Super Common Portuguese Phrases You Need to Know

Are you planning a trip to Portugal, or want to get a taste of Portuguese? Learning some of the most common Portuguese phrases will certainly come in handy. Not only will they help you navigate your way around, but they’ll also give you a general sense of what Portuguese looks and sounds like.

Here are some of the most common Portuguese phrases we use daily, from greetings to ordering food to asking for directions.

Olá [oˈɫa]
Hello
Xau [ˈʃaw]
Goodbye
Obrigado/a [obɾiˈgadu/ɐ]
Thank you (male/female)
De nada [dɨ ˈnadɐ ]
You’re welcome
Por favor [puɾ fɐˈvoɾ]
Please
Com licença [kõ ɫiˈsẽsɐ]
Excuse me
Desculpe [dɨʃˈkuɫpɨ]
Sorry
Não falo português [ˈnɐ̃w ˈfaɫu puɾtuˈgeʃ]
I don’t speak Portuguese
Fala inglês? [ˈfaɫɐ ĩˈgɫeʃ?]
Do you speak English?
Sim [ˈsĩ]
Yes
Não [ˈnɐ̃w]
No
Como está? [ˈkomu ʃˈta?]
How are you?
Tudo bem [ˈtudu bɐ̃j]
Everything’s good
Sou de… [ˈso dɨ… ]
I’m from…
Como se chama? [ˈkomu sɨ ˈʃɐmɐ? ]
What’s your name?
Chamo-me… [ˈʃɐmu-mɨ…]
My name is…
Prazer em conhecê-lo/a [pɾɐˈzeɾ ɐ̃j kuɲɨˈse-ɫu/ɐ]
Nice to meet you (male/female)
Onde fica…? [ˈõdɨ ˈfikɐ…?]
Where is…?
Quanto custa? [ˈkwɐ̃tu ˈkuʃtɐ?]
How much does it cost?
Gostava de… [guʃˈtavɐ dɨ…]
I would like to…
Aceita cartão de crédito? [ɐˈsɐjtɐ kaɾˈtɐ̃w dɨ ˈkɾɛditu?]
Do you take credit card?
Posso pagar em dinheiro? [ˈposu pɐˈgaɾ ɐ̃j diˈɲɐjɾu?]
Can I pay in cash?
Com certeza [kom səɾˈtəzɐ]
Sure
Preciso de ajuda [pɾɨˈsizu dɨ ɐˈʒudɐ]
I need help
Não entendi [ˈnɐ̃w ẽtẽˈdi]
I didn’t understand
Pode repetir, por favor? [ˈpodɨ ʁɨpɨˈtiɾ, puɾ fɐˈvoɾ?]
Can you repeat, please?
Pode falar mais devagar? [ˈpodɨ fɐˈɫaɾ ˈmajʒ dɨvɐˈgaɾ?]
Can you speak more slowly?
Aqui está [ɐˈki ʃˈta]
Here it is
Concordo [kõˈkoɾdu]
I agree
Não concordo [ˈnɐ̃w kõˈkoɾdu]
I disagree
Percebi [pɨɾsɨˈbi]
I understood
Não percebi [ˈnɐ̃w pɨɾsɨˈbi]
I didn’t understand
Como se diz… em português? [ˈkomu sɨ ˈdiʃ… ɐ̃j puɾtuˈgeʃ?]
How do you say… in Portuguese?
Pode-me mostrar no mapa? [ˈpodɨ-mɨ muʃˈtɾaɾ nu ˈmapɐ?]
Can you show me on the map?
Como chego lá ? [ˈkomu ʃeˈɡu ˈla]
How to to get there?
À esquerda [à ʃˈkeɾdɐ]
To the left
À direita [à diˈɾɐjtɐ]
To the right
Em frente [ɐ̃j ˈfɾẽtɨ]
Straight ahead
Desculpe, estou perdido/a [dɨʃˈkuɫpɨ, ʃˈto pɨɾˈdidu/ɐ]
Sorry, I’m lost
Estou à procura de… [ʃˈto à pɾuˈkuɾɐ dɨ…]
I’m looking for…
É longe daqui? [ˈɛ ˈɫõʒɨ dɐˈki?]
Is it far from here?
A que horas abre/fecha? [kɨ ˈoɾɐz ˈabɾɨ/ˈfɐjʃɐ?]
What time does it open/close?
Pode recomendar um restaurante [ˈpodɨ ʁɨkumẽˈdaɾ ˈũ ʁɨʃtawˈɾɐ̃tɨ]
Can you recommend a restaurant?
Queria… [kɨˈɾiɐ…]
I would like to order…
O menu, por favor [u mɨˈnu, puɾ fɐˈvoɾ]
The menu, please
Qual é o prato do dia? [ˈkwaɫ ˈɛ u ˈpɾatu du ˈdiɐ?]
What’s the dish of the day?
A conta, por favor [ɐ ˈkõtɐ, puɾ fɐˈvoɾ]
The bill, please
Preciso de fazer uma reserva [pɾɨˈsizu dɨ fɐˈzeɾ ˈumɐ ʁɨˈzeɾvɐ ]
I need to make a reservation
Gostava de cancelar a minha reserva [guʃˈtavɐ dɨ kɐ̃sɨˈɫaɾ ɐ ˈmiɲɐ ʁɨˈzeɾvɐ]
I would like to cancel my reservation
Até à próxima [ɐˈtɛ à ˈpɾɔsimɐ]
See you next time

Learning these common Portuguese phrases is an excellent way to get started. If you want to go beyond this first step, read this: The Best Way to Learn Portuguese: Key Strategies to Become Fluent.

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