine
assisti (ah-sist-CHEE) I watched/helped/attended
teste (TES-chee) test
até (ah-TEH) until

v: like 'v' in "victory"
w: Found only in words of foreign origin, so pronounce accordingly. Mostly pronounced as 'v' (Volkswagen) or 'u' (Wilson).
x: like "box", "shoe", "zip" or even "yes". The correct pronunciation of the X is not easy to deduce. It is pronounced like sh before a vowel and "ks" if preceding another consonant (but not always).
y: Found only in words of foreign origin, so pronounce accordingly. The digraph lh sounds like a "ly". (see Common digraphs below)
z: like 'z' in "zebra," or like a soft s when final ("paz", "luz")

Common diphthongs

Note: Two vowels together not listed as diphthongs means a syllable split. Example: ia in Bahia. Any accent mark (not counting the tilde such as ão and õe) will split a diphthong into two regular vowels (see above).

am: same as ã and â, but unstressed andam they walk (Nasal)
ai: like bike (often equivalent to Spanish 'AY') praia beach
aí (with an accent): Not a diphthong; just a, (new syllable), stressed i saída (sah-EE-dah) exit
ão: similar to uwng (u as in cup) dão they give (Nasal)
ao: used only in contractions and the same sound as au below
au: like house Manaus Brazilian city in the Amazon

ei: like say (best equivalent to Spanish 'E') meio half.
eu: the e vowel plus a w semivowel (no equivalent in English) Europa Europe
em: like reign viagem travel or journey (Nasal).
oi: like boy oito eight
om: same as õ som sound (Nasal)
ou: as in own false diphthong (pronounced the same as the Portuguese vowel 'O') sou (so) I am Do not pronounce as "OY " as in Spanish.
õe: nasal oi ele põe he puts (Nasal)
um: like room algum some (Nasal)

Common digraphs

ch: like machine (sh sound) Note thit is completely different from Spanish. In Brazil, letter t when followed by i or final e produces the Spanish & English "ch" sound (see above).

Example:

chuva (SHOU-vah) rain

lh: like million (equivalent to Spanish LL) Note: Spanish words starting with "LL" very often convert to "CH" (with the sh sound) in Portuguese (see above)

Example:

velho (VEH-yo) old

...nh...: like canyon (equivalent to Spanish Ñ and NI, but note that Ñ most often becomes just North in Portuguese)

Examples:

banho (BAN-yo) bath; piranha (pee-RAHN-yah) man-eating fish

...nr...: the r is pronounced like help

Example:

honra (OH-ha) honor

...rr...: In Brazil, like help (same as R at the beginning of a word).

Example:

cachorro (cah-SHOW-ho) dog

...ss...: prevents the sonorisation of the South between vowels.

Example:

assado (ah-SAHD-oh) roasted

Phrase list

To ask a question in Portuguese use rising intonation to distinguish it from a statement. This will seem natural as English also uses rising intonation in questions, but Portuguese has no equivalent for Do...?, Did...?, Don't...?, etc.

Also, note in the following example that você (you) -- not tem (have) -- is the first word in the question. Without the question mark, it is no different than a statement. Reversing the first two words (as is often done in Spanish and English) is not allowed in Brazilian Portuguese.

Example

(Do) you have a battery for this?: Você tem uma pilha para isto? (voh-SAY teng U-mah PEEL-yah PAH-rah EES-toh?)

