From Wikitravel

This article deals with Portuguese as spoken in Europe, Africa and Asia. For Portuguese as spoken in Brazil, see Brazilian Portuguese phrasebook.

Portuguese is a Romance language closely related to Spanish, and even more closely related to Galician (in fact, many people consider that Galician and Portuguese are the same language). It is spoken as the official language of Portugal and Brazil, with some differences in pronunciation, spelling, and use of pronouns. It is also the official language of Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé e Príncipe, Angola, Mozambique, and the co-official language of East Timor, and Macau. It is spoken mainly by the elderly in Goa, Daman and Diu in India. There are around 200 million Portuguese native speakers, the vast majority in Brazil.

The Portuguese we will include in this phrasebook is of the European usage which differs from the Brazilian in sounds and pronunciation. Even though both European and Brazilian speakers will slightly understand each other if they do communicate.

Needless to say, if you know a Romance language, it will be easier for you to learn Portuguese. However, people who know a little Spanish may hastily conclude that Portuguese is close enough that it need not be studied separately. While they may be able to figure out the meaning of some signage, items on a menu, etc., understanding of verbal communication will be very low to nothing. Words such as "gente" (people) are pronounced so differently in either variant of Portuguese, that you would hardly recognise them. Also, some personal names such as "Jorge Ramos," for example, will be pronounced quite differently as well.

If you know Spanish, watch for a lot of new vowels, a huge number of contractions (comparable to del and al) and irregular plurals. For the non-fluent, some pronunciation differences can be easily missed, such as año (year) becoming ano. If you speak good French, you may find Portuguese pronunciation to be fairly easy, though much of the vocabulary will have changed substantially.

[edit] Pronunciation guide

The pronunciation in Portugal differs significantly from that in Brazil. The difference is basically in pronunciation and a few vocabulary differences, which make it tricky even for Brazilians to understand the European Portuguese accent. Now the European uses a lot of those oo's which are not used in Brazilian.

[edit] Vowels

a 

as the 'a' in "far" [ah] / as the 'a' in "cat"

e 

as the 'e' in "get" [eh]

i 

as the 'ee' in "week" [ee] / as the 'i' in "hit"

o 

as the 'o' in "open" [oh]

u 

as the 'oo' in "look" / as the 'oo' in "book"

[edit] Other Vowels

á 

as the 'a' in "tar" but held longer

â 

as the 'a' in "bat" but short

ã 

a nasal sound like 'an' in "angry"

é 

long sound as the 'e' in "bled"

ê 

similar to the 'ea' in "bread"

êm, em, ém 

nasal sound like 'en' in "end"

ó 

like the 'o' in "hot"

ô 

like the 'oa' in "coat"

[edit] Consonants

b 

as 'b' in "boy"

c 

as 'c' in "car" with a,o,u

c 

as 's' in "sand" with e,i

ç 

as 's' in "sun" with a,o,u

ch 

as 'sh' in "shoe"

d 

as 'd' in "desk"

f 

as 'f' in "fist"

g 

as 'g' in "go" with a,o,u

g 

as 'su' in "pleasure" with e,i

gu 

as 'gee' in "geek" with gui, as 'ge' in "get" with gue

gua 

as 'gua' in "agua" [gwah]

h 

is a silent letter at the beginning of a word

lh 

as 'li' in "million"

nh 

as 'ny' in "canyon"

j 

as 'su' in "treasure"

k 

as 'k' in "kiss" [foreign sounds]

l 

as 'l' in "lip"

m 

as 'm' in "monkey"

n 

as 'n' in "nice"

p 

as 'p' in "post"

q 

as 'k' in "kite" [especially with 'u']

r 

a rolled 'r' as in Spanish or Italian 'r' sound [not guttural like in Brazil]

s 

as 's' in "sun" when at the beginning of a word or when followed by an 's'

s 

as 'sh' sound when at the end of a word or when followed by a consontant other than 's' eg. Gostaria [goosh-tah-REE-ah]

s 

as 'z' in "zoo" if preceded and followed by vowels eg. casa [KA-za]

t 

as 't' in "tent"

v 

as 'v' in "vine"

x 

as 'x' in "taxi", as 'sh' in "ship", as 's' in "same"

z 

as 'z' in "zest", end of a word 'su' in "pleasure"

