The Around the World phrasebook
Let's learn traveller's Portuguese
Not the school kind — the airport, taxi and dinner-table kind. Every phrase with a say-it-out-loud pronunciation.
Nobody expects you to speak fluent Portuguese. But ten words in the right places — and the market seller smiles, the driver drops the price, the waiter brings the good stuff. We've gathered 65 phrases that actually work, sorted by the moment you'll need them: the landing, the taxi, check-in, the table. Each with a pronunciation you can read aloud without cringing.
Phrasebook · 1/8
First words
| What you want to say | Portuguese | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Hello (formal) | Olá | o-LAH |
| Hello (informal) | Oi | OY |
| Goodbye | Tchau | CHOW |
| Thank you | Obrigado | o-bri-GA-doo |
| Please | Por favor | por fa-VOR |
| Yes | Sim | SEEM |
| No | Não | NOW |
| Sorry | Desculpe | des-KOOL-peh |
| I don't understand | Não entendo | NOW en-TEN-doo |
| Do you speak English? | Você fala inglês? | vo-SEH FAH-lah een-GLESH? |
Phrasebook · 2/8
Courtesy & introductions
| What you want to say | Portuguese | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning | Bom dia | BOM DEE-ah |
| Good evening | Boa noite | BO-ah NOY-t'ee |
| How are you? | Como está? | KO-mo esh-TAH |
| My name is… | Meu nome é… | MEH-oo NO-mee eh… |
| Nice to meet you | Prazer em conhecê-lo | prah-ZER em kon-ye-SEH-loo |
| I am from Israel | Sou de Israel | SOO deh ee-shra-EL |
| See you | Até logo | ah-TEH LO-goo |
Phrasebook · 3/8
At the airport & on the flight
| What you want to say | Portuguese | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Where is the gate? | Onde é o portão? | ON-deh EH-oo por-TAO |
| Is the flight delayed? | O voo está atrasado? | OO VOH esh-TAH ah-tra-ZA-doo |
| Boarding pass | Cartão de embarque | kar-TAO dee em-BAR-kee |
| My suitcase did not arrive | Minha mala não chegou | MEEN-ya MA-la nao she-GOH |
| I have a connecting flight | Tenho um voo de conexão | TEN-yoo oom VOH dee ko-nek-SAO |
| Window/aisle seat | Assento na janela/corredor | a-SEN-too na zha-NE-la/ko-re-DOR |
| Where is passport control? | Onde é o controle de passaportes? | ON-deh EH-oo kon-TRO-leh dee pa-sa-POR-tis |
Phrasebook · 4/8
Transport & directions
| What you want to say | Portuguese | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| To this address, please | Para este endereço, por favor | PA-rah EHS-teh ehn-deh-REH-soo, pohr fah-VOHR |
| How much to the center? | Quanto custa para o centro? | KWAN-too KOOS-tah PA-rah oo SEN-troo |
| One ticket to... | Um bilhete para... | OOM beel-YEH-teh PA-rah |
| Which platform? | Qual plataforma? | KWAL pla-ta-FOR-mah |
| Where is the bus station? | Onde fica a estação de ônibus? | ON-jee FEE-kah ah ehs-ta-SAW deh OH-nee-boos |
| Stop here, please | Pare aqui, por favor | PA-ree ah-KEE, pohr fah-VOHR |
| Is it far? | É longe? | EH LON-zhee |
| Turn left/right | Vire à esquerda/direita | VEE-ree ah ehs-KER-dah/dee-RAY-tah |
| Straight | Em frente | EM FREN-chee |
Phrasebook · 5/8
Hotel & stay
| What you want to say | Portuguese | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| I have a reservation | Tenho uma reserva | TEN-yoo OO-mah re-ZER-vah |
| Check-in | Check-in | CHEK-een |
| Check-out | Check-out | CHEK-AH-oot |
| Is breakfast included? | O café da manhã está incluído? | oo kah-FEH dah ma-NYAH esh-TAH een-kloo-EE-doo |
| Room key | Chave do quarto | SHA-vee doo KWAR-too |
| Wi-Fi password | Senha do Wi-Fi | SEN-yah doo WAI-fai |
| Can I leave my luggage? | Posso deixar as malas? | POH-soo deh-SHAR ahs MAH-lahs |
| The air conditioner doesn't work | O ar condicionado não funciona | oo AR kon-dee-syo-NAH-doo NOW foon-syo-NAH |
Phrasebook · 6/8
Restaurant & food