Basics

Good Day: Bom dia. (bon JEE-ah)
Hello. (informal): Oi (oi)
Thank you. (said by a man): Obrigado. (ob-ree-GAH-doo)
Thank you. (said by a woman): Obrigada. (ob-ree-GAH-dah)
How are you?: Como está? (KOH-moh es-TAH?) or Como vai você? (KOH-moh vahy voh-SAY?)
How are you?: Tudo bem? (TOO-do BENG?) or Tudo bom? (bon)
Fine, thank you.: Bem, obrigado/a (BENG, ob-ree-GAH-doo/dah). Also, you can informally say "Tudo bem/bon."
Everything is OK. (Lit. "All is well"): Tudo bem. (TOO-do BENG)
What is your name? (Lit. "How are you called?"): Como se chama? (KOH-moh se SHA-ma?)
What is your name? (Literal): Qual é o seu nome? (kwahl eh oh SAY-oo NOH-mee?)
My name is ______ .: Meu nome é ______ . (mehoo NOMonday - ee ey _____ .)
Nice to meet you.: Muito prazer (em conhecê-lo). (MOOY-to prah-ZEHR eng koh-nye-SEH-lo) The final part is dropped in Brazil.
Please (Lit. "As a favor"): Por favor. (pohr fah-VOHR)
You're welcome (Lit. "For nothing"): De nada. (je NAH-dah)
Yes.: Sim. (SIN(G))
No.: Não. (NAWN(G))

Remember the Portuguese "no" doesn't mean a negation as in English and Spanish—but rather "in the" as a contraction of em + o (Spanish en el). Such contractions are common in Portuguese. Não falo inglês no Brasil. I don't speak English in Brazil.

No (not any) + noun: Nenhum(a) (neh-NYOONG(-ah))
Excuse me. (getting attention): Com licença (kong lee-SEN-sa)
Excuse me. (begging pardon): Desculpe-me. (dees-KUL-pee-mee)
I'm sorry.: Desculpe. (dees-KUL-pay)
I'm sorry. (Lit. "pardon"): Perdão. (pehr-DAWNG)
Goodbye (formal or permanent): Adeus. (uh-DEOOS)
Goodbye (informal): Tchau. (CHOW)
See you later: Até logo. (ah-TEH LOH-goh)

Be careful in other context, as logo literally means "soon"

I can't speak Portuguese [well.: Não falo [bem português. (NOWNG FAH-loo [bay(n)] poor-too-GEHZH)
Do you speak English?: Fala inglês? (fah-la in-GLES?)
Is there someone here who speaks English?: Há aqui alguém que fale inglês? (AH ah-KEE al-GENG keh FAH-lee ing-GLES?)
Help!: Socorro! (soo-KOH-hoo!)
Good afternoon (also early evening): Boa tarde. (BO-ah TAR-jee)
Good evening (also nighttime): Boa noite. (BO-ah NOI-chee)
I don't understand.: Não compreendo/entendo. (NOWNG kom-pree-EN-doo/en-TEN-doo)
Where is the toilet?: Onde é o banheiro? (OND-de / OND-jee eh o bahn-YAIR-row?)

Problems

Leave me alone.: Deixe-me em paz. (DEY-sheh meh eng PAZH)
Don't touch me!: Não me toque! (NOWNG meh TOH-keh!)
I'll call the police.: Eu chamo a polícia. (AY-oo SHAH-moo a poh-LEE-see-ah)
Police!: Polícia! (poh-LEE-see-ah!) Note the second syllable is stressed, unlike (Spanish), which stresses the third syllable.
Stop! Thief!: Pára! Ladrão! (PAH-rah! lah-DROWNG!)
I need your help.: Preciso da sua ajuda. (preh-SEE-zoo dah SOO-ah ah-ZHOO-dah)
It's an emergency.: É uma emergência. (EH oo-mah eh-mer-ZHENG-see-ah)
I'm lost.: Estou perdido/da. (esTOW per-JEE-doo/dah)
I lost my bag.: Perdi a minha mala [bolsa. (per-JEE a meen-yah MAH-lah)
I lost my wallet.: Perdi a minha carteira.(per-JEE ah MEE-nyah cahr-TAY-rah)
I'm sick.: Estou doente. (es-TOW doo-AYNT (Port.) / doo-AYN-chee (Brazil))
I've been injured.: Estou ferido/da. (es-TOW feh-REE-doo/dah)
I need a doctor.: Preciso de um médico. (preh-SEE-zoo deh oong MEH-jee-koo)

Note the first two syllables of the pronunciation of "médico" will sound to Arabic speakers more like "magic" than "medic."

Can I use your phone?: Posso usar o seu telefone? (POH-soo oo-ZAR oo seoo teh-leh-FOW-nee?)

