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Brazilian Portuguese essentials: 50 high-frequency words and phrases

The first fifty Brazilian Portuguese words and phrases: greetings, core verbs like ser, estar and ter, everyday nouns and numbers, each with an example.

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oi

Informal greeting; olá is more neutral

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All 50 cards

  1. 1
    oi
    Informal greeting; olá is more neutral
    hi
    Oi, tudo bem? — Hi, how’s it going?
  2. 2
    bom dia
    Greeting, used until noon
    good morning
    Bom dia! Dormiu bem? — Good morning. Did you sleep well?
  3. 3
    boa tarde
    Greeting, used from noon until dark
    good afternoon
    Boa tarde, posso ajudar? — Good afternoon, can I help you?
  4. 4
    boa noite
    Greeting or farewell after dark
    good evening; good night
    Boa noite, até amanhã. — Good night, see you tomorrow.
  5. 5
    tchau
    Informal farewell
    bye
    Tchau, até logo. — Bye, see you later.
  6. 6
    obrigado / obrigada
    A man says obrigado, a woman obrigada
    thank you
    Muito obrigada pela ajuda. — Thank you very much for the help.
  7. 7
    por favor
    Phrase
    please
    Um café, por favor. — A coffee, please.
  8. 8
    de nada
    Reply to obrigado
    you’re welcome
    De nada, foi um prazer. — You’re welcome, it was a pleasure.
  9. 9
    desculpa
    Informal; desculpe is a bit more formal
    sorry; excuse me
    Desculpa, cheguei atrasado. — Sorry, I’m late.
  10. 10
    com licença
    Polite phrase
    excuse me (to get past or interrupt)
    Com licença, posso passar? — Excuse me, can I get by?
  11. 11
    Tudo bem?
    Informal; the answer is often tudo bem too
    How are you?; Is everything OK?
    Tudo bem, e você? — I’m fine, and you?
  12. 12
    Quanto custa?
    Question
    How much does it cost?
    Quanto custa essa camiseta? — How much is this T-shirt?
  13. 13
    Não entendo
    Phrase; Brazilians often say não entendi
    I don’t understand
    Não entendo. Pode repetir, por favor? — I don’t understand. Could you repeat that, please?
  14. 14
    Onde fica…?
    Question for the location of places
    Where is…?
    Onde fica o banheiro? — Where is the bathroom?
  15. 15
    Meu nome é…
    Phrase; also eu me chamo…
    My name is…
    Meu nome é Ana. E o seu? — My name is Ana. And yours?
  16. 16
    ser
    Irregular verb: eu sou, você é
    to be (identity, origin, traits)
    Sou de São Paulo. — I’m from São Paulo.
  17. 17
    estar
    Irregular verb: eu estou, você está
    to be (location, states)
    Estou muito cansado hoje. — I’m very tired today.
  18. 18
    ter
    Irregular verb: eu tenho, você tem; also used for age
    to have
    Você tem irmãos? — Do you have any brothers or sisters?
  19. 19
    ir
    Irregular verb: eu vou, você vai
    to go
    Vamos à praia amanhã? — Shall we go to the beach tomorrow?
  20. 20
    fazer
    Irregular verb: eu faço; also used for weather
    to do; to make
    Hoje faz muito calor. — It’s very hot today.
  21. 21
    poder
    Irregular verb: eu posso, você pode
    can; to be able to
    Posso pagar com cartão? — Can I pay by card?
  22. 22
    querer
    Irregular verb: eu quero; eu queria is a polite “I’d like”
    to want
    Eu queria um copo de água. — I’d like a glass of water.
  23. 23
    saber
    Irregular verb: eu sei
    to know (facts, how to)
    Não sei onde ele está. — I don’t know where he is.
  24. 24
    falar
    Regular -ar verb
    to speak; to talk
    Você fala inglês? — Do you speak English?
  25. 25
    comer
    Regular -er verb
    to eat
    Comemos ao meio-dia. — We eat at noon.
  26. 26
    morar
    Regular -ar verb
    to live (somewhere)
    Moro em Salvador com minha família. — I live in Salvador with my family.
  27. 27
    gostar de
    Verb always followed by de
    to like
    Gosto muito de música brasileira. — I really like Brazilian music.
  28. 28
