Portugal is a European tourist paradise – a country where millions of tourists come every year for joyful sunbathing, delicious food and endless nightlife near the beaches. In large tourist resorts, employees of the service sector usually speak English, but outside it, only Portuguese is often spoken, especially in the case of older people (who more often speak Spanish or French).
It is very likely that we will have to communicate with them for various reasons – and we will wander outside the tourist district and we will have to ask someone for the way back, and we will want to buy fresh fruit or vegetables at the market, and we will send postcards to friends, etc. Using even the basics of Portuguese will undoubtedly improve the quality of communication in such situations.
Our Portuguese phrasebook presents basic and practical Portuguese phrases for every traveler!
Basic Portuguese phrases
So do you have to rush to the bookstore or newsstand in search of English-Portuguese pocket phrasebooks? Not necessarily! Below we present basic Portuguese phrases. This is our choice, so of course it does not exhaust all the topics you might find useful, but they are nevertheless words and phrases that you just need to know!
How do we say hello in Portuguese?
Good morning! (in the morning) – Bom dia!
Good morning! (in the afternoon) – Bom tarde!
Hi! – Olá!
Goodbye! – Adeus!
Have a nice day! – Tenha um bom dia!
Good night! – Boa noite!
Other basic Portuguese phrases:
Yes – Sim
No – Não
Thank you – Obrigado
Sorry – Com licensça
Please – Por favor
Cheers – Saúde
Hello – Bem vindo
Q: How are you? – Tudo bem?
A: Good – Estou bem
Portuguese phrasebook in a store and a restaurant
Store – Loja
Currency exchange – Cantor
Pharmacy – Farmacia
Restaurant – Restaurante
Bar – Barra
How much it costs? – Quanto custa?
X gram / x kilogram / half kilogram, please – Eu gostaria de x gramas / x quilogramas / meio quilograma, por favor
A menu, please – Eu gostaria de um menu, por favor
I am a vegan / vegetarian / on a gluten-free diet – Eu sou vegano / vegetariano / sem glúten
No sugar, please – Sem açucar por favor
Dry wine – Vinho seco
Sweet wine – Vinho doce
Semi-dry / Semi-sweet – Semi seco / Meio doce
Takeaway – Leve embora
Receipt – Conta
Can I pay by card? – Posso pagar com cartão?
While we’re talking about shops and restaurants, it’s worth checking the current prices in Portugal!
Portuguese grammar – grammatical persons
I – Eu
You – Here
He – Ele
She – Ela
We – Nós
You – Vós
They (masc) – Eles
They (fem) – Elas
Portuguese grammar – numbers
Zero – zero
One – um, uma
Two – dois, duas
Three – três
Four – quatro
Five – cinco
Six – seis
Seven – sets
Eight – oito
Nine – nove
Ten – dec
Eleven – onze
Twelve – doze
Thirteen – treze
Fourteen – catorze
Fifteen – quinze
Sixteen – dezasseis
Seventeen – dezassete
Eighteen – dezoito
Nineteen – dezanove
Twenty – vinte
Twenty-one – vinte e um, vinte e uma
Twenty-two – vinte e dois, vinte e duas
Twenty three – vinte e três etc.
One hundred – cem, two hundred – duzentos, three hundred – trezentos etc.
A thousand – miles
A million – milhão
Portuguese phrasebook – time
Day – Dia
Night – Noite
Morning – Manhã
Afternoon – Tarde
Week – Semana
Last week – Semana Anterior
The day before yesterday – Anteont
Yesterday – Ontem
Today – Hi
Tomorrow – Amanhã
The day after tomorrow – Dia depois de Amanhã
Next week – Semana que vem
Portuguese phrasebook – directions
Close – Perto
Far – Longe
Straight – Direto
Right – Lei
Left – Esquerda
Nearby – Perto
Portuguese phrasebook – locations
Where is…? – Onde é…?
City – Cidade
Center – Centro
Sea – Mar
Beach – Praia
Hotel – Hotel
Market – Mercado
Airport – Aeroporto
Hospital – Hospital
Consulate – Consulado
Portuguese phrasebook – on the go
House – Casa
Highway – Rodovia (check also how the highways in Portugal look like)
Ticket – Bilhete
No parking – Proibido Estacionar
Check also what are the current rules of use and prices of motorways in Portugal!
Portuguese phrasebook – at the hotel
My name is… – Meu nome é
I am British / Irish / American / Canadian / German / French – Eu sou britânico / irlandês / americano / canadense / alemão / francês
Portugal – Portugal
Available rooms – Salas gratuitas
Bathroom – Banheiro
Shower – Chuveiro
Sign a contract – Assinar um contrato
That would be more or less the end of our Portuguese phrasebook. Of course, many words are missing, especially verbs! If you think that some concepts should appear in it, please do not hesitate to say so in the comments. See you in the next text!