| What you want to say | Portuguese | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Table for two. | Mesa para dois. | ME-zah PA-rah DOYSH |
| The menu, please. | O cardápio, por favor. | OO kar-DA-pyu POR pah-VOR |
| What do you recommend? | O que você recomenda? | OO keh voh-SEH heh-ko-MEN-dah |
| The bill, please. | A conta, por favor. | AH KON-tah POR pah-VOR |
| Tap water. | Água da torneira. | AH-gwah dah tor-NEI-rah |
| I have a nut allergy. | Tenho alergia a nozes. | TEN-yoh ah-ler-ZHI-yah ah NO-zesh |
| No meat. | Sem carne. | SEN KAR-ni |
| It was excellent. | Estava excelente. | esh-TAH-vah eh-seh-LEN-ti |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagar com cartão? | POH-soo pah-GAR kohm kar-TOW |
Phrasebook · 7/8
Shopping & money
| What you want to say | Portuguese | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| How much does it cost? | Quanto custa? | KWAN-too KOOS-tah? |
| It's too expensive. | É caro demais. | EH KAH-roo deh-MAIS. |
| Do you accept cards? | Vocês aceitam cartão? | voh-SEIS ah-SAY-tam kar-TOWN? |
| I'm just looking. | Estou só olhando. | es-TOH soh oh-LYAN-doo. |
| Can I have a receipt? | Posso ter um recibo? | POS-soo ter oom re-SEE-boo? |
| Where is an ATM? | Onde tem um caixa eletrônico? | ON-jee tem oom KAI-shah eh-leh-TROH-nee-koo? |
| A smaller size. | Um tamanho menor. | oom ta-MAN-yoo meh-NOR. |
Phrasebook · 8/8
Emergencies & health
| What you want to say | Portuguese | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Help! | Socorro! | so-KO-roh! |
| Call a doctor. | Chame um médico. | SHA-mee oom ME-di-ku. |
| Call the police. | Chame a polícia. | SHA-mee ah poo-LEE-see-ah. |
| Where is a pharmacy? | Onde fica a farmácia? | ON-deh FEE-kah ah far-MA-see-ah? |
| I don't feel well. | Não me sinto bem. | NOW meh SEEN-too BEM. |
| I'm lost. | Estou perdido. | esh-TOO per-DEE-doo. |
| I need a hospital. | Preciso de um hospital. | pre-SEE-zoo deh oom os-pee-TAL. |
| It hurts here. | Dói aqui. | DOY ah-KEE. |
Where it takes you
Countries that speak Portuguese
Q&A
Answers to your questions
How do you say "thank you" in Portuguese?
"Obrigado" (o-bri-GA-doo). It's one of the five words worth knowing by heart before you land.
How much Portuguese do I need for a trip?
Not much. Five or six courtesy words (hello, thank you, please, sorry, yes/no) open doors, and another ten to fifteen phrases for fixed situations — a taxi, check-in, the restaurant bill — cover almost any trip. The rest: a camera-translation app.
Can you get by in English where Portuguese is spoken?
In city centres, hotels and tourist sites — usually yes, especially with younger people. Outside them — markets, transport, small towns — a few words of the local language make a real difference and are warmly received.
Which countries have Portuguese as an official language?
Portuguese is a main language in 6 countries: Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe.
What's the difference between the formal and casual greeting?
Most languages have a formal "hello" for strangers, service staff and elders, and an everyday version for friends and peers. As a traveller it's always safer to open with the formal one — nobody is offended by too much politeness.
How do you politely ask someone to speak English?
"Você fala inglês?" (vo-SEH FAH-lah een-GLESH?) — "do you speak English?". Lead with "excuse me" in the local language and it comes across as respectful.
About this page
Written and checked by the Around the World team. We compare prices across the major providers, cross-check official sources, and update when something changes. We have no stake in any one provider — links are affiliate links, and the price is the same for you.
Sources: Phrasebook: the Around the World team · Language-to-country: Around the World data