Portuguese for Travelers: 100 Essential Phrases for Brazil (2025)
Portuguese is the only official language of Brazil — and while English is spoken in upscale hotels and tourist agencies in major cities, you will encounter situations throughout your trip where knowing even basic Portuguese transforms your experience. A few words of Portuguese at a small-town restaurant, a market stall, or a beach kiosk earns you immediate warmth and genuine appreciation from Brazilians — who are often surprised and delighted that foreign visitors made any effort at all. This guide covers 100 essential phrases organized by situation, with pronunciation tips and cultural notes.
Brazilian Portuguese vs European Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese are mutually intelligible but sound quite different — so different, in fact, that Brazilians and Portuguese sometimes struggle to understand each other on first hearing. Brazilian Portuguese is generally considered easier for English speakers because the vowels are more open and clearly pronounced. Brazilian Portuguese also uses different vocabulary for everyday items (a bus is ônibus in Brazil, autocarro in Portugal) and different grammar forms for informal address.
If you’ve studied European Portuguese or have a Portuguese app set to European Portuguese, you’ll still be understood in Brazil — just be aware the accent and some vocabulary will be different.
Pronunciation Quick Guide
Brazilian Portuguese Pronunciation Basics
| Letter/Sound |
Sound Like |
Example |
| ã / ão |
Nasal “ow” (like “town” through your nose) |
pão (bread) = “POW-ng” |
| lh |
Like “ly” in “million” |
filho (son) = “FEEL-yo” |
| nh |
Like “ny” in “canyon” |
inha (small) = “EEN-ya” |
| r (start of word) |
Strong “h” sound (never rolled) |
rio (river) = “HEE-oo” |
| r (between vowels) |
Soft “r” or “d” sound |
cara (face/dude) = “KA-da” |
| x |
Usually “sh” |
caixa (box) = “KAI-sha” |
| e (end of word) |
Often silent or very soft “i” |
nome (name) = “NOH-mi” |
Basic Greetings and Pleasantries
| English |
Portuguese |
Pronunciation |
| Hello / Hi |
Olá / Oi |
oh-LAH / oy |
| Good morning |
Bom dia |
bong JEE-ah |
| Good afternoon |
Boa tarde |
BOH-ah TAR-ji |
| Good evening/night |
Boa noite |
BOH-ah NOY-chi |
| How are you? |
Tudo bem? |
TOO-doo beng? |
| Fine, thanks (response) |
Tudo bem, obrigado/a |
TOO-doo beng, oh-bree-GAH-doo/dah |
| What’s your name? |
Como você se chama? |
KOH-moo voh-SAY si SHA-mah? |
| My name is… |
Meu nome é… |
MEH-oo NOH-mi eh… |
| Nice to meet you |
Prazer em conhecê-lo/la |
prah-ZAYR eng kohn-yeh-SAY-loo/lah |
| Please |
Por favor |
por fah-VOR |
| Thank you |
Obrigado (m) / Obrigada (f) |
oh-bree-GAH-doo / oh-bree-GAH-dah |
| You’re welcome |
De nada |
ji NAH-dah |
| Excuse me (apology) |
Desculpe |
jis-KOOL-pi |
| Excuse me (attention) |
Com licença |
kong lee-SEN-sah |
| Yes / No |
Sim / Não |
sing / now-ng |
| I don’t understand |
Não entendo |
now-ng eng-TEN-doo |
| Do you speak English? |
Você fala inglês? |
voh-SAY FAH-lah ing-GLESH? |
| I speak a little Portuguese |
Falo um pouco de português |
FAH-loo oong POH-koo ji por-too-GESH |
At the Restaurant and Café
| English |
Portuguese |
Pronunciation |
| A table for two, please |
Uma mesa para dois, por favor |
OO-mah MEH-zah PAH-rah doysh, por fah-VOR |
| The menu, please |
O cardápio, por favor |
oo kar-DAH-pee-oo, por fah-VOR |
| What do you recommend? |
O que você recomenda? |
