Learn Portuguese by speaking it

Your first Portuguese phrases

From section 1, First Steps. Every phrase in the course comes with a tip like these.

• 👋
  Oi Hello

  Oi is the everyday Brazilian hello; olá sounds a little more formal or written.

• ☀️
  Bom dia Good morning

  Dia is masculine, so the adjective is bom, not boa. After noon it becomes boa tarde.

• ☕️
  Um café, por favor A coffee, please

  Café is masculine, so um. A small strong one is um cafezinho.

• 🪑
  Uma mesa para dois A table for two

  Mesa is feminine, so uma. Para dois uses the masculine number for a mixed pair.

• 🚉
  Onde fica a estação? Where is the station?

  For where a place is, Brazilians use ficar rather than estar.

• ⬅️
  Vire à esquerda Turn left

  The à is a plus a, written with a grave accent; esquerda is left, direita right.

• 🔢
  Um, dois, três One, two, three

  Only um and dois change for gender, becoming uma and duas.

• ✋
  Quatro e cinco Four and five

  E means and. From três upwards the numbers no longer change for gender.

• 🔢
  Vinte e um, vinte e dois, vinte e três Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three

  Portuguese joins every part of a number with 'e'.

• 💶
  Dá quarenta euros That will be forty euros

  'Dá' is what a shop says for a total; 'fica em' also works.

The Portuguese course, section by section

Each section has five units of five lessons, a review and a grammar guidebook.

1. A1 Section 1: First StepsSay hello, order, count and find your way

   First Words

   Say hello and introduce yourself

   Greetings · Introductions · Politeness · Getting Help · Small Talk

   “Oi”

   Food & Drinks

   Order like a local

   At the Café · Ordering Food · Tastes · Drinks · The Bill

   “Um café, por favor”

   Getting Around

   Find your way in a new city

   Asking the Way · Taking a Taxi · Public Transport · At the Hotel · Sightseeing

   “Onde fica a estação?”

   Numbers & Money

   Count, pay and tell the time

   Counting · Prices · Time · Days · At the Bank

   “Um, dois, três”

   The Calendar

   Bigger numbers, months and dates

   Bigger Numbers · Months · Dates · Picking a Day · How Long

   “Vinte e um, vinte e dois, vinte e três”

   Guidebook: 18 grammar notes

   • Ser and estar. Sou (ser) is for who you are and where you are from. Estou (estar) is for how you feel and where you are right now.
   • Questions by intonation. Portuguese has no special question word order and no upside-down marks. You keep the normal order and lift your voice at the end.
   • Obrigado agrees with you. Obrigado is an adjective meaning obliged, so a man says obrigado and a woman obrigada, whoever they are thanking.
   • Você, the everyday you. Você is the normal you in Brazil and takes the same verb form as ele and ela. Tu survives in the south and in Portugal.
2. A1 Section 2: Everyday LifeShops, health, family, food and your routine

   Shopping

   Buy what you need

   At the Shop · Sizes & Colors · At the Market · Pharmacy · Returns

   “Só estou olhando”

   Health & Safety

   Get help when you need it

   How You Feel · At the Doctor · Emergencies · The Body · Staying Safe

   “Não estou me sentindo bem”

   Family & Friends

   Talk about the people in your life

   My Family · Friends · About You · Describing People · Invitations

   “Esta é a minha mãe”

   Daily Life

   Your day from morning to night

   Morning · At Work · Evening · Free Time · Chores

   “Acordo às sete”

   Food & Cooking

   Groceries, the kitchen and eating at home

   At the Supermarket · Fruit & Vegetables · In the Fridge · Simple Cooking · Eating at Home

   “Onde fica o pão?”

   Guidebook: 15 grammar notes

   • Isso, esse and aquilo. Esse and isso point at what is near the person you are talking to, este and isto at what is near you, and aquele at what is far from both.
   • Posso for permission. Posso plus an infinitive asks may I. The object is usually dropped when the situation already makes it clear.
   • Estar plus the -ndo form. Brazilians build the present continuous with estar and a verb in -ndo: estou olhando, não está funcionando. Portugal says estou a olhar instead.
   • Estar com for aches. For pain, fever, hunger or fear Portuguese says you are with it: estou com dor de cabeça, estou com febre.
3. A2 Section 3: Making PlansWeather, feelings, home, clothes and your phone

   Weather & Plans

   Talk about today and tomorrow

   Weather · Seasons · Making Plans · Trips · Changing Plans

   “Hoje está fazendo sol”

   Feelings & Opinions

   Say what you think and feel

   Feelings · Opinions · Likes & Dislikes · Compliments · Wishes

   “Estou feliz”

   Home & Living

   Your place and the people around it

   My Home · Renting · Problems at Home · Neighbors · Guests

   “Moro num apartamento”

   Phone & Internet

   Calls, messages and Wi-Fi

   Phone Calls · Messages · Wi-Fi & Data · Apps & Photos · Tech Problems

   “Posso te ligar depois?”