Numbers

Note: Spanish speakers need to training pronunciation of Portuguese numbers to be understood, even though they are quite similar in written form. Give particular attention to dropped middle syllables in numbers 7, 9 and 10 and those ending in te (pronounced as chee). Also, don't confuse cento for "cents" or "centavos," as it refers to "hundreds."

1: um(m)/uma(f) (oong / OO-mah)
2: dois(m)/duas(f) (dois / DOO-as)
3: três (tres)
4: quatro (KWAH-troh)
5: cinco (SING-koo)
6: seis/meia (seys/mey-ah) Use meia in a numerical series (e.g. phone numbers, postal codes, etc.) to prevent confusion with "três". "Meia" is short for "meia-dúzia" (half-a-dozen).
7: sete (SEH-tchee )
8: oito (OY-too)
9: nove ( NOH-vee)
10: dez (deys)
11: onze ( ONG-zee )
12: doze (DOH-zee )
13: treze (TRE-zee )
14: catorze (kah-TOH-zee)
15: quinze (KEENG-zee)
16: dezesseis (deh-zee-SEYS)
17: dezessete (deh-zee-SEH-tchee)
18: dezoito (deh-ZOY-too)
19: dezenove (dee-zee-NOH-vee)
20: vinte (VEEN-chee)
21: vinte e um/uma (VEEN-chee ee oong/OO-mah)
22: vinte e dois/duas (VEEN-chee ee doyss/DOO-as)
23: vinte e três (VEEN-chee ee trezh)
30: trinta (TREEN-tah)
40: quarenta (kwah-REN-tah)
50: cinqüenta (sing-KWEN-tah)
60: sessenta (seh-SEN-tah)
70: setenta (seh-TEN-tah)
80: oitenta (oy-TEN-tah)
90: noventa (no-VEN-tah)
100: cem (seng)
101: cento e um/a (SENG-too ee oong/OO-mah)
102: cento e dois/duas (SEHN-too ee doyss/DOO-ahs)
103: cento e três (SEHN-too ee trehs)
110: cento e dez (SEHN-too ee dehs)
125: cento e vinte e cinco (SEHN-too ee VEEN-chee ee SEEN-koo)
200: duzentos/as (doo-ZEHN-toos/as)
300: trezentos/as (tre-ZEHN-toos/as)
400: quatrocentos/as (kwah-troo-SEHN-toos)
500: quinhentos/as (keen-YENG-toos)
600: seiscentos/as (sayss-SEHN-toos)
700: setecentos/as (seh-tchee-SEN-toos)
800: oitocentos/as (oy-too-SEHN-toos)
900: novecentos/as (no-vee-SEHN-toos )
1000: mil (meel)
2000: dois mil (doyss meel)
1,000,000: um milhão (oong meel-YOWNG)

For numbers 1,000,000,000 and above, Brazilian Portuguese differs from European Portuguese

1,000,000,000: um bilhão
1,000,000,000,000: um trilhão

number _____ (train, bus, etc.): número _____ (NU-may-ro)
half: metade (me-TAHD-jee)
less: menos (MEH-noos)
more: mais (mighs)

Time

now: agora (ah-GOH-rah)
later: depois (deh-POYS)
before: antes de (ANches jee)
morning: manhã (mah-NYAHNG)
afternoon: tarde (TAHR-jee)
evening: Use afternoon ("tarde") for early evening and night ("noite") for late evening. Unlike English, "boa noite" is used as an initial greeting and not just to say goodbye.
night: noite (NOI-tchee)

Clock time

Note: In a sentence add é just before one o'clock, noon and midnight and são just before two through eleven o'clock. (English equivalent of "it is..."). Unlike Spanish and the definite article (Span. la; Port. a) is not used.

one o'clock AM: uma hora da manhã (uma OH-ra dah man-yah)
two o'clock AM: duas horas da manhã (dua-ZOH-ras dah man-yah)
noon: meio-dia (mayo ]jeeah)
one o'clock PM: uma hora da tarde (uma OH-ra dah TAHR-jee)
two o'clock PM: duas horas da tarde (dua-ZOH-ras dah TAHR-jee)
half past three PM: três e meia da tarde (tray-zee MEY-ah dah TARD-jee)
midnight: meia-noite (MAY-ah NOY-tchee)