[edit] Common diphthongs

au 

as 'ow'in "cow"

ia 

as 'ia' in "Lydia"

io 

as 'io' in "frio" also 'ew' sound in "new" [yoo]

ei 

as 'ay' in "play"

oa 

as 'oa' in "boa"

oe 

as 'we' in "wet"

oi 

as 'wee' in "weed"

ou 

as 'oo' in "took"

ua 

as 'wa' in "water"

ui 

as 'wee' in "week"

ue 

as 'e' in "get"

[edit] Triphtongs

eia 

as 'ay' in "pay" plus 'a' in "far" [all pronounced together]

uei 

as 'ay' in "way"

[edit] Stress

As a general guide, stress the penultimate (last-but-one) syllable except where there is an accent, or the word ends with a diphthong (that is, 2 vowels which are pronounced as a single syllable – explained in full later on), or if it ends with any of the following letters: i; l; r; z; im; um; ins; uns – in which case, the stress is on the last syllable.

[edit] Phrase list

Some phrases in this phrasebook still need to be translated. If you know anything about this language, you can help by plunging forward and translating a phrase.

[edit] Basics

Common signs OPEN  Aberto (ah-BEHR-too) CLOSED  Fechado (feh-SHAH-doo) ENTRANCE  Entrada (ehn-TRAH-dah) EXIT  Saída (sah-EE-dah) PUSH  Empurre (EHN-poor) PULL  Puxe (POO-sh) TOILET  Casa de banho (KAH-zah deh BAH-nyoo) MEN  Homens (OH-mehnsh) WOMEN  Mulheres (moo-LYEH-rsh) FORBIDDEN  Proíbido (proo-EE-bee-doo)

Hello. 

Olá. (oh-LAH)

How are you? 

Como está(s)? (KOH-moh ish-TAH(sh)?)

Fine, thank you. 

Bem, obrigado(a). (behn, oh-bree-GAH-doo(ah))

What is your name? 

Como se(te) chama(s)? (KOH-moo seh(teh) SHAH-mah(sh)?) / Qual é o seu(teu) nome? (Kwal eh o SEH-oo(TEH-oo) NOH-meh?)

My name is ______ . 

Chamo-me______. (SHAH-moo-meh___)

Pleased to meet you. 

Prazer em conhecer. (prah-ZEHR ehn koh-NYEH-sehr)

Please. 

Por favor. / Se faz favor. (poor fah-VOHR / "Seh FAH-sh FAH-vohr")

Thank you. 

Obrigado.[m] / Obrigada. [f] (oh-bree-GAH-doo/oh-bree-GAH-dah)

You're welcome. 

De nada. (deh NAH-dah)

Yes. 

Sim. (seen)

No. 

Não. (now)

Excuse me. (getting attention) 

Com licença. (kohn lih-SEHN-sah)

Excuse me. (begging pardon) 

Desculpe(a). /Perdão. (dish-KOOL-peh(ah)" / "PEHR-dow)

I'm sorry. 

Desculpe(a). (dish-KOOL-peh(ah))

Goodbye 

Adeus. (ah-DEH-oosh)

I can't speak "Portuguese" well. 

Não falo bem "português". (now FAH-loo behn "poor-too-GEHSH")

Do you speak English? 

Fala(s) inglês? (FAH-lah(sh) een-GLEHSH?)

Is there someone here who speaks English? 

Alguem aqui fala inglês? (AHL-guehn ah-KEE FAH-lah een-GLEHSH?)

Help! 

Socorro! (soo-KOH-roo!)

Help me! 

Ajude(a)-me! (ah-ZHOO-deh(dah)-meh!)

Look out! 

Atenção! /Cuidado! (ah-tehn-sow! / "cooy-DAH-doo!")

Good morning. 

Bom dia. (bohn DEE-ah)

Good afternoon. 

Boa tarde. (BOH-ah TAHR-deh)

Good evening./Good night. 

Boa noite. (BOH-ah NOY-teh)

I understand. 

Compreendo. / Percebo. / Entendo. (kohn-pree-EHN-doo / "pehr-SEA-boo" / "en-TEHN-doo")

I don't understand. 

Não compreendo. (now kohn-pree-EHN-doo)

Where is the toilet? 

