To navigate the diphthongs, diagraphs, and difficult pronunciation of Portugese, check out this helpful pronunciation chart below! For more help, visit Brazil-Help and Pronunciation Guide for pronunciation examples, and Learn Portuguese for audio examples.
Source: http://freelanguage.org
BASIC PHRASES (with some pronunciations in parentheses)
- Sorry, I don’t speak Portuguese – Desculpe, eu não falo português
- Do you speak English? – Voce fala inglês?
- How do you say ___ in Portuguese? – Como se diz ___ em en português?
- Hello – Oi, olá
- Please – Por favor
- Thank you – Obrigado (male) or Obrigada (female)
- You’re welcome – De nada
- I’m sorry – Desculpe
- What? Pardon me? – Como?
- Excuse me – Com licença (pronounced lisensa) or Perdão
- I (don’t) know – Eu (não) sei
- I’m lost – Estou perdido
- Can you help me, please? – Pode ajudar-me, por favor? (pronounced po-deh azhu-dar-meh, por-fah-vor?)
- Help me! – Socorro! (soh-coh-hoh!) (only used if you are in danger)
- Goodbye – Tchau
- Good afternoon – Boa tarde
- Good morning – Bom dia
- Good night- Boa noite
- How are you? – Como está?
- I (don’t) understand – (Não) compreendo or (Não) entendo
- Where are you from? – De onde o senhor é (formal) or De onde você é? (informal)
- I’m from… – Eu sou de…
- How much? (asking the price of something) – Quanto custa?
- What time is it? – Que horas são?
- Where is the toilet? – Onde é o banheiro?
- I want… – Eu quero…
- How’s it going? – Tudo bem?
- At what time… – A que horas…
- When… – Quando…
- How many… – Quantos…
- Entry – Entrada
- Exit – Saída
- Please, I want to go to…. – Por favor, eu quero ir a…
- I need to go to… – Eu preciso ir a…
- How do I get to…. ? – Como eu chego em…?
- How much does it cost? – Quanto custa?
- Man – Homem
- Woman – Mulher
- Mr. – Senhor (this can be used as a formal ‘you’)
- Mrs. – Senhora (this can also be used as a formal ‘you’)
- Friend – Amigo (male) or Amiga (female)
FOOD & DRINK
- Food – Comida
- Restaurant – Restaurante (pronounced hest-aur-an-che)
- Menu – Cardâpio
- Bill – Conta
- Soft Drink – Refrigerante
- Water – Agua
- Mineral Water – Agua Mineral
- Beer – Cerveja
- Draft Beer – Chopp (pronounced shop)
- White Wine – Vinho Branco
- Red Wine – Vinho Tinto
- Meat – Carne
- Chicken – Frango
- Fish – Peixe (pronounced pay-shee)
- Rice – Arroz (pronounced ahoz)
- Beans – Feijão
- French Fries – Batata Frita
- Plate – Prato
- Cup – Copo
- Knife, Fork and Spoon – Faca, Garfo e Colher
- Napkin – Guardanapo
- Straw – Canudo
- Ashtray – Cinzeiro
- No ice – Sem gelo
- Iced – Gelado
- Cold – Frio
- Hot – Quente
- Dessert – Sobremesa
- Cake – Bolo
- Coffee – Café
- Tea – Chá
- Sugar – Açúcar
- Salt – Sal
- Pepper – Pimenta
MONEY
- Money or cash – Dinheiro
- Numbers 1-10 –
- Um, Dois, Três, Quatro, Cinco, Seis, Sete (Seche), Oito, Nove, Dez
- Bank – Banco
- ATM Machine – Caixa (pronounced caysha) eletronica
- Check – Cheque (pronounced sheky)
- Credit Card – Cartão de Crédito
- Cost – Custo
- Coin – Moeda
- Bill – Nota
- Change – Troco
- Exchange – Troca or Câmbio
TRANSPORTATION
- Car – Carro (pronounced cahoo)
- Bus – Onibus
- Plane – Avião
- Boat – Barco
- Train – Trem (pronounced treng)
- Subway – Metrô
- Ticket – Bilhete
- Passport – Passaporte
- Right – Direita
- Left – Esquerda
- Bus Stop – Ponto de ônibus
- Museum – Museu
- Theater – Teatro
- Park – Parque
- Avenue – Avenida
- Street – Rua
Sources:
Rehberg, A, Dominique, MR, et al. Eds. “How to Say Common Words and Phrases in Portuguese.” http://www.wikihow.com/Say-Common-Words-and-Phrases-in-Portuguese. Accessed Dec 8, 2013.
“Brazil: Important Phrases.” http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g294280-s604/Brazil:Important.Phrases.html. Accessed Dec 8, 2013.
How to cite this page: “Before You Arrive: Things to Know: Useful Phrases,” Written by Becca Fisher and Elena Kim (2013), World Cup 2014, Soccer Politics Blog, Duke University, http://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/world-cup-2014/world-cup-2014-fan-guide/anglophone-version/before-you-arrive-things-to-know/useful-phrases (accessed on (date)).
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