Travel phrases

Essential Portuguese travel phrases

Pack the words that matter. These are the 34 Portuguese phrases that actually come up on a trip, from your first Olá to calling for help, grouped by situation and written with a simple pronunciation guide, and read aloud at the tap of a button. Chosen the way a Portuguese speaker would choose them, which is why the list ends with the phrases you only hear once you are there.

Quick answer

The most useful Portuguese travel phrases cover greetings, politeness, directions, food, and emergencies. Learn a handful first: Olá (hello), Se faz favor (please), Obrigado (thank you, said by a man), and Onde é a casa de banho? (where's the toilet?). This free tool groups 34 Portuguese phrases by situation, each with a plain-English pronunciation and a play button that reads it aloud. They are the phrases Portuguese speakers really use, not an English list translated into Portuguese, so the last block is the one a phrasebook never has: what locals say to each other.

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The first 10 Portuguese phrases to learn

The ones you need on day one. Tap play, say the phrase back until it sounds close, then say it along with the voice: that is shadowing, the drill interpreters train with.

  1. 1 Olá Hello oh-LAH Fine with anyone; usually paired up as "Olá, bom dia"
  2. 2 Bom dia Good morning bong DEE-ah Until lunch, and it is how you walk into any shop or lift
  3. 3 Boa tarde Good afternoon BOH-uh TARD From lunch until dark; after dark it becomes "boa noite"
  4. 4 Tudo bem? How's it going? TOO-doo beng The usual follow-up to a greeting; answer "tudo bem" or just "tudo"
  5. 5 Até logo See you later ah-TEH LOH-goo The everyday goodbye; in Portugal "adeus" is just as ordinary, even to a cashier, and sounds final only in Brazil. "Até já" is see you in a minute
  6. 6 Obrigado Thank you, said by a man oh-bree-GAH-doo A woman says "obrigada": it agrees with the speaker, not the person thanked
  7. 7 Se faz favor Please suh fahsh fuh-VOR The everyday please in Portugal, heard more than "por favor" in shops and cafes
  8. 8 Sim / Não Yes / No SEENG / NOWNG Portuguese often answer by repeating the verb instead: "Tem?" gets "Tenho"
  9. 9 Desculpe, pode ajudar-me? Excuse me, can you help me? dush-KOOLP POD uh-zhoo-DAR-muh The polite opener to a stranger; "desculpe" on its own is also just sorry
  10. 10 Não percebo I don't understand nowng pur-SEH-boo Portugal says "percebo"; a Brazilian would say "não entendo"
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All 34 phrases, grouped by situation.

Greetings

Olá Hello oh-LAH Fine with anyone; usually paired up as "Olá, bom dia"
Bom dia Good morning bong DEE-ah Until lunch, and it is how you walk into any shop or lift
Boa tarde Good afternoon BOH-uh TARD From lunch until dark; after dark it becomes "boa noite"
Tudo bem? How's it going? TOO-doo beng The usual follow-up to a greeting; answer "tudo bem" or just "tudo"
Até logo See you later ah-TEH LOH-goo The everyday goodbye; in Portugal "adeus" is just as ordinary, even to a cashier, and sounds final only in Brazil. "Até já" is see you in a minute

Basics

Obrigado Thank you, said by a man oh-bree-GAH-doo A woman says "obrigada": it agrees with the speaker, not the person thanked
Se faz favor Please suh fahsh fuh-VOR The everyday please in Portugal, heard more than "por favor" in shops and cafes
Sim / Não Yes / No SEENG / NOWNG Portuguese often answer by repeating the verb instead: "Tem?" gets "Tenho"
Desculpe, pode ajudar-me? Excuse me, can you help me? dush-KOOLP POD uh-zhoo-DAR-muh The polite opener to a stranger; "desculpe" on its own is also just sorry
Não percebo I don't understand nowng pur-SEH-boo Portugal says "percebo"; a Brazilian would say "não entendo"
Fala inglês? Do you speak English? FAH-lah een-GLESH Common in Lisbon and Porto, much less so in a village cafe

Getting around

Onde é a casa de banho? Where's the toilet? OHND eh uh KAH-zuh duh BUH-nyoo Portugal says "casa de banho"; "banheiro" is the Brazilian word
Com licença Excuse me, coming through kong lee-SEN-sah To get past someone or off a crowded bus, not to open a question
Este autocarro vai ao centro? Does this bus go to the centre? ESHT ow-toh-KAH-rroo vy ow SEN-troo A bus is an "autocarro" in Portugal and an "ônibus" in Brazil
Pode parar aqui, se faz favor? Can you stop here, please? POD puh-RAR uh-KEE suh fahsh fuh-VOR To a taxi or Uber driver as you come up to the spot
É longe? Is it far? eh LOHNZH The follow-up once somebody has pointed you a direction