Onde está a casa de banho? (OHN-deh ish-TAH ah KAH-zah deh BAH-nyoo?)

[edit] Problems

Leave me alone! 

Deixe(a)-me em paz! (DAY-sheh(shah)-meh ehn pahsh!)

Don't touch me! 

Não me toque(sh)! (now meh TOH-keh(sh)!)

I'll call the police. 

Vou chamar a polícia. (voh shah-MAHR ah poo-LEE-syah)

Police! 

Polícia! (poo-LEE-syah!)

Stop! Thief! 

Ladrão! (lah-DROW!)

I need your help. 

Preciso da sua(tua) ajuda. (preh-SEE-zoo dah swah(twah) ah-ZHOO-dah)

It's an emergency. 

É uma emergência. (eh OO-mah ee-mehr-ZHEHN-syah)

I'm lost. 

Estou perdido(a). (ish-TOH pehr-DEE-doo(ah))

I lost my bag. 

Perdi o meu saco. (PEHR-dee oo MEH-oo SAH-koo)

I lost my wallet. 

Perdi a minha carteira. (PEHR-dee ah MEE-nyah kahr-TAY-rah)

I'm sick. 

Eu estou doente. (EH-oo ish-TOH doo-EHN-teh)

I've been injured. 

Eu fui ferido. (EH-oo fwee feh-REE-doo)

I need a doctor. 

Preciso de um médico. (preh-SEE-zoo deh oon meh-DEE-koo)

Can I use your phone? 

Posso usar o seu(teu) telefone? (POHS-soo OO-sahr o SEH-oo(TEH-oo) teh-leh-FOH-neh)

[edit] Numbers

0 

zero (ZEH-roo)

1 

um (oon)

2 

dois (doysh)

3 

três (trehs)

4 

quatro (KWAH-troo)

5 

cinco (SEEN-koo)

6 

seis (saysh)

7 

sete (SEH-teh)

8 

oito (OY-too)

9 

nove (NOH-veh)

10 

dez (dehsh)

11 

onze(On-zeh)

12 

doze(Do-zeh)

13 

treze ( )

14 

catorze ( )

15 

quinze ( )

16 

dezesseis ( )

17 

dezessete ( )

18 

dezoito ( )

19 

dezenove ( )

20 

vinte ( )

21 

vinte e um ( )

22 

vinte e dois ( )

23 

vinte e três ( )

30 

trinta ( )

40 

quarenta ( )

50 

cinquenta ( )

60 

sessenta ( )

70 

setenta ( )

80 

oitenta ( )

90 

noventa ( )

100 

cem ( )

200 

duzentos ( )

300 

trezentos ( )

1,000 

mil ( )

2,000 

dois mil ( )

1,000,000 

um milhão ( )

1,000,000,000 

um bilhão ( )

1,000,000,000,000 

um trilhão ( )

number _____ (train, bus, etc.) 

número ( )

half 

metade ( )

less 

menos ( )

more 

mais ( )

[edit] Time

now 

agora ( )

later 

depois ( )

before 

antes ( )

morning 

manhã ( )

afternoon 

tarde ( )

evening 

tarde ( )

night 

noite ( )

[edit] Clock time

one o'clock AM 

uma da manhã ( )

two o'clock AM 

duas da manhã ( )

noon 

meio-dia ( )

one o'clock PM 

uma da tarde ( )

two o'clock PM 

duas da tarde ( )

midnight 

meia-noite ( )

[edit] Duration

_____ minute(s) 

minuto(s) ( )

_____ hour(s) 

hora(s) ( )

_____ day(s) 

dia(s) ( )

_____ week(s) 

semana(s)( )

_____ month(s) 

mês/meses ( )

_____ year(s) 

ano(s) ( )

[edit] Days

today 

hoje ( )

yesterday 

ontem ( )

tomorrow 

amanhã ( )

this week 

esta semana ( )

last week 

semana passada ( )

next week 

próxima semana ( )

Sunday 

Domingo (Do-mingo )

Monday 

Segunda-feira (Seh-goon-da-feira )

Tuesday 

Terça-feira (Ter-sah-feira )

Wednesday 

Quarta-feira (Koo-arta-feira )