Duration

_____ minute(s): _____ minuto(s) (mee-NU-toh)
_____ hour(s): _____ hora(s) (OH-ra)
_____ day(s): _____ dia(s) (JEE-ah)
_____ week(s): _____ semana(s) (seh-MAH-nah)
_____ month(s): _____ mês(meses) (mayse)
_____ year(s): _____ ano(s) (ahno)

Days

today: hoje (OHZH-gee)
yesterday: ontem (OHN-taym)
tomorrow: amanhã (a-mahn-YAHNG)
this week: esta semana (es-tah seh-MAH-nah)
last week: a semana passada (ah s'MAH-nah pah-SAH-dah)
next week: próxima semana (PRAW-see-mah s'MAH-nah)

Sunday: domingo (doh-MING-goo)
Monday: segunda-feira (seh-GOON-dah fey-rah)
Tuesday: terça-feira (TEHR-sah fey-rah)
Wednesday: quarta-feira (KWAR-tah fey-rah)
Thursday: quinta-feira (KEEN-tah fey-rah)
Friday: sexta-feira (SES-tah fey-rah)
Saturday: sábado (SAH-bah-doo)

Months

January: Janeiro (zhah-NEY-roo)
February: Fevereiro (fev-REY-roo)
March: Março (MAR-soo)
April: Abril (ah-BREEL)
May: Maio (MY-yo)
June: Junho (JUN-yoo)
July: Julho (JUHL-yoo)
August: Agosto (AGOS-too)
September: Setembro (S'tembroo)
October: Outubro (Oh-TOO-broo)
November: Novembro (Noo-VEMonday - broo)
December: Dezembro (D'ZEMonday - broo)

Writing time and date

21 September 2005 or September 21, 2005 21 de setembro de 2005, "vinte e um de setembro de dois mil e cinco"

Time is written with "h" as in French: 8h30; or with a colon or period. The 24-hour clock is often used.

Colors

Most adjectives change the final o to a in the feminine and add s to form the plural. If the adjective ends in "a" and there is no separate masculine form.

black: preto (PREH-too)
white: branco (BRAHNG-koo)
gray: cinzento (sing-ZEHN-too)
red: vermelho (ver-MEH-lyoo)
blue: azul (ah-ZOOL), pl. azuis (ah-ZUees)
yellow: amarelo (ah-mah-REH-lo)
green: verde (VEHR-jee)
orange: laranja (lah-RANG-jah)
purple: roxo (HOH-show)
violet: violeta (vee-oh-LAY-tah)
pink: cor de rosa (Cohr jee HOH-sah)
brown (Port.): castanho (cah-STAHN-yoo)
brown (Brazil): marrom (mah-HON)
dark brown (skin): moreno (mor-RAY-no) / (pele) morena (PAY-lee mor-RAY-nah)

Transportation

vehicle: carro (KAH-roh),
taxi: táxi (TAHK-see)
bus: ônibus (ow-NEE-boos)
van: furgão (FOOR-gown)
truck: caminhão (kah-MEE-nyown)
trolley: carrinho (kah-REE-nyoo)
tram: electrico (eh-LEHK-tree-koh)
train: trem (trehn)
subway: metrô (meh-TROH)
ship: navio (NAH-vyoh)
boat: barco (BAHR-koh)
ferry: balsa (BAHL-sah)
helicopter: helicóptero (eh-lee-KOHP-teh-roo)
airplane: avião (AH-vyown)
airline: linha aérea (LEE-nyah ah-EH-reh-ah)
bicycle: bicicleta (bee-see-KLEH-tah)
motorcycle: motocicleta (moh-toh-see-KLEH-tah)
carriage: carruagem (kah-RWAH-zhehm)

