Ways to Say Common Words and Phrases in Portuguese: 15 Steps - tips

Video: 20 Portuguese Words for Everyday Life - Basic Vocabulary #1

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Steps
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Portuguese (Português, Língua Portuguesa) is a Roman language closely related to Spanish and is the official language of more than 250 million people in Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, Guinea- Bissau and many other countries. As the Brazilian economy grows rapidly, becoming an important part of the world, it is wise to invest in learning Portuguese, especially if you are planning to travel or do business in the South. America or Africa. If you want to say common words or phrases in Portuguese, you should start learning basic greetings and sentences, then work on expanding your vocabulary. Simple words and phrases in Portuguese are easy for beginners, so what are you waiting for? Vamos! (Let's start!)

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Learn the basic greetings

Learn to say "Hello!’. The perfect way to get acquainted with Portuguese is to learn how to say hello - with these sentences you can say hello and goodbye to the Portuguese speaker you meet. Here are some common words used to say hello:
- Hello: Olá (oh-la)
- Hey or Hey: Oi (oy) - informal
- Goodbye: Adeus (ah-deuzh)
- Goodbye: Tchau (cha-oh) - informal
- Note some words with the note "informal". In Portuguese, it is considered impolite to use informal words with people you do not know, someone who is older than you and people in authority. These words are not profanity - just words not meant to be revered. The key rule is: Don't use informal words with people who are not close friends.
Israel Vieira Pereira, PhD
Discourse Analyst & PhD Student
The best way to learn common words is to immerse yourself in the language. Sign up for live chat with Portuguese speakers. There are a number of services that connect with native speakers from other countries to help you learn from each other. You can also put yourself in situations where you need to speak Portuguese when needed.
Learn how to say hello from the time of day. Like English, Portuguese also has many different ways to say hello. These greetings let you mention the moment right at the moment of greeting:
- Good morning: Bom dia (Boh-n dih-ah or Boh-n djih-ah in Brazil) - the exact meaning of this phrase is "a good day" but it is usually used before noon or before lunchtime.
- Good afternoon: Boa tarde (Boh-ah tahr-jia) - is taken at noon or after lunch until dusk.
- Good evening or good night: Boa noite (Boh-ah no-ee-tay) - used from dusk until dawn.
Learn to ask about others. Portuguese is no different from other languages either - after greeting someone you will often ask about them. Use these simple phrases to ask about the people you meet:
- How are you ?: Como está? (Coh-moh esh-tah? or Coh-moh es-tah? - used in Brazil)
- How's it going ?: Como vai? ("Coh-moh vye?" (Rhymes with "eye" in English)) - informal
- What's New? (Only used in Brazil): Who? (E-aye (pronounced as a syllable)) - informal
- Is everything all right ?: Tudo bem? ("Too-doo beng?") - informal
Learn to talk about yourself. When you ask someone, most of the time, they'll ask the same thing about you. Use the following answers to introduce yourself and answer your situation:
- Good / very good: Bem / muito bem (Baing / moo-ee-toh baing)
- Bad / very bad: Mal / muito mal (Mao / moo-ee-toh mao)
- Temporary / normal: Mais ou menos (Ma-eece oh meh-nos)
- My name is ...: Me chamo (Mee sham-oh)
- Nice to meet you: Prazer em conhecê-lo / a (Prazh-air eh con-yo-see-lo / la)
- Note that conhecê-lo / a can end equal letter o or letter a. In this case, when it comes to men, you use the letter o and when it comes to women use the letter a. This issue will be repeated several times in the article.
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Part 2 of 3: Learn basic communication