    precisar de
    Takes de before a noun, but not before a verb
    to need
    Preciso de ajuda. — I need help.
  29. 29
    vir
    Irregular verb: eu venho, você vem
    to come
    Você vem com a gente? — Are you coming with us?
  30. 30
    a água
    Feminine noun
    water
    A água está gelada. — The water is ice-cold.
  31. 31
    a casa
    Feminine noun
    house; home
    Hoje vou ficar em casa. — I’m staying home today.
  32. 32
    o dia
    Masculine noun, despite the -a
    day
    Tenha um bom dia. — Have a good day.
  33. 33
    o trabalho
    Masculine noun
    work; job
    Estou procurando trabalho. — I’m looking for work.
  34. 34
    a cidade
    Feminine noun (nouns in -dade are feminine)
    city; town
    Recife é uma cidade linda. — Recife is a beautiful city.
  35. 35
    o amigo / a amiga
    Noun: -o for a man, -a for a woman
    friend
    Ela é minha melhor amiga. — She’s my best friend.
  36. 36
    o problema
    Masculine noun, despite the -a
    problem
    Não tem problema. — No problem.
  37. 37
    o ônibus
    Masculine noun, same in the plural; in Portugal: o autocarro
    bus
    O ônibus está atrasado. — The bus is late.
  38. 38
    o café da manhã
    Masculine noun; in Portugal: o pequeno-almoço
    breakfast
    O café da manhã está pronto. — Breakfast is ready.
  39. 39
    a gente
    Takes a singular verb: a gente vai
    we (informal); people
    A gente se vê amanhã. — See you tomorrow.
  40. 40
    um, dois, três, quatro, cinco
    Numbers; one and two have feminine forms: uma, duas
    one, two, three, four, five
    Tenho duas irmãs. — I have two sisters.
  41. 41
    seis, sete, oito, nove, dez
    Numbers; in phone numbers, six is often said meia
    six, seven, eight, nine, ten
    A loja abre às nove. — The shop opens at nine.
  42. 42
    vinte
    Number; then vinte e um, vinte e dois…
    twenty
    Ela tem vinte e cinco anos. — She’s twenty-five years old.
  43. 43
    cem / mil
    Numbers; cem becomes cento before another number: cento e um
    a hundred / a thousand
    Custa mil reais. — It costs a thousand reais.
  44. 44
    hoje
    Adverb
    today
    Que dia é hoje? — What day is it today?
  45. 45
    amanhã
    Adverb; de manhã means “in the morning”
    tomorrow
    Amanhã vai chover. — It’s going to rain tomorrow.
  46. 46
    ontem
    Adverb
    yesterday
    Ontem fui ao cinema. — Yesterday I went to the movies.
  47. 47
    agora
    Adverb
    now
    Agora não posso falar. — I can’t talk right now.
  48. 48
    Que horas são?
    Question; for one o’clock the answer is é uma hora
    What time is it?
    Que horas são? São duas e meia. — What time is it? It’s half past two.
  49. 49
    a semana
    Feminine noun; fim de semana is “weekend”
    week
    Vou à academia duas vezes por semana. — I go to the gym twice a week.
  50. 50
    muito
    Adverb, or an adjective that agrees: muita, muitos, muitas
    very; a lot; much
    Tem muita gente na praia. — There are a lot of people on the beach.

Frequently asked questions

Is this Brazilian or European Portuguese?

Brazilian. Most of these words are the same in Portugal, but a few everyday ones differ: ônibus is autocarro there, and café da manhã is pequeno-almoço. The cards mark those.

What is the difference between ser and estar?

Both mean “to be”. Ser is for identity, origin and lasting traits (sou professor); estar is for location and temporary states (estou cansado). For where a place is, Brazilians often use ficar: onde fica o banco?

When do I use você or tu?

Você is the usual “you” in most of Brazil and takes the same verb form as ele and ela: você fala. Tu is heard in some regions, and in Portugal it is the normal informal “you”.

What does a gente mean?

Literally “the people”, but in everyday Brazilian speech it means “we” and takes a singular verb: a gente vai (we’re going). Nós vamos means the same and sounds a bit more formal.

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