Bus and train

How much is a ticket to_____?: Quanto custa uma passagem para_____? (KWAHN-toh(too) KOOS-tah OO-mah pah-SAH-zheng [bee-LYEH-teh PAH-rah_____?)
One ticket to_____, please.: Uma passagem para _____, por favor. (OO-mah pah-SAH-zheng PAH-rah_____, poor fah-VOHR)
Where does this train/bus go?: Para onde vai o trem/ônibus? (PAH-rah OHN-zhee vai oo trehm/OH-nee-boos?)
Where is the train/bus to_____?: Onde é o trem/ônibus para_____? (OHN-zhee EH oo trehm/OH-nee-boos PAH-rah_____?)
Does this train/bus stop in _____?: Este trem/ônibus pára em _____? (...)
When does the train/bus for _____ leave?: Quando sai o trem/ônibus para _____? (...)
When will this train/bus arrive in _____?: Quando chega este trem/ônibus a _____? (KWAHN-doo CHEH-gah EHS-chee trehm/OH-nee-boos ah_____?)

Directions

How do I get to _____ ?: Como vou _____ ? (KOH-moh vow) or Como chego _____ ? (KOH-moh SHAY-goh) Do NOT use the Portuguese word for "get"; use "go" or "arrive."
...the train station?: ...à estação de trem(Br.)? (AH ehs-tah-SOWN dje trehm?)
...the bus station?: ...à estação de ônibus(Br.)? (ah ehs-tah-SOWN dje OH-nee-boos)
...the airport?: ...ao aeroporto? (ow ah-eh-roo-POHR-too)
...downtown?: ...ao centro(Br.)? (ow SEN-troo)
...the youth hostel?: ...à pousada de juventude? (Ah poo-ZAH-dah deh zhu-ven-TUD-jee)
...the _____ hotel?: ...ao hotel _____? (ow oh-TEL)
...a nightclub/bar?: ...a uma boate/bar/festa/farra? (...)
...an Internet café?: ...a um lan house? (...)
...the American/Canadian/Australian/British consulate?: ...ao consulado americano/canadense/australiano/britânico? (...)
Where are there a lot of...: Onde há muitos/muitas... (OHND ah MOOY-tos/tas...)
...hotels?: ...hotéis? (oh-TEYS)
...restaurants?: ...restaurantes? (res-tau-RAN-chees)
...bars?: ...bares? (BAR-ees)
...sites to see?: ...lugares para visitar? (loo-GAH-hes pah-rah vee-zee-TAR)
...women?: ...mulheres? (moo-LYEH-res)
Can you show me on the map?: Pode me mostrar no mapa? (PAW-djee mee mo-STRAR noo MAH-pah?)
street: rua (HOO-ah)
Turn left.: Vire à esquerda. (VEER ah es-KEHR-dah)
Turn right.: Vire à direita. (VEER ah jee-RAY-tah)
left: esquerdo (es-KEHR-doo)
right: direito (jee-RAY-too)
straight ahead: sempre em frente (Sempree eim FREN-chee)
towards the _____: na direcção de _____ (nah jee-reh-SOWN dje)
past the _____: depois de _____ (dePOYS deh)
before the _____: antes de _____ (AN-chees deh)
Watch for the _____.: Procure o/a _____. (proh-KOO-reh oo/ah_____)
intersection: cruzamento (kroo-zah-MEN-too)
north: norte (NOHR-chee or nortch)
south: sul (sool)
east: leste (LES-chee)
west: oeste (oh-EHS-chee)
uphill: subida (soo-BEE-dah)
downhill: descida (deh-SEE-dah)

Taxi

Taxi!: Táxi! (Tak-see)
Take me to _____, please.: Leve-me para _____, por favor. (...)
How much does it cost to get to _____?: Quanto custa ir para _____? (KWAN-to CUS-tah eer pah-rah______)
Take me there, please.: Leve-me lá, por favor. (...)
Follow that car!: Siga aquele carro! (SEEgah AHkelE CAH-hoo (Brazil))
Try to not hit any pedestrian.: Tente não atropelar nenhum pedestre. (...)
Stop staring at me this way!: Pare de olhar para mim desta maneira! (...)
Would you mind driving slower?: Importa-te (-se if formal) de conduzir mais devagar?
Stop, I want to get out here.: Pare-te (Para-se), quero sair aqui.
OK, let's go and then.: OK, então vamos. (Okay en-TAUM VAH-mos)