Learn to talk about languages. As a beginner to Portuguese, you will probably always have difficulty communicating. Don't worry - no one can learn a new language in such a short time. Use the following phrases to explain your situation:
- I don't speak Portuguese - Portugus falo brain - (Nah-oom fah-looh poor-too-gess)
- I speak English: Falo Inglês (Fah-looh inn-glesh)
- Do you speak English ?: Fala inglês? (Fah-lah inn-gless) - grave
- Do you speak English ?: Você fala inglês? (Voh-say fah-lah inn-gless) - informal
- I do not understand: Brain testify (Nah-oo pehr-say-boo)
- Can you repeat it ?: Pode repetir? (Poh-day reh-peh-teer)
Learn polite communication sentences. Learning how to speak politely in Portuguese is very important - you probably don't want to lose the reputation of your homeland by being rude even by accident. Use the following words and expressions to make sure you are always polite when communicating with others:
- Please: Por favor (Pooh-r fah-voh-r)
- Thanks: Obrigado / a (Oh-bree-gah-dooh / dah) - use male conjugations if you are male and female conjugations if you are female.
- You're welcome: De nada (Dee nah-dah) - informal
- You're welcome: Brainstorming (Nah-oomm tah-eehm the queh) - grave
- I'm sorry: Desculpe (Desh-cool-pah)
Learn how to talk about others (and how to respond). Knowing how to ask basic questions with the Portuguese speakers you meet will help you make new friends. Use the following questions and answers for basic communication:
- What's your name ?: Como o / a senhor / a se chama? (coh-moh sen-your / -ah se shahm-ah) - grave. Note that, in this case, the word senhor for man does not end with the letter "o".
- What is your name ?: Qualified o seu nome? (Coh eh-oh seh-oh no-mee) - informal
- My name is ...: Me chamo (Mee sham-oh)
- Where are you from ?: De onde o / a senhor / a é? (Djee own-djah oh / ah sen-your / ah eh)
- Where do you come from ?: De onde você é? (Djee own-djah voh-say eh) - informal
- I'm from ...: Eu sou de (Ee-oh so-oo djee)
- What's going on / What's going on ?: O que aconteceu? (Oo key ah-cone-teh-see-oo)
Learn how to ask for help. Not all adventures go as planned. If you are in a situation where you need to ask a Portuguese speaker for help, you will be happy to know the following "cure":
- What time is it now ?: Que horas são? (Queh o-rah-sh sah-oomm)
- I get lost: Estou perdido (Esh-toe per-dee-doo / Es-toe per-djee-doo(used in Brazil))
- Can you please help me ?: Pode ajudar-me, por favor? (Po-deh azhu-dar-meh, por-fah-vor?)
- Save me !: Socorro! (Soh-coh-hoh!) - Use when in danger
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Part 3 of 3: Expanding vocabulary

