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Essential Portuguese phrases
for travellers (printable)
how to say hello in portuguese
Olá — oh-LAH — is how you say hello in Portuguese. It works at any hour, anywhere the language is spoken, with anyone. Pair it with Obrigado (oh-bree-GAH-doo) for thank you and you already have the two words you will use most.
Below are 36 phrases worth knowing before you land, grouped by the situation you will need them in. Every one has a plain-English respelling — stressed syllable in capitals — because IPA is no use to anyone standing at a pharmacy counter. Brazil, Portugal, Angola, Mozambique and Cape Verde — around 260 million speakers, the most spoken language in the southern hemisphere. Also searched as Portugal, Brazil, Brazilian.
take it with you
The whole card, on one page
All 36 phrases on a single sheet — print it, fold it into a passport, or keep it on your phone. Free, no signup, no watermark.
The essentials
The six words that carry most of a trip.
| English | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Hello | Oláoh-LAH |
| Goodbye | TchauchowAdeus (ah-DEH-oosh) is more final. |
| Please | Por favorpoor fah-VOR |
| Thank you | Obrigadooh-bree-GAH-dooObrigada (oh-bree-GAH-dah) if you are female. |
| Yes / No | Sim / Nãoseeng / nowng |
| Excuse me / Sorry | Desculpedees-KOOL-pee |
Getting by
What to say when the conversation outruns you.
| English | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | Você fala inglês?voh-SEH FAH-lah een-GLEHS |
| I don't understand | Não entendonowng en-TEN-doo |
| Could you repeat that? | Pode repetir?POH-jee heh-peh-TEER |
| Please speak slowly | Fale devagar, por favorFAH-lee deh-vah-GAR |
| My name is… | Meu nome é…MEH-oo NOH-mee eh |
| Nice to meet you | Prazerprah-ZEHR |
Getting around
Streets, stations and the one question everyone needs.
| English | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Where is…? | Onde fica…?ON-jee FEE-kah |
| How do I get to…? | Como chego a…?KOH-moo SHEH-goo ah |
| Where is the toilet? | Onde fica o banheiro?ON-jee FEE-kah oo bah-NYAY-rooIn Portugal, a casa de banho. |
| Left / Right | Esquerda / Direitaes-KEHR-dah / jee-RAY-tah |
| Straight ahead | Sempre em frenteSEM-pree eng FREN-chee |
| Is it far? | É longe?eh LON-zhee |
Food and drink
Ordering, allergies, and asking for the bill.
| English | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| A table for two, please | Uma mesa para doisOO-mah MEH-zah PAH-rah doysh |
| The menu, please | O cardápio, por favoroo kar-DAH-pyooA ementa in Portugal. |
| I would like… | Eu queria…EH-oo keh-REE-ah |
| Water, please | Água, por favorAH-gwah |
| I am allergic to… | Sou alérgico a…soh ah-LEHR-zhee-koo ahAlérgica (ah-LEHR-zhee-kah) if you are female. |
| The bill, please | A conta, por favorah KON-tah |
Shopping and money
Prices, cards, and politely not buying anything.
| English | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| How much is it? | Quanto custa?KWAN-too KOOS-tah |
| That's too expensive | É muito caroeh MOOY-too KAH-roo |
| Do you take cards? | Aceita cartão?ah-SAY-tah kar-TOWNG |
| I am just looking | Estou só olhandoes-TOH saw oh-LYAN-doo |
| Do you have…? | Tem…?teng |
| A receipt, please | A nota, por favorah NOH-tah |
Emergencies
Worth reading once before you need them.
| English | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Help! | Socorro!soh-KOH-hoo |
| Call the police | Chame a políciaSHAH-mee ah poh-LEE-syah |
| Call an ambulance | Chame uma ambulânciaSHAH-mee OO-mah am-boo-LAN-syah |
| I need a doctor | Preciso de um médicopreh-SEE-zoo jee oong MEH-jee-koo |
| I am lost | Estou perdidoes-TOH per-JEE-dooPerdida (per-JEE-dah) if you are female. |
| Where is the hospital? | Onde fica o hospital?ON-jee FEE-kah oo os-pee-TOW |
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Four things that fix
most of the accent
ão is a nasal "owng"
Não, cartão, coração. The sound leaves through your nose and the g at the end of the respelling is a hint, not a hard consonant. This is the sound that most marks out Portuguese from Spanish.
In Brazil, "de" and "te" soften to "jee" and "chee"
Onde is ON-jee, not ON-deh. Sete is SEH-chee. In Portugal they stay hard — both are understood everywhere.
R at the start of a word is an H
Rio is HEE-oo. Restaurante is hes-tow-RAHN-chee. A doubled rr in the middle does the same thing.
Obrigado changes with YOUR gender, not theirs
A man says obrigado, a woman says obrigada — regardless of who is being thanked. It is the one agreement error travellers make constantly.
Spotted a mistake in the Portuguese? Tell us and we will fix it.
You will not remember
all 36
Nobody does. OmniTalk speaks Portuguese for you in real time — point the camera at a menu, or put the phone between you and let it translate both sides of the conversation as you talk. It works offline once you download the language, so it keeps going when your roaming does not.