Thursday 

Quinta-feira (Quin-ta-feira )

Friday 

Sexta-feira (Sezh-ta-feira )

Saturday 

Sábado (Sá-bado )

[edit] Months

January 

Janeiro ( )

February 

Fevereiro ( )

March 

Março ( )

April 

Abril ( )

May 

Maio ( )

June 

Junho ( )

July 

Julho ( )

August 

Agosto ( )

September 

Setembro ( )

October 

Outubro ( )

November 

Novembro ( )

December 

Dezembro ( )

[edit] Writing time and date

[edit] Colors

black 

preto ( )

white 

branco ( )

gray 

cinzento ( )

red 

vermelho ( )

blue 

azul ( )

yellow 

amarelo ( )

green 

verde ( )

orange 

laranja ( )

purple 

rosa( )

brown 

castanho ( )

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Bus and train

How much is a ticket to _____? 

Quanto custa a passagem para _____? ( )

One ticket to _____, please. 

Uma passagem para ________ ( )

Where does this train/bus go? 

Para onde vai este trem/ônibus? ( )

Where is the train/bus to _____? 

Onde pego um trem/ônibus para________? ( )

Does this train/bus stop in _____? 

Esse trem/ônibus para em ________? ( )

When does the train/bus for _____ leave? 

Quando é que o trem/ônibus para _______ sai? ( )

When will this train/bus arrive in _____? 

Quando é que este trem/ônibus irá chegar a _____? ( )

[edit] Directions

How do I get to _____ ? 

Como chego ao (à) ( )

...the train station? 

estação de trem ( )

...the bus station? 

rodoviária ( )

...the airport? 

aeroporto ( )

...downtown? 

Centro ( )

...the youth hostel? 

Albergue da juventude ( )

...the _____ hotel? 

Hotel ( )

...the American/Canadian/Australian/British consulate? 

o consulado americano/canadense/australiano/inglês ( )

Where are there a lot of... 

Onde tem bastante ( )

...hotels? 

hotel/hotéis ( )

...restaurants? 

restaurante/restaurantes ( )

...bars? 

bar/bares ( )

...sites to see? 

lugar/lugares para ver ( )

Can you show me on the map? 

Você pode me mostrar no mapa? ( )

street 

Rua (Rooah )

Turn left. 

Vire à esquerda (Veer - eeh ah eh -sskehr - dah )

Turn right. 

Vire à direita (Veer - eeh ah dee - ray - tah )

left 

Esquerda ( )

right 

Direita (dee - ray - tah )

straight ahead 

Reto ( Ha - toh )

towards the _____ 

em direcção à ( )

past the _____ 

Depois do(a) (Deh - poyss doh/dah )

before the _____ 

Antes do(a) (Ahn - tiss doh/da )

Watch for the _____. 

( Fique atento à )

intersection 

Cruzamento (Croo - zah - man - toh)

north 

Norte ( )

south 

Sul ( )

east 

Este ( )

west 

Oeste ( )

uphill 

Subida ( )

downhill 

Descida ( )

[edit] Taxi

Taxi! 

Taxi! ( )

Take me to _____, please. 

Me leve pro(a)_______, por favor ( )

How much does it cost to get to _____? 

Quanto custa para ir até ( )

Take me there, please. 

Me leve pra lá, por favor. ( )

[edit] Lodging

Do you have any rooms available? 

( Vocês tem quartos disponíveis? )

How much is a room for one person/two people? 

(Quanto custa para uma pessoa/ duas pessoas por noite? )

Does the room come with... 

( )

...bedsheets? 

( )

...a bathroom? 

...banheiro ( )

...a telephone? 

...telefone ( )

...a TV? 

...televisão ( )

May I see the room first? 

(Posso ver o quarto antes? )

Do you have anything quieter? 

( )

...bigger? 

(Maior? )

...cleaner? 

(Mais limpa? )

...cheaper? 

(Mais barato? )

OK, I'll take it. 

(Ok, eu aceito )

I will stay for _____ night(s). 

(Eu vou ficar por uma(1)/Duas(2)noite(s) )

Can you suggest another hotel? 

(Pode sugerir um outro hotel na região? )

Do you have a safe? 

( )

...lockers? 

( )

Is breakfast/supper included? 