Learn to ask general questions. Questions are an important part of everyday communication - you will get more information about the world around you when you ask questions. Learning the following question words will help you learn how to improvise in each situation you encounter:
- Who ?: Quem? (Cang?)
- What ?: O que? (Ooh kee?)
- When ?: Quando? (Quan-doo?)
- Where ?: Onde? (Own-djee?)
- Which one ?: Qual? (Quah-ooh?)
- Why ?: Porquê? (Poohr-queh)
- Because: Porque (Poohr-queh)
- How much ?: Quanto? (Kwan-toh)
- How much does this cost ?: Quanto custa? (Kwan-toh coos-tah?)
Learn how to call each person. Use these words to describe the people in your life and that of others:
- Father: Pai (pa-ee)
- Mother: Mãe (ma-ee) - grave
- Mother: Mamãe (muh-ma-ee) - informal
- Men: Homem (O-men)
- Woman: Mulher (Mooh-lyehr)
- Friends: Amigo / a (Ah-mee-goh / gah)
- Girlfriend: Namorada (Nah-mooh-rah-dah)
- Boyfriend: Namorado (Nah-mooh-rah-dooh)
Learn formal titles. In Portuguese, it is common practice to call an older person or person in authority by their formal title as a way of showing respect. Although this solemnity is often omitted as the two become closer, it will take a while so the important rule is Don't call out someone's name until they let it.
- Mr.: Senhor (Sen-your) - this word is also used to refer to "you" in a formal sense
- Grandmother: Senhora (Sen-your-ah) - this word is also used to refer to "you" in a formal feminine sense
- Her: Senhorita (Sen-your-ee-tah) - for young women (usually unmarried)
- Lady / lady: Dona (Do-nah) - a formal title for women
- Doctor: Dotour / a (Doo-tohr / -ah) - is intended for people with higher than bachelor's degrees; Not necessarily referring to the doctor.
- Professor: Professor / a (pro-fess-or / -ah) - for people with a doctorate, not necessarily a university lecturer.
Learn the names of some familiar animals. Knowing the names of animals in Portuguese will be extremely helpful, especially when you go on a trip to the rainforest in Brazil or Angola. Here are some more common animal words you may encounter:
- Dog: Lao (Cah-oohm)
- The dog (only used in Brazil): Cachorro (Cah-sho-hoo)
- Cat: Gato (Gah-tooh)
- Bird: Pássaro (Pah-sah-row)
- Fish: Peixe (Pay-shay)
- Monkey: Macaco (Mah-cah-coh)
- Lizard: Lagarto (Lah-gar-toh)
- Bug: Percevejo (Pair-sair-ve-zhoh)
- Spider: Aranha (Ah-rah-nyah)
Learn the parts of the body. Knowing how to describe different body parts is a must if you find yourself in an unfortunate situation of pain or injury abroad. Use the following words to talk about the body:
- Head: Cabeça (Cah-beh-sah)
- Arm: Braço (Brah-so)
- Legs: Perna (Pair-nah)
- Hand: Rabbit (Mah-oohm ")
- Feet: Pé (Peh)
- Finger: Dedo (Deh-dooh)
- Toes - Dedo (like from a finger) - you can say "Dedo do pé" (Deh-dooh dooh peh), literally translated as "toe of the foot"
- Eyes: Olhos (Ole-yus)
- Mouth: Boca (Boh-cah)
- Nose: Nariz (Nah-reese)
- Ear: Orelhas (Oh-rel-yase)
Learn to describe problems with the body. As noted above, getting sick or injured in a foreign country is not a fun thing. Make it easy to solve your problem by learning the following words to state your health:
- I have pain: Estou magoado (Ees-toh mah-goo-ah-doo)
- My broken: Meu está quebrado (May-oh brah-so es-tah kay-brah-doh)
- I bleed: Eu estou sangrando (Eh-oh ees-toh san-grand-oh)
- I feel uncomfortable: Me sinto mal (Mee seen-toh ma-oo)
- I'm not feeling well: Sinto-me doente (Seen-toh-may doo-en-tee)
- I have a fever: Estou com febre (Ees-toh cohn feb-ray)
- I have a cough: Estou com tosse (Ees-toh cohn tohs-ay)
- I could not breathe: Eu brain posso respirar (Eh-oh nah-oo po-so ray-spee-rar)
- Doctor !: Médico! (Meh-jee-coh)
Learn slang! Now that you have a fair amount of Portuguese words and phrases, expand your vocabulary by learning some practical slang words. Real Portuguese speakers often do not use the dry, easy-to-understand language you see in books. Each Portuguese-speaking country and region has slang, colloquialisms, and idioms in particular to add to their linguistic character. Here are some common slang words (all of them have meanings informal).
- Awesome! (Only used in Europe and Africa): Fixe (Feesh)
- Awesome! (Only used in Brazil): Legal (Lay-gah-oo)
- Whoa !: Nossa (Nos-ah)
- Oh my goodness !: Puxa / Puxa vida (Poo-sha / Poo-sha vee-dah)
- Shut up !: Cale-se! / Cala a boca! (Cah-lee is drunk / cah la boh-ca)
- What ?: Beleza? (Beh-leh-zah)
- Best Friend (both male and female): Parceira / o (Par-say-rah)
- Sexy boy / girl: Gatinha / o (Gah-cheen-yah / yoh)
- Money: Grana (Gran-ah)
- Foreigner: Gringo (Green-go)
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Advice

Don't give up if you have trouble because learning the basics in a new language takes so much time. If you don't master the language soon, keep practicing and practicing!
The Portuguese "m" is often pronounced quite similar to the English "n".
Similarly, the Portuguese word "nh" usually sounds like the English "ny" sound (as in "Inuit ")
Try listening to Portuguese music to immerse yourself in this new language. To speak Portuguese like a Brazilian, you should try listening to music in São Paulo and Brasília because there is usually a "standard" and popular Brazilian accent.
The "l" at the end of a word is pronounced like a long "u" or "oo" sound.