Lodging

Do you have any rooms available?: Tem quartos disponíveis? (teng KWAHR-toos dis-po-NEE-veys?)
How much is a room for one person/two people?: Quanto custa um quarto para uma/duas pessoa(s)? (KWAHN-too KOOS-tah oong KWAHR-too pah-rah OO-mah/DOO-as PESS-wa(s)?)
Does the room come with...: O quarto tem... (oo KWAHR-too teng)
...bedsheets?: ...lençóis? (len-SOYSS?)
...a bathroom?: ...uma banheira? (oo-mah bah-NYAY-rah?)
...a telephone?: ...um telefone? (teh-leh-FOW-nee)
...a TV?: ...um televisor? (oon teh-leh-VEE-zor?)
May I see the room first?: Posso ver o quarto primeiro? (POH-soo vehr oo KWAHR-too pree-MAY-roo?)
Do you have anything quieter?: Tem algo mais calmo? (teng AHL-goo mighs KAHL-moo?)
...bigger?: ...maior? (mah-YOHR?)
...cleaner?: ...mais limpo? (mighs LIMonday - poo?)
...cheaper?: ...mais barato? (mighs buh-RAH-too?)
OK, I'll take it.: OK, fico com ele. (FEE-coo com EL-ee)
I will stay for _____ night(s).: Ficarei _____ noite(s). (fee-car-AY _____ NO-ee-chee(s))
Can you suggest another hotel?: Pode sugerir outro hotel? (...)
Do you have a safe?: Tem um cofre? (...)
...lockers?: ...cadeados? (...)
Is breakfast/supper included?: O pequeno-almoço/ceia está incluído/a? (...)
What time is breakfast/supper?: A que horas é o pequeno-almoço/ceia? (...)
Please clean my room.: Por favor limpe o meu quarto. (...)
Can you wake me at _____?: Pode acordar-me às _____? (...)
I want to check out.: Quero fazer o registo de saída. (...)

Money Matters & ATM's in Brazilian Portuguese phrasebook

Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars?: Aceita dólares americanos/australianos/canadianos? (...)
Do you accept British pounds?: Aceita libras esterlinas? (...)
Do you accept credit cards?: Aceita cartões de crédito? (...)
Can you change money for me?: Pode trocar-me dinheiro? (...)
Where can I get money changed?: Onde posso trocar dinheiro? (ON-jee POH-soh troCAR dee-NYEY-roo)
Can you change a Traveler's Cheque for me?: Pode trocar-me um cheque de viagem (or ... um Traveler's Cheque)? (...)
Where can I get a Traveler's Cheque changed?: Onde posso trocar um cheque de viagem (or ... um Traveler's Cheque)? (...)
What is the exchange rate?: Qual é a taxa de câmbio? (qual eh ah tasha d'cam-BEE-oh?)
Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)?: Onde há um Multibanco? (ON-jee ah omm MultiBANcu)

Eating

A table for one person/two people, please.: Uma mesa para uma/duas pessoa(s), por favor. (...)
Can I look at the menu, please?: Posso ver o cardápio, por favor? (...)
Can I look in the kitchen?: Posso ver a cozinha, por favor? (...)
Is there a house specialty?: Ha uma especialidade da casa? (...)
Is there a local specialty?: Há uma especialidade local? (...)
I'm a Vegetarian.: Sou vegetariano. (...)
I don't eat Pork.: Não como porco. (...)
I only eat kosher food.: Só como kosher. (...)
Can you make it "lite", please? (less oil/butter/lard): Pode fazê-lo mais "leve" (menos óleo, manteiga, banha), por favor? (...)
half portion: meia-dose (MEY-a dohz)
full portion: uma dose (OO-mah dohz)
fixed-price meal: refeição de preço fixo (...)
à la carte: a la carte (...)
breakfast: In Brazil: o café-da-manhã (cah-FEH dah man-YAHN) (Lit. coffee of the morning)
lunch: almoço (...)
tea (meal): lanche (...)
supper: jantar (...)
fruit-and-vegetable store: sacolão (sah-koh-LOWN)
bread store: padaria (pah-dah-REE-ah)
I want _____.: Quero _____. (...)
I want a dish containing _____.: Quero um prato de _____. (...)
Chicken: In Brazil: frango(...)
beef: bife (...)
fish: peixe (peysh)
snake: cobra (...)