( )

What time is breakfast/supper? 

( )

Please clean my room. 

( )

Can you wake me at _____? 

( )

I want to check out. 

( )

[edit] Money

Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars? 

( )

Do you accept British pounds? 

( )

Do you accept Euros? 

( )

Do you accept credit cards? 

( )

Can you change money for me? 

( )

Where can I get money changed? 

( )

Can you change a traveler's check for me? 

( )

Where can I get a traveler's check changed? 

( )

What is the exchange rate? 

( )

Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)? 

( )

[edit] Eating

A table for one person/two people, please. 

( )

Can I look at the menu, please? 

( )

Can I look in the kitchen? 

( )

Is there a house specialty? 

( )

Is there a local specialty? 

( )

I'm a vegetarian. 

( )

I don't eat pork. 

( )

I don't eat beef. 

( )

I only eat kosher food. 

( )

Can you make it "lite", please? (less oil/butter/lard) 

( )

fixed-price meal 

( )

a la carte 

( )

breakfast 

( )

lunch 

( )

tea (meal) 

( )

supper 

( )

I want _____. 

( )

I want a dish containing _____. 

( )

chicken 

( )

beef 

( )

fish 

( )

ham 

( )

sausage 

( )

cheese 

( )

eggs 

( )

salad 

( )

(fresh) vegetables 

( )

(fresh) fruit 

( )

bread 

( )

toast 

( )

noodles 

( )

rice 

( )

beans 

( )

May I have a glass of _____? 

( )

May I have a cup of _____? 

( )

May I have a bottle of _____? 

( )

coffee 

( )

tea (drink) 

( )

juice 

( )

(bubbly) water 

( )

(still) water 

( )

beer 

( )

red/white wine 

( )

May I have some _____? 

( )

salt 

( )

black pepper 

( )

butter 

( )

Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server)

( )

I'm finished. 

( )

It was delicious. 

( )

Please clear the plates. 

( )

The check, please. 

( )

[edit] Bars

Do you serve alcohol? 

( )

Is there table service? 

( )

A beer/two beers, please. 

( )

A glass of red/white wine, please. 

( )

A pint, please. 

( )

A bottle, please. 

( )

_____ (hard liquor) and _____ (mixer), please. 

( )

whiskey 

( )

vodka 

( )

rum 

( )

water 

(aqua )

club soda 

( )

tonic water 

( )

orange juice 

( )

Coke (soda) 

( )

Do you have any bar snacks? 

( )

One more, please. 

( )

Another round, please. 

( )

When is closing time? 

( )

Cheers! 

( )

[edit] Shopping

Do you have this in my size? 

( )

How much is this? 

( )

That's too expensive. 

( )

Would you take _____? 

( )

expensive 

( )

cheap 

( )

I can't afford it. 

( )

I don't want it. 

( )

You're cheating me. 

( )

I'm not interested. 

(..)

OK, I'll take it. 

( )

Can I have a bag? 

( )

Do you ship (overseas)? 

( )

I need... 

( )

...toothpaste. 

( )

...a toothbrush. 

( )

...tampons. 

. ( )

...soap. 

( )

...shampoo. 

( )

...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen) 

( )

...cold medicine. 

( )

...stomach medicine. 

... ( )

...a razor. 

( )

...an umbrella. 

( )

...sunblock lotion. 

( )

...a postcard. 

( )

...postage stamps. 

( )

...batteries. 

( )

...writing paper. 

( )

...a pen. 

( )

...English-language books. 

( )

...English-language magazines. 

( )

...an English-language newspaper. 

( )

...an English-English dictionary. 

( )

[edit] Driving

I want to rent a car. 

( )

Can I get insurance? 

( )

stop (on a street sign) 

( )

one way 

( )

yield 

( )

no parking 

( )

speed limit 

( )

gas (petrol) station 

( )

petrol 

( )

diesel 

( )

[edit] Authority

I haven't done anything wrong. 

( )

It was a misunderstanding. 

( )

Where are you taking me? 

( )

Am I under arrest? 

( )

I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen. 

( )

I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate. 

( )

I want to talk to a lawyer. 

( )

Can I just pay a fine now? 

( )

[edit] Learning more

This phrasebook is an outline and needs more content. It has an introduction and a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!