Learn Basic Portuguese Phrases for Beginners: Essential Expressions and Greetings

How do you say “Hi!” in Portuguese? What about “Thank you”? And how do you introduce yourself to others?

If you’re an absolute beginner or planning a trip to a Portuguese-speaking country you’re in the right place. In this guide, you’ll learn essential Portuguese phrases for daily conversations. Let’s dive in!

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1.	*Olá!*	Hi!
2.	*Tudo bem?*	How are you doing?
3.	*Bem obrigado/a, e tu?* (informal) *Bem obrigado/a, e você?* (formal)	I am fine, what about you?
4.	*Bom dia*	Good morning
5.	*Boa tarde*	Good afternoon
6.	*Boa noite*	Good evening / Good night
7.	*Adeus*	Bye
8.	*Até à próxima*	See you next time
9.	*Até já*	See you in a minute
10.	*Até logo*	See you later
11.	*Até amanhã*	See you tomorrow

Note that you say Obrigado or Obrigada depending on if you identify with a man or a woman respectively.

Also, you will often hear Viva! or Então? instead of Olá! Most of the time people will combine different expressions into one greeting such as Viva, tudo bem?

Boa noite is used to greet both “Good evening” and “Good night” – the context tells you which one it is.

Learn more Portuguese greetings: Saying Hello! in Portuguese: A Comprehensive Rundown on Portuguese Greetings.

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12.	*Como te chamas?* (formal) *Como se chama?* (informal)	What’s your name?
13.	*Chamo-me …*	My name is …
14.	*Tenho trinta e três anos*	I’m 33 years old
15.	*Sou da Suécia*	I am from Sweden
16.	*Vivo em Estocolmo*	I live in Stockholm
17.	*Prazer em conhecer*	Nice to meet you
18.	*Igualmente*	The same

Instead of saying Chamo-me Sofia you may as well say Sou a Sofia (with the verb Ser), just as you’d say in English My name is … or I am …. You will also hear Moro em Lisboa instead of Vivo em Lisboa since the verbs Morar and Viver can be used interchangeably in this context.

In Portugal, it’s commonplace to address people using the 3-person (você, o senhor, a senhora), especially when you don’t know them well. Among friends and relatives, though, we usually use the 2-person (tu). The verb endings change accordingly.

Get your feet wet in Portuguese grammar: Dabbling in Portuguese Grammar – First Impressions for Beginners.

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19.	*Por favor!* or *Desculpe!*	Excuse me!
20.	*Desculpe!* or *Perdão!*	I am sorry!
21.	*Queria …*	I would like to have …
22.	*Onde fica … ?*	Where is … ?
23.	*Obrigado/a*	Thanks
24.	*De nada*	You’re welcome
25.	*Sim*	Yes
26.	*Não*	No
27.	*Talvez*	Perhaps

We often swallow consonant and vowel sounds when we speak and the word Obrigado is a good example. So, don’t be surprised if you hear ~brigado instead.

You’ve probably noticed that Portuguese sounds are quite nasal. For instance, words that end in -ão or -m such as Não and Sim produce nasal sounds.

Dive deeper into Portuguese pronunciation: Portuguese Pronunciation: A Helpful Guide to Portuguese Basic Sounds and Spelling Patterns.

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28.	*Não falo Português*	I don’t speak Portuguese
29	*Falo um pouco de Português*	I can speak a little Portuguese
30.	*Fala Inglês?*	You speak English?
31.	*Não percebi*	I didn’t understand
32.	*Um momento, por favor*	Just a moment, please
33.	*Pode repetir?*	Can you say that again?
34.	*Pode falar mais devagar?*	Can you speak slower?
35.	*O que significa … ?*	What does it mean … ?

The expressions above are useful when you are interacting with native speakers. People will be happy to talk to you, but they might as well forget that they need to slow it down for you to understand. So, never shy away from asking, Pode falar mais devagar?

The verbs Perceber, Entender, Compreender are all synonyms. If someone says Não percebi/entendi/compreendi to you, that means that they didn’t understand you.

Speaking of clarity, sometimes you may need to spell out a word or others may do it for you. Here’s something you may find helpful helpful: The Portuguese Alphabet: Spelling in Portuguese from A to Z.

Portuguese Numerals

1. um/uma	12. doze	[…]
2. dois/duas	13. treze	30. trinta
3. três	14. catorze	40. quarenta
4. quatro	15. quinze	50. cinquenta
5. cinco	16. dezasseis	60. sessenta
6. seis	17. dezassete	70. setenta
7. sete	18. dezoito	80. oitenta
8. oito	19. dezanove	90. noventa
9. nove	20. vinte	100. cem
10. dez	21. vinte e um	10³. mil
11. onze	22. vinte e dois	10⁶. milhão

Notice that the first two numbers have their endings changed according to gender: um carro but uma mesa; dois carros but duas mesas.

Become a pro with counting in Portuguese: Numbers in Portuguese: counting from 1 to infinity

Last but not least. If you are serious about learning Portuguese, you will want to click on the link below. See, there’s nothing more practical than a solid learning strategy: Mindsets and Strategies to Learn Portuguese the Best.

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