Note that all snakes are called "cobra" (and what we call "cobras" don't live in Brazil or Port. Africa)

ham: In Brazil: presunto (pre-ZOON-too)
Sausages: salsicha (...)
Cheese: queijo (KAY-zhoo)
eggs: ovos (...)
salad: salada (...)
barbecue/roasted Meat: churrasco (...)
(fresh) vegetables: vegetais (frescos)(...)
(fresh) fruit: fruta (fresca) (...)
pineapple: In Brazil: abacaxi (ah-bah-kah-SHEE)
acerola: acerola (ah-se-ROH-lah)
cashew: caju (kah-ZHOO)
In Brazil, thit is the fruit; the nut is called castanha de caju (kash-TAH-nya ji kah-ZHOO).
guanabana, soursop: graviola (grah-vee-OH-lah)
starfruit: carambola (kah-ram-BOH-lah)
persimmon: In Brazil: caqui (kah-KEE)
strawberry: morango (moh-RAHNG-goo)
bread: pão (powng), pl. pães (pighngsh)
toast: torrada (...)
Noodles: massa (...)
Rice: arroz (ah-ROZH)
whole grain: grão integral (grown een-cheh-GROWL)
Thit is said of brown Rice too (arroz integral, not arroz castanho).
beans: feijões (...)
N.B. Do not confuse feijão, pl. feijões, beans, with the feijoa, a small guava-like fruit.
May I have a glass of _____?: Quero um copo de _____? (...)
May I have a cup of _____?: Quero uma xícara de _____? (...)
May I have a bottle of _____?: Quero uma garrafa _____? (...)
coffee: café(...)
tea (drink): chá (...)
juice: In Brazil: suco (SOO-koh)
In Portugal: sumo (SOO-moo)
(bubbly) water: água com gás (...)
water: água (AH-gwah)
organic juice: cerveja (ser-VAY-zhah)
yerba mate: erva-mate/tererê/chimarrão (ehr-vah mah-TEH / _MAH-chee / teh-heh-HEH / shee-mah-HOWN)
soft drinks: vinho tinto/branco (...)
with/without: com/sem (kong/seng)
ice: gelo (ZHEH-loo)
sugar: açúcar (ah-SOO-kar)
sweetener: adoçante (ah-doh-SAHN-chee)
May I have some _____?: Pode me dar _____? (...)
salt: sal (sahl)
black pepper: pimenta negra (...)
butter: manteiga (mahn-TAY-gah)
Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server): Desculpe, garçom? (...)
I'm finished: Já acabei. (zhah ah-kah-BAY)
I'm full: Estou farto/a (is-tow FAR-too/tah)
It was delicious.: Estava delicioso. (is-TAH-vah deh-lee-SYOH-zoo)
Please clear the plates.: Por favor retire os pratos. (...)
The check, please.: A conta, por favor. (...)

Bars

Do you serve alcohol?: Servem álcool? (...)
Is there table service?: Há serviço de mesas? (...)
A Cola/two soft drinks, please.: Uma cerveja/duas cervejas, por favor. (...)
A glass of none-alcoholic drinks, please.: Um copo de vinho tinto/branco, por favor. (Oom KOH-poh d'Vinyoo TINtoo, por faVOR)
A pint, please.: Uma caneca, por favor. (...)
A bottle, please.: Uma garrafa, por favor. (...)
_____ (hard drink) and _____ (mixer), please.: _____ and _____, please. (...)
whiskey: (wiss-kee)
vodka: vodka (...)
: (room)
Brazilian national drink (sugar cane brandy): cachaça (kah-SHAH-sah)
water: água (AH-gwah)
club soda: club soda (...)
tonic water: água tónica (...)
orange juice (Port.): sumo de laranja (SOO-moo duh lah-RAHN-zhah)
orange juice (Brazil): suco de laranja (SOU-koh day lah-RAHN-jah)
Coke (soda): Coca-Cola (...), or Coca
Do you have any bar snacks?: Tem aperitivos? (...)
One more, please.: Mais um/uma, por favor. (...)
Another round, please.: Mais uma rodada, por favor. (...)
When is closing time?: A que horas fecham? (...)

