Are you traveling to Brazil? Amazing! Brazil is a beautiful, culturally rich country. You can see Christ the Redeemer, visit the Copacabana beach, listen and dance to some samba, and try their traditional dishes. We’re sure you’ll have tons of fun and will learn a lot from it.
You’ve probably been putting together everything you need for this trip to go very well. But if you’re reading, it means you’re still preparing. Well, you clicked on the right blog. Because if there’s something that you need to learn, that is some basic Portuguese phrases for traveling to Brazil.
Knowing these words and phrases will allow you to move around Brazil and get what you want more easily. But not just that. You’ll also gain the people, because they’ll see that you tried to learn the language.
Let’s start the lesson now so you can leave for Brazil as soon and as prepared as possible.
Brazilian Words
Let’s start with some important general words in Brazilian Portuguese you must learn. Because you will most likely need them throughout your trip:
- Dinero – Dinheiro
- Debit card / Credit card – Cartão de débito / Cartão de crédito
- Subway – Metrô
- Taxi – Táxi
- Camión – Caminhão
- Banco – Banco
- Hotel – Hotel
- Vacation – Férias
- Restaurante – Restaurante
- Airport – Aeroporto
Brazilian Portuguese Greetings
A thing you must learn when you travel to Brazil are Brazilian greetings. This will say a lot about your kindness and education. Plus, you’ll win Brazilian people over by greeting them nicely.
- Hello – Olá / Oi
- Good day – Bom dia
- Good afternoon – Boa tarde
- Good night – Boa noite
- Everything okay? – Tudo bem? / Tudo joia
- What’s up! – Fala!
- Nice to meet you – Muito prazer em te conhecer
- How are you? – Como você está / como é que você está?
- How are you? – Como é que cê tá? *It’s more informal, as this is a shortened way of the phrases above
Brazilian Portuguese Goodbyes
There’s no hello without a goodbye, right? So, learning how to say goodbye in Portuguese is just as important as a greeting. And it also shows your education.
- Goodbye – Adeus *This one is more serious than the next ones
- Goodbye – Tchau!
- See you later – Até mais tarde / Até depois
- See you tomorrow – Até amanhã
- See you soon – Até logo
- See you – Até mais
- We’ll talk later – A gente se fala
Thank in Brazilian Portuguese
If you like Portuguese, you might’ve already heard of “obrigado”. It’s a very popular word for obvious reasons. It means “thank you”. And, let’s be honest, thanking will always be important in every language.
But did you know that this word has gender? We already know that Portuguese is a gender language. And so this word changes depending on who says it.
If you’re a woman, you must say “obrigada”. If you’re a man, say “obrigado”.
If you wish to add a plus, you can say “muito obrigado /obrigada”, which means “thank you very much”.
Phrases in Brazilian Portuguese when Engaging in Conversation with Locals
- Sorry, I don’t speak Portuguese – Desculpa, eu ñao falo português
Common, this might be one of the most important ones! You can learn some Brazilian words and expressions. But if you haven’t taken classes or don’t know much Portuguese, you’ll not be able to have a full conversation.
That’s okay. But in case you need to tell someone you’re not an expert of the language…yet, just use this phrase.
- Do you speak…? – Você fala…?
Once you’ve told them you can’t speak fluent Portuguese, use this expression. By asking if by any chance they know your language, you’ll be letting them know you’re still interested in talking to them.
You can also use this expression as a way of igniting a conversation about the challenges of learning a second language.
For example: Você fala inglês?
- Could you speak more slowly? – Você pode falar mais devagar, por favor?
But let’s say you do know more Portuguese but still aren’t fluent in it. Or maybe you’re willing to listen to try to learn. In that case, you might have trouble with the speed at which native people speak.
Because listening to native speakers of our second language it’s a whole new level of difficulty. If you’re not an expert, it usually seems like they’re going too fast.
Don’t worry, though. Just use this phrase to ask them kindly to slow down. We’re sure they’ll understand you’re just learning.
Directions in Brazilian Portuguese
Here are some important common phrases and questions for you to ask and understand directions:
- How many blocks away is it? – A quantos quarteirões de distância fica?
- Left – Esquerda
- Right – Direita
- Where is…? – Onde fica…?
- Where’s the bathroom? – Onde fica o banheiro?
- Where? – Cadê?
- How do I get to…? – Como eu chego a/ao…? / Como eu faço para checar a/ao…?
- Excuse me, is there a bathroom in here? – Desculpa, aqui tem banheiro?
- I want to go to… – Quiero ir ao…
Phrases in Brazilian Portuguese for a Restaurant
- Can I see the menu, please? – Posso ver o cardápio, por favor?
- I’d like a... – Eu gostaria de…
- Do you accept credit card? – Aceitam cartão de crédito?
- The check, please – A conta, por favor.
Other Phrases in Brazilian Portuguese
There are always some essential phrases you must learn to survive your trip abroad. Here are some more of those phrases and questions we feel are crucial to learn in Portuguese to get through Brazil just fine:
- How much does it cost? – Quanto custa…?
- How much is it? – Quanto que é?
- I want… – Eu quero…
- I need a doctor – Eu preciso ir ao doutor/médico
- Excuse me, I need help – Desculpa, preciso de ajuda
- Excuse me, what’s the form of payment? – Desculpa, qual é a forma de pagamento?
- I’m from… – Eu sou da/do/dos… (da Colômbia / do México / dos Estados Unidos)
- I came on vacation – Eu vim de férias
Brazilian Idioms
Idioms are a must when you’re learning a new language, because they’re some of the more popular expressions. You’ll hear locals talk with idioms all the time. Here are some common ones in Brazil:
- Matar dois coelhos com uma tacada
This one means to solve or accomplish two different things in one move. Basically, it’s like the English idiom “to kill two birds with one stone”.
- Comprar gato por lebre
This means that you’ve been fooled or scammed while buying something. It’s like “to buy pig in a poke”.
- Dar uma mão
This means to help someone out. It’s the same as “to give a hand”. Like when you say: “I’ll give you a hand with the chores, just give me a minute”.
Put Your New Basic Portuguese Phrases into Practice
This new knowledge that you acquired can’t stay on paper (or on this blog, for that matter). Practicing these phrases will help you understand more how to properly use them in a real-life situation. This means you need to learn these phrases in other ways and speak using them.
You can read some Brazilian books. This will help with your vocabulary; yes, you will acquire even more words and phrases for your trip to Brazil. As well as your grammar and spelling. Plus, if you read aloud, it will also improve the speed of your speaking and your pronunciation.
Plus, maybe the book contains some history or culture of Brazil. Then, you’ll be getting ahead of your trip and start learning something about the country you’re about to visit.
You could also watch some TV. Yes, you read that right. Watching a show or a movie will help improve your Portuguese. You’ll hear the characters say these common phrases out loud, which will help with your pronunciation and accent.
And you’ll notice how they use them in a casual way. So you’ll acquire them more naturally. Maybe just put on some Netflix Brazilian shows and see how much you improve.
We must also tell you not to be afraid to talk to your language classmates. Or even better, if you have Portuguese neighbors or friends, ask them for help. Maybe organize gatherings with them to only speak Brazilian Portuguese. They’ll probably love to help you, anyway.
Need more? Good! Because right here below we have the best way for you to practice these phrases for your trip to Brazil.
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There’s nothing better than that… Except maybe our Bellieu Method. This consists of speaking using what you’ve learned. That way we’ll make sure you achieve Portuguese fluency, and you can impress Brazilians.
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Start now, and on your next trip to Brazil you’ll be telling the natives: “eu falo português”.