oo ki voh-SAY heh-koh-MEN-dah? |
| I would like… |
Eu gostaria de… |
EH-oo gos-tah-REE-ah ji… |
| Without meat |
Sem carne |
seng KAR-ni |
| I’m vegetarian |
Sou vegetariano/a |
soh veh-jeh-tah-ree-AH-noo/nah |
| The bill, please |
A conta, por favor |
ah KON-tah, por fah-VOR |
| Is service included? |
O serviço está incluído? |
oo ser-VEE-soo es-TAH een-kloo-EE-doo? |
| Delicious! |
Delicioso! |
jeh-lee-see-OH-zoo |
| Water (still/sparkling) |
Água (sem/com gás) |
AH-gwah (seng/kong gas) |
| Beer |
Cerveja |
ser-VEH-zhah |
| Coffee |
Café |
kah-FEH |
| Where is the bathroom? |
Onde fica o banheiro? |
ON-ji FEE-kah oo ban-YEY-roo? |
Shopping and Money
| English |
Portuguese |
Pronunciation |
| How much does this cost? |
Quanto custa isso? |
KWAN-too KOO-stah EE-soo? |
| That’s too expensive |
Está muito caro |
es-TAH MOO-ee-too KAH-roo |
| Can you lower the price? |
Pode fazer um desconto? |
POH-ji fah-ZAYR oong des-KON-too? |
| I’ll take this |
Vou levar esse/essa |
voh leh-VAR EH-si/EH-sah |
| Do you accept credit card? |
Aceita cartão de crédito? |
ah-SAY-tah kar-TOW-ng ji KREH-jee-too? |
| ATM / Cash machine |
Caixa eletrônico / Caixa 24h |
KAI-sha eh-leh-TROH-nee-koo |
| Exchange office |
Casa de câmbio |
KAH-zah ji KAM-bee-oo |
| Receipt |
Recibo / Nota fiscal |
heh-SEE-boo / NOH-tah fees-KAL |
Getting Around
| English |
Portuguese |
Pronunciation |
| Where is…? |
Onde fica…? |
ON-ji FEE-kah…? |
| How do I get to…? |
Como chego a…? |
KOH-moo SHEH-goo ah…? |
| To the left / right |
À esquerda / à direita |
ah es-KER-dah / ah jee-RAY-tah |
| Straight ahead |
Em frente / reto |
eng FREN-chi / HEH-too |
| I need a taxi |
Preciso de um táxi |
preh-SEE-zoo ji oong TAK-see |
| Take me to this address |
Me leve a esse endereço |
mi LEH-vi ah EH-si en-deh-REH-soo |
| Airport |
Aeroporto |
ah-eh-roh-POR-too |
| Bus station |
Rodoviária |
hoh-doh-vee-AH-ree-ah |
| Train / Subway |
Trem / Metrô |
treng / meh-TROH |
| Beach |
Praia |
PRAI-ah |
| Hotel |
Hotel |
oh-TEL |
| How far is it? |
Fica longe? |
FEE-kah LON-ji? |
At the Hotel
| English |
Portuguese |
Pronunciation |
| I have a reservation |
Tenho uma reserva |
TEN-yo OO-mah heh-ZER-vah |
| Check-in / Check-out |
Check-in / Check-out |
Same as English |
| Room key |
Chave do quarto |
SHA-vi doo KWAR-too |
| Air conditioning |
Ar condicionado |
ar kon-jee-see-oh-NAH-doo |
| The air conditioning doesn’t work |
O ar condicionado não funciona |
oo ar… now-ng foon-see-OH-nah |
| Wi-Fi password |
Senha do Wi-Fi |
SEN-yah doo wi-fi |
| Do you have a safe? |
Tem cofre no quarto? |
teng KOH-fri noo KWAR-too? |
| Wake-up call at 7am |
Acorde-me às 7 horas |
ah-KOR-ji mi az SEH-ti OH-ras |
Emergencies and Health
| English |
Portuguese |
Pronunciation |
| Help! |
Socorro! |
soh-KOH-hoo! |
| Call the police! |
Chame a polícia! |
SHA-mi ah poh-LEE-see-ah! |
| Call an ambulance! |
Chame uma ambulância! |
SHA-mi OO-mah am-boo-LAN-see-ah! |
| I need a doctor |
Preciso de um médico |
preh-SEE-zoo ji oong MEH-jee-koo |
| I was robbed |
Fui roubado/a |
foo-ee hoh-BAH-doo/dah |
| I’m lost |
Estou perdido/a |
es-TOH per-JEE-doo/dah |
| I’m allergic to… |
Sou alérgico/a a… |
soh ah-LER-zhee-koo/kah ah… |
| Hospital |
Hospital |
os-pee-TAL |
| Pharmacy |
Farmácia |
far-MAH-see-ah |
| I don’t feel well |
Não estou me sentindo bem |
now-ng es-TOH mi sen-CHIN-doo beng |
Brazilian Slang and Expressions Worth Knowing
Essential Brazilian Slang (Gíria)