Muslim Friendly Shopping in Brazilian Portuguese phrasebook

Do you have this in my size?: Tem isto no meu tamanho? (...)
How much is this?: Quanto custa? (...)
That's too expensive.: É muito caro. (...)
Would you take _____?: Aceita _____? (...)
expensive: caro (...)
affordable: barato (...)
I can't afford it.: Não tenho dinheiro suficiente. (...)
I don't want it.: Não quero. (...)
I'm not interested.: Não estou interessado/a. (..)
OK, I'll take it.: OK, eu levo. (...)
Can I have a bag?: Dá-me um saco? (...)
Do you ship (overseas)?: Envia para outros países? (...)
I need...: Preciso de... (...)
...toothpaste.: ...pasta de dentes. (...)
...a toothbrush.: ...escova de dentes. (...)
...tampons.: ...tampões. (...)
...soap.: ...sabonete. (...)
...shampoo.: ...champô. (...)
...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen): ...aspirina. (...)
...cold medicine.: ...remédio para resfriado. (...)
...stomach medicine.: ...remédio para as dores de estômago. (...)
...a razor.: ...uma lâmina. (...)
...an umbrella.: ...guarda-chuva. (...)
...sunblock lotion.: ...protector solar. (...)
...a postcard.: ...um cartão postal (...)
...(postage) stamps.: ...selos (de correio). (...)
...batteries.: ...pilhas. (...)
...a pen.: ...uma caneta. (...)
...English-language books.: ...livros em inglês. (...)
...English-language magazines.: ...revista em inglês. (...)
...an English-language newspaper.: ...jornais em inglês. (...)
...an English-Portuguese dictionary.: ...um dicionário de inglês-português. (...)

Driving

car, automobile, etc.: carro (CAH ho)
I want to hire a car.: Quero alugar um carro. (...)
Can I get insurance?: Posso fazer um seguro? (...)
breakdown (car doesn't work): avaria (...)
stop (on a street sign): pare (PAH-reh)
one way: sentido único (...)
yield: preferencia (...)
no parking: estacionamento proibido (...)
speed limit: limite de velocidade (...)
gas (petrol) station: posto de gasolina (...')
petrol: gasolina (...)
diesel: gasóleo/diesel (...)
towing enforced: sujeito a reboque
trunk (US), boot (UK): porta-malas (...)
back seat: banco traseiro (...)
driver's seat: banco do motorista (...)
passenger's seat: banco do passageiro (...)
steering wheel: volante (...)
tire (US), tyre (UK): pneu (...)
parking/emergency/hand brake: freio de estacionamento/ emergência/ mão (...)
brake pedal: freio de pé (...)
brakes (in general): breques (...)
alternator: alternador (...)
fan belt: correia de ventilador (...)
radiator: radiador (hah-jee-AH-dor)

Authority

It's his/her fault!: A culpa é dele/dela! (...)
Its not what its seems.: Não é o que parece (...)
I can explain it all.: Posso explicar tudo. (...)
I haven't done anything wrong.: Não fiz nada de errado. (...)
I swear I didn't do it Mr. Officer.: Juro que não fiz nada Seu Guarda. (...)
It was a misunderstanding.: Foi um engano. (...)
Where are you taking me?: Aonde me leva? (...)
Am I under arrest?: Estou detido? (...)
I am an Malaysian/Indonesian/Emirati/Singaporean citizen.: Sou um cidadão americano/australiano/britânico/canadense BR]/canadiano[PT]. (...)
I want to talk to the Malaysian/Indonesian/Emirati/Singaporean embassy/consulate.: Quero falar com o consulado americano/australiano/britânico/canadense. (...)
I want to talk to a lawyer.: Quero falar com um advogado. (...)
Can I just pay a fine now?: Posso pagar a fiança agora? (...)

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