Eating out

Um café, se faz favor An espresso, please oong kuh-FEH suh fahsh fuh-VOR A café here is a small espresso; ask for an "abatanado" if you want it longer
A conta, se faz favor The bill, please uh KOHN-tuh suh fahsh fuh-VOR Bread and olives put on the table are charged; wave them away if you do not want them
Uma imperial, se faz favor A small draft beer, please OO-muh eeng-puh-ree-AHL suh fahsh fuh-VOR The Lisbon word for a small draft beer; in Porto you ask for a "fino"
O que recomenda? What do you recommend? oo kuh rruh-koo-MEN-duh Ask for the "prato do dia", the cheap daily dish every place has at lunch
Bom apetite Enjoy your meal bong uh-puh-TEET Said by the waiter serving you and by anyone passing your table

Shopping

Quanto custa? How much is it? KWAN-too KOOSH-tah
Estou só a ver, obrigado I'm just looking, thanks shtoh saw ah VEHR oh-bree-GAH-doo Portugal uses "estou a ver"; Brazil would say "estou vendo"
Posso pagar com cartão? Can I pay by card? POH-soo pah-GAR kong kar-TOWNG Cards are normal, but small cafes often set a minimum or want cash
Tem troco? Do you have change? teng TROH-koo Small cafes and market stalls often cannot break a fifty euro note

Emergencies

Socorro! Help! soo-KOH-rroo The shout in real danger; the emergency number is 112
Chame uma ambulância! Call an ambulance! SHAH-muh OO-muh ang-boo-LAN-syuh
Fui roubado I've been robbed fwee rroh-BAH-doo A woman says "fui roubada"; the police will take a written "queixa"
Estou perdido I'm lost shtoh pur-DEE-doo A woman says "estou perdida"

Locals say

De nada You're welcome duh NAH-duh The set answer to obrigado; "ora essa" is the warmer version
Pois Right, exactly POYSH The national filler: agrees, fills a pause, or just shows you are listening
Saúde! Cheers! suh-OOD The toast with glasses raised, and what you say when someone sneezes
Não faz mal No harm done nowng fahsh MAHL The set answer to "desculpe" after any small mishap; never mind, it is fine
Está bem OK, fine shtah BENG The everyday agreement, usually clipped in speech to "tá bem" or just "tá"

How to get the most from these phrases

Learn by situation, not alphabetically. Your memory files Olá next to the moment you would use it, so run through the greetings before you fly, the restaurant block on the way to dinner, and the emergency block once so it is there if you ever need it.

The pronunciation guide is written the way an English speaker would read it aloud, with the stressed syllable in capitals. It is a crutch, not the real sound. Press play, listen once, then say the phrase back: the audio fixes the vowels that plain English spelling cannot capture. Once a phrase feels easy, say it together with the voice, a beat behind, the way interpreters drill: our guide to shadowing explains the sequence.

Phrases get you to the country. What gets you fluent is meeting the same words again and again in context, which is exactly what reading does. Once Se faz favor and Obrigado feel automatic, the next step is a real Portuguese sentence, then a page, then a book. That is the whole idea behind reading in Lingo7.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most important Portuguese phrases for travel?

Start with greetings and politeness, then the phrases that solve a real problem: asking directions, ordering, paying, and getting help. On this page that is Olá (hello), Se faz favor (please), Obrigado (thank you, said by a man), Onde é a casa de banho? (where's the toilet?), and Socorro! (help!). Learn those few and you can be polite and safe almost anywhere.

What do Portuguese locals say that a phrasebook leaves out?

A phrasebook translates English, so it gives you the Portuguese for "hello" and stops. The phrases people there actually trade all day are the ones with no English slot: De nada (you're welcome), Pois (right, exactly), Saúde! (cheers!). The "Locals say" block on this page collects 5 of them and says when each one is used, which is usually what turns a correct sentence into a normal one.

What do these Portuguese phrases sound like?

Tap the play button next to a phrase and you hear it read aloud, so you can copy the sound instead of guessing it from the spelling. The written pronunciation is a crutch for English eyes, the audio is the real thing. Play Olá and Obrigado a few times, say them back, and they come out right when it counts.

How do you say hello and thank you in Portuguese?

In Portuguese, hello is Olá (pronounced oh-LAH) and thank you is Obrigado (oh-bree-GAH-doo). Add Se faz favor (please) and Até logo (see you later), and you have the words that carry most short exchanges with a shopkeeper, waiter, or stranger.

How do you ask where the toilet is in Portuguese?

Ask Onde é a casa de banho? (pronounced OHND eh uh KAH-zuh duh BUH-nyoo), which means "where's the toilet?" in Portuguese. If you only catch part of the reply, Não percebo (I don't understand) and a smile usually gets it repeated or pointed out. It is one of the few phrases worth memorizing word for word before you go.

Do I need to learn Portuguese before traveling?

No, but a dozen Portuguese phrases go a long way. Locals warm up fast when you open with Olá and Obrigado instead of English. You do not need grammar or fluency for a trip, just the survival set above. For anything past that, the fastest route to real Portuguese is reading, which is exactly what Lingo7 is built for.