| Expression |
Meaning |
When to Use |
| Saudade |
Longing/nostalgia for something loved |
Uniquely Brazilian concept; no English equivalent |
| Jeitinho brasileiro |
The Brazilian way of finding a creative solution |
When someone solves a problem unconventionally |
| Cara! |
Dude! / Man! |
Casual address between friends |
| Que saudade! |
I’ve missed you so much! |
When reuniting with someone |
| Muito massa! |
Really cool! / Awesome! |
Expressing enthusiasm |
| Que legal! |
Cool! / Great! |
Expressing approval |
| Vou nessa |
I’m off / I’m heading out |
Leaving a conversation |
| Bora! |
Let’s go! (short for vamos embora) |
Suggesting it’s time to leave or start something |
| Sossega |
Calm down / Relax |
When someone is stressed or agitated |
| Puts! / Putz! |
Wow! / Damn! |
Expression of surprise or frustration (mild) |
Frequently Asked Questions — Portuguese for Brazil
Do I need to speak Portuguese to visit Brazil?
You don’t need to speak Portuguese to visit Brazil — you can navigate major tourist destinations with English and Google Translate. However, knowing basic Portuguese phrases transforms your experience and is warmly appreciated by Brazilians. Outside major hotels and tourist agencies in Rio and São Paulo, English is not widely spoken — in restaurants, markets, small towns, and beach kiosks, Portuguese is essential. A basic vocabulary of 30–50 words and phrases is enough to handle most daily interactions.
Is Brazilian Portuguese hard to learn?
Brazilian Portuguese is considered relatively accessible for English speakers compared to languages like Mandarin, Arabic, or Japanese. The pronunciation is more open and clear than European Portuguese, grammar shares some similarities with English in terms of sentence structure, and the vocabulary has many cognates (words similar to English) due to shared Latin roots. For basic travel communication, 2–4 weeks of daily study with an app like Duolingo, Babbel, or Pimsleur is enough to handle restaurant orders, directions, shopping, and greetings confidently.
What is “tudo bem” in Brazilian Portuguese?
“Tudo bem” literally means “everything is good” and functions as Brazil’s universal greeting and positive response. When someone asks “Tudo bem?” (How are you? / Is everything good?), the standard reply is “Tudo bem!” or “Tudo bom!” (Everything’s great!). This exchange — tudo bem, tudo bem — is how millions of Brazilians greet each other every day. Using it immediately identifies you as someone making an effort and usually produces a warm smile in response.
Quick Reference Card: 20 Phrases to Know Before You Land
| # |
English |
Portuguese |
| 1 |
Thank you |
Obrigado/a |
| 2 |
Please |
Por favor |
| 3 |
How much? |
Quanto custa? |
| 4 |
Where is…? |
Onde fica…? |
| 5 |
The bill please |
A conta, por favor |
| 6 |
I don’t understand |
Não entendo |
| 7 |
Help! |
Socorro! |
| 8 |
How are you? |
Tudo bem? |
| 9 |
I’m a tourist |
Sou turista |
| 10 |
Do you speak English? |
Fala inglês? |
| 11 |
I would like… |
Quero… / Gostaria de… |
| 12 |
Without meat |
Sem carne |
| 13 |
Water please |
Água, por favor |
| 14 |
Very good! |
Muito bom! |
| 15 |
Let’s go! |
Vamos! / Bora! |
| 16 |
Expensive |
Caro |
| 17 |
Bathroom |
Banheiro |
| 18 |
I’m lost |
Estou perdido/a |
| 19 |
Good morning |
Bom dia |
| 20 |
Goodbye |
Tchau / Até logo |
Print or screenshot this card and keep it on your phone for quick reference throughout your Brazil trip.
