It’s world cup fever and Brazil is the travel highlight for June & July. So why not learn a bit of Portuguese. Portuguese is the national language here. English is more prevalent in the tourist hot spots but learn a bit of Portuguese and you’ll go far. Check out the ten Brazilian phrases & words below to get you started:
- Obrigado/Obrigada
Thank you. A bit of politeness goes a long way! If you’re male you say ‘obrigado’ whereas females says ‘obrigada’. - Fala inglês?
Do you speak English? - Quanto custa isto?
How much is this? - Quero uma cerveja
I would like a beer (no doubt you’ll be doing some drinking…) - Lindo maravilhoso!
Beautiful or marvellous. Brazilians like to gush about beauty and how amazing things are. - É mesmo?
A reaction to an interesting new fact, it’s like saying ‘really’. - Pois não?
A common phrase you might hear when you enter a shop. Pois não means can I help you? It’s a funny phrase, because it literally means ‘because no?’ which doesn’t really make much sense at all… - Fique tranquilo
If something doesn’t work out someone will probably say ‘fique tranquilo’ which means don’t worry! If the bus takes off just as you arrive to the bus stop, don’t worry. Fique tranquilo, there’ll be another one in ten minutes. And you can make friends while you wait. - Você quer dançar?
Would you like to dance? - Gringo/gringa
What the Brazilians call foreigners, gringo for a male, gringa for a female. This isn’t an insult!
