Portuguese for travel

Olá!

„Olá!“ is the friendly „hello“ at any time of day.

💡 Did you know? Very casually one also says „oi“: especially in Brazil.

Bom dia.

„Bom dia“ (good day/morning) greets until midday.

💡 Did you know? Unlike in Spanish, the greeting is singular: „bom dia“, not „bons dias“.

Boa tarde. / Boa noite.

„Boa tarde“ greets in the afternoon, „boa noite“ in the evening and at night.

💡 Did you know? „Boa noite“ serves (as in Spanish) both as an evening greeting and as „good night“.

Adeus!

„Adeus“ is the farewell: but sounds quite final; for „see you soon“ better use „até logo“.

💡 Did you know? Like the Spanish „adiós“, „adeus“ contains the word „Deus“ (God).

Até logo.

„Até logo“ means „see you later“: the friendly temporary goodbye.

💡 Did you know? Even more common in Brazil is „tchau“: taken directly from the Italian „ciao“.

Por favor.

„Por favor“ is the polite „please“, as in Spanish.

💡 Did you know? In Portugal one also hears „se faz favor“: „if you would be so kind“.

Obrigado. (said by women: Obrigada.)

When thanking, the ending depends on the speaker: men say „obrigado“, women „obrigada“.

💡 Did you know? „Obrigado“ literally means „[I am] obliged“: you thank by declaring yourself indebted.

Muito obrigado.

„Muito obrigado/a“ strengthens the thanks to „thank you very much“: here too the ending matches the speaker's gender.

💡 Did you know? A heartfelt „muito obrigado“ always goes down well in Portugal.

De nada.

„De nada“ literally means „for nothing“: the standard reply to thanks.

💡 Did you know? As in Spanish, „de nada“ is the common reply throughout Latin America too.

Sim / Não.

„Sim“ means yes, „não“ means no: the „ã“ is pronounced nasally.

💡 Did you know? The Portuguese „ão“ is a nasal sound that does not exist in German.

Desculpe.

„Desculpe“ is the polite apology; more familiarly one says „desculpa“.

💡 Did you know? The word is full of „guilt“: it goes back to Latin culpa („fault, guilt“).

Quanto custa?

„Quanto custa?“ asks the price.

💡 Did you know? Almost identical to the Spanish „cuánto cuesta“; the two languages are closely related.

Com cartão, por favor.

„Com cartão, por favor“ signals card payment.

💡 Did you know? In Portugal the domestic „Multibanco“ system is widespread and accepts cards almost everywhere.

A conta, por favor.

„A conta, por favor“ asks for the bill.

💡 Did you know? In Portugal small starters („couvert“) are often placed on the table before the meal; they are not free.

Onde é a casa de banho?

In Portugal one asks „Onde é a casa de banho?“ for the toilet: in Brazil it's „banheiro“.

💡 Did you know? „Casa de banho“ literally means „house of the bath“.

Não percebo.

In Portugal one says „não percebo“ for „I don't understand“: in Brazil rather „não entendo“.

💡 Did you know? „Perceber“ means „to understand“ in Portugal but „to notice“ in Brazil: a typical difference between the two variants.

Fala inglês?

„Fala inglês?“ asks whether someone speaks English.

💡 Did you know? With over 250 million speakers, Portuguese is one of the most widely spoken languages: largely thanks to Brazil.

Uma cerveja, por favor.

„Uma cerveja, por favor“ orders a beer: in Portugal a small draught is „uma imperial“.

💡 Did you know? In Brazil an ice-cold draught beer is called „chope“.

Saúde!

„Saúde!“ means „health“ and is the toast when clinking glasses.

💡 Did you know? The same word is called out when someone sneezes: like the German „Gesundheit“.

Socorro!

„Socorro!“ is the cry for help in an emergency.

💡 Did you know? The Europe-wide emergency number 112 applies in Portugal too.