Phrasebook

• Oi, tudo bem?

  oy, TOO-doo bay?

  Hi, how's it going? The default greeting. Answer: “Tudo bem, e você?”

• Bom dia

  bom JEE-ah

  Good morning Until about noon.

• Boa tarde

  BOH-ah TAR-jee

  Good afternoon From noon until it gets dark.

• Boa noite

  BOH-ah NOY-chee

  Good evening / Good night Used both as a greeting and goodbye.

• Obrigado / Obrigada

  oh-bree-GAH-doo / oh-bree-GAH-dah

  Thank you Men say obrigado, women say obrigada.

• De nada

  jee NAH-dah

  You're welcome

• Por favor

  poor fah-VOR

  Please

• Com licença

  kom lee-SEN-sah

  Excuse me To pass through a crowd or get attention politely.

• Desculpa

  jees-KOOL-pah

  Sorry

• Não entendi

  nowng en-ten-JEE

  I didn't understand Your best friend in week one.

• Pode falar mais devagar?

  POH-jee fah-LAR mice jee-vah-GAR?

  Can you speak more slowly?

• Você fala inglês?

  voh-SAY FAH-lah een-GLAYS?

  Do you speak English?

• Tchau!

  chow

  Bye! Often doubled: “Tchau, tchau!”

• Prazer!

  prah-ZEHR

  Nice to meet you! Short for “muito prazer”.

• Como você se chama?

  KOH-moo voh-SAY see SHAH-mah?

  What's your name?

• Eu sou de…

  eh-oo SOH jee…

  I'm from… Eu sou dos Estados Unidos / da Inglaterra.

• Estou aprendendo português

  is-TOH ah-pren-DEN-doo por-too-GAYS

  I'm learning Portuguese Say this and Brazilians will cheer you on.

• Que legal!

  kee lay-GOW

  How cool!

• Saúde!

  sah-OO-jee

  Cheers! / Bless you! Look people in the eye when you toast.

• Vamos marcar!

  VAH-moos mar-KAR

  Let's set something up! Warning: often polite, not a real plan 😅

• A conta, por favor

  ah KOHN-tah, poor fah-VOR

  The check, please 10% service is usually already included.

• Uma água sem gás

  OO-mah AH-gwah sayn gahs

  A still water “Com gás” = sparkling.

• Uma cerveja bem gelada

  OO-mah ser-VAY-zhah bayn zheh-LAH-dah

  A really cold beer Brazilians take beer temperature seriously.

• O que você recomenda?

  oo kee voh-SAY heh-koh-MEN-dah?

  What do you recommend?

• Sou vegetariano(a)

  soh veh-zheh-tah-ree-AH-noo

  I'm vegetarian

• Sem açúcar, por favor

  sayn ah-SOO-kar

  No sugar, please Juices come very sweet by default!

• Para viagem

  PAH-rah vee-AH-zhayn

  To go / takeaway

• Tá uma delícia!

  tah OO-mah deh-LEE-see-ah

  It's delicious! The fastest way to a Brazilian's heart.

• Onde fica…?

  OHN-jee FEE-kah…?

  Where is…? Onde fica o banheiro? = Where's the bathroom?

• É longe?

  eh LOHN-zhee?

  Is it far?

• Pode me deixar aqui

  POH-jee mee day-SHAR ah-KEE

  You can drop me here For Uber or taxi drivers.

• Qual é o ponto de ônibus?

  kwow eh oo POHN-too jee OH-nee-boos?

  Where's the bus stop?

• Direita / Esquerda

  jee-RAY-tah / is-KEHR-dah

  Right / Left

• Sempre reto

  SEM-pree HEH-too

  Straight ahead

• Quanto custa?

  KWAN-too KOOS-tah?

  How much is it?

• Aceita cartão?

  ah-SAY-tah kar-TOWNG?

  Do you take cards? Almost everyone does. Many prefer Pix.

• Crédito ou débito?

  KREH-jee-too oh DEH-bee-too?

  Credit or debit? You'll hear this at every checkout. Foreign cards: say crédito.

• Tem desconto à vista?

  tayn jees-KOHN-too ah VEES-tah?

  Is there a discount for paying upfront? Works surprisingly often in small shops.

• Só estou olhando

  soh is-TOH ohl-YAN-doo

  I'm just looking

• Pode parcelar?

  POH-jee par-seh-LAR?

  Can I pay in instalments? Brazilians split almost everything — “em 3x sem juros”.

• Beleza!

  beh-LAY-zah

  Cool / OK / Sounds good Literally “beauty”. Works for almost anything.

• Nossa!

  NOH-sah

  Wow! / Oh my! Short for “Nossa Senhora”.

• Valeu!

  vah-LAY-oo

  Thanks! / Cheers! Casual thank-you between friends.

• Top!

  TOH-pee

  Awesome!

• Cara

  KAH-rah

  Dude “Cara, que calor!” = Dude, it's so hot!

• Que saudade!

  kee sow-DAH-jee

  I miss it/you so much! The untranslatable Brazilian word for longing.

• Tô de boa

  toh jee BOH-ah

  I'm chilling / I'm fine

• Partiu!

  par-CHEE-oo

  Let's go!

• Fica tranquilo

  FEE-kah tran-KWEE-loo

  Don't worry

• Dar um jeitinho

  dar oong zhay-CHEEN-yoo

  Find a creative workaround The famous Brazilian art of solving things.

• Socorro!

  soh-KOH-hoo

  Help!

• Chama a polícia!

  SHAH-mah ah poh-LEE-see-ah

  Call the police! Police: 190 · Ambulance (SAMU): 192 · Fire: 193

• Preciso de um médico

  preh-SEE-zoo jee oong MEH-jee-koo

  I need a doctor

• Onde fica a farmácia?

  OHN-jee FEE-kah ah far-MAH-see-ah?

  Where's the pharmacy? Pharmacies are everywhere and many open 24h.

• Fui roubado(a)

  fwee hoh-BAH-doo

  I was robbed File a “boletim de ocorrência” — many states allow it online.

• Sou alérgico(a) a…

  soh ah-LEHR-zhee-koo ah…

  I'm allergic to…

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