🇵🇹 PORTUGAL · PORTUGUESE FOR AUSSIE TRAVELLERS
Essential phrases for travel in Portugal.
THE SHORT ANSWER · BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE
The five phrases you'll use most in Portugal are: Oi (hello), Tchau (goodbye), Obrigado / Obrigada (thank you), Por favor (please), Com licença / Desculpa (excuse me / sorry). Locals appreciate any effort — even rough pronunciation lands warmer than English-only.
What language do they speak in Portugal?
Brazilian Portuguese — different enough from European Portuguese that locals notice instantly. Famous tells: the 'jee' sound (instead of 'deh'), the 'rr' that sounds like 'h', and the universal 'tudo bem'.
The 12 phrases that get you through day one
HELLO
Oi
OY
'Oi' is informal-but-universal in Brazil — works for friends, taxi drivers, baristas. 'Olá' (oh-LAH) is the slightly more formal cousin.
GOODBYE
Tchau
CHOW
Same word as the Italian 'ciao' — Brazilians borrowed it and made it their own. Universal goodbye.
THANK YOU
Obrigado / Obrigada
oh-bree-GAH-doo (men) / oh-bree-GAH-dah (women)
Gendered — men say 'obrigado', women say 'obrigada'. About the speaker, not who they're thanking.
Literally means 'obliged'. You're saying 'I'm obliged' — like an old-fashioned 'much obliged'.
PLEASE
Por favor
poor fah-VOR
EXCUSE ME / SORRY
Com licença / Desculpa
kohm lee-SEN-sah / dehs-KOOL-pah
'Com licença' = to get past or get attention. 'Desculpa' = to apologise. Two different jobs.
YES / NO
Sim / Não
SEEM / NOWN (nasal!)
'Não' is nasal — your mouth stays slightly open. It's not 'now' or 'no' — it's a sound that doesn't exist in English. Listen and copy.
DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?
Você fala inglês?
voh-SEH FAH-lah een-GLES
A TABLE FOR TWO, PLEASE
Uma mesa para dois, por favor
OO-mah MEH-zah PAH-rah doh-EES poor fah-VOR
THE MENU, PLEASE
O cardápio, por favor
oo kar-DAH-pee-oo poor fah-VOR
Brazilians use 'cardápio' for the menu (not 'menu' itself). 'Menu' in Brazil sometimes means a set lunch deal.
THE BILL, PLEASE
A conta, por favor
ah KOHN-tah poor fah-VOR
I'M ALLERGIC TO…
Sou alérgico/a a…
soh ah-LEHR-jee-koo ah
WATER PLEASE — STILL / SPARKLING
Água, por favor — sem gás / com gás
AH-gwah poor fah-VOR — sehm gahs / kohm gahs
45 PHRASES · TAP TO HEAR · NO STREAKS
Learn the full Portuguese traveller phrasebook
Paced to your trip date, with cultural context and mnemonics.
Phonetics are Aussie-friendly pronunciation guides — not academic IPA. Speak each one aloud before you need it.