   What to Wear

   Clothes, the weather and your own style

   Getting Dressed · Dressing for the Weather · What Suits You · Looking After Clothes · Style & Taste

   “Estou me vestindo”

   Guidebook: 15 grammar notes

   • Weather has no subject. Chover, nevar and ventar take no subject at all: está chovendo, neva. For sun and heat Brazilians use fazer or estar instead.
   • Ir plus an infinitive. The everyday future is ir plus an infinitive: vou fazer, vou viajar. The plain present also works when the time is already clear.
   • Vamos for let us. Vamos plus an infinitive suggests doing something together, and it doubles as the plain nós form of ir.
   • Estou feliz or sou feliz. Estar describes a mood right now: estou feliz. Ser makes it part of who you are, so sou feliz means you are a happy person.
4. A2 Section 4: Out & AboutTravel, driving, hobbies and celebrations

   Travel

   From the airport to the road

   Check-in · Security · On the Plane · Arrival · Renting a Car

   “Aqui está o meu passaporte”

   Around Town

   Errands and everyday services

   Post Office · Hair Salon · Gym & Pool · Library · Laundry & Repairs

   “Quero enviar uma encomenda”

   Sports & Hobbies

   What you do for fun

   Sports · Music & Movies · Books & Games · Outdoors · Hobbies at Home

   “Você pratica algum esporte?”

   Celebrations

   Parties, gifts and holidays

   Parties · Gifts · Holidays · Weddings & Babies · Traditions

   “Você está convidado”

   On the Road

   Driving, parking and getting around on two wheels

   Driving · Parking · At the Gas Station · Problems on the Road · Walking & Cycling

   “Você pode me levar em casa?”

   Guidebook: 15 grammar notes

   • Por and para. Para points at a destination or a purpose: para o aeroporto. Por covers a stretch of time or a reason: por três dias, por hobby.
   • Commands at a counter. Airport and shop staff use the polite command: tire, enche, chame. It ends in -e for -ar verbs and -a for -er and -ir verbs.
   • The article instead of my. With clothes and body parts Portuguese uses the plain article, not a possessive: tire os sapatos, cortar o cabelo, escovo os dentes.
   • Queria for requests. Queria, the imperfect of querer, is the standard polite request at a counter: eu queria alugar, eu queria cortar o cabelo.
5. A2 Section 5: Time TravelWork, the past, the future and real talk

   Work & Study

   At the office and in class

   My Job · At the Office · Meetings · At School · Applying for a Job

   “O que você faz?”

   Talking About the Past

   Yesterday, last weekend and long ago

   Yesterday · Last Weekend · Childhood · Experiences · Telling a Story

   “O que você fez ontem?”

   Future & Goals

   Plans, dreams and promises

   Tomorrow · Goals · Dreams · Promises & Offers · Predictions

   “Amanhã eu vou trabalhar de casa”

   Real Conversations

   Keep a chat going like a native

   Keeping It Going · Reacting · Asking Nicely · Disagreeing Politely · Saying Goodbye

   “Como vão as coisas?”

   Making Friends

   How you met, staying in touch and saying yes or no

   How We Met · Keeping in Touch · Inviting · Saying Yes or No · Getting Closer

   “A gente se conheceu por um amigo”

   Guidebook: 15 grammar notes

   • Trabalho, emprego, vaga. Trabalho is work in general, emprego a job post and vaga an open position. After sou a profession still takes no article.
   • Brazilian office and school words. Arquivo is a file, prova a test, aula a class and cafezinho the coffee break. Portugal would say ficheiro and teste instead.
   • Pode me plus an infinitive. Pode me followed by an infinitive is the standard polite request in Brazil. Portugal hooks the pronoun onto the end of the verb.
   • Pretérito perfeito. One past tense covers the English did and have done: fui, fiquei, comi, dormi. Irregulars like fui, fez and foi have to be learned.
6. B1 Section 6: Connecting IdeasLonger sentences with because, but and so

   Because & But

   Give reasons and contrasts

   Giving Reasons · Contrasts · Consequences · In Order · Adding Ideas

   “Estou atrasado por causa do trânsito”

   Describing Places

   Say what a place is like

   My Neighborhood · In the City · In Nature · Inside a Place · First Impressions

   “Moro num bairro tranquilo”

   Step by Step

   Explain how to do something

   In the Kitchen · Following a Recipe · How It Works · Detailed Directions · Rules & Signs

   “Me passa a faca?”

   Comparing & Choosing

   Say which one and why

   Better or Worse · The Best of All · Which One? · Price & Quality · Making a Decision

   “Esse é melhor do que aquele”

   Giving Advice

   Should, could and if I were you

   Asking for Advice · Suggestions · Warnings · Encouragement · Health Advice

   “O que você faria no meu lugar?”

   Guidebook: 17 grammar notes

   • Porque and por causa de. Porque introduces a whole sentence with its own verb. Por causa de is followed by a noun and merges with the article: por causa do, por causa da.
   • Mas, porém and embora. Mas is the everyday but and porém a written however. Embora always drags the subjunctive behind it: embora seja, embora tenha.
   • Então and por isso. Então gives the result straight after the cause. Por isso says the same thing but opens the sentence and points back at the reason.
   • Estar com fome. Portuguese is with hunger, with cold, with pain: estou com fome, estou com frio, estou com dor. Tiredness is the exception and takes estar cansado.
7. B1 Section 7: Handling SituationsProblems, interviews, money and paperwork

   Complaints & Problems

   Say what went wrong, politely

   At the Hotel · At the Restaurant · Faulty Products · Late & Lost · Getting It Fixed

   “Infelizmente tem um problema no meu quarto”

   Job Interview

   Talk about yourself with confidence

   About Yourself · Strengths & Weaknesses · Your Experience · Questions to Ask · Salary & Start Date

   “Obrigado pelo convite para esta entrevista”

   Money Matters

   Accounts, bills and transfers

   Opening an Account · Paying Bills · Sending Money · Budgeting · Fees & Insurance

   “Eu gostaria de abrir uma conta bancária”

   Paperwork

   Appointments, forms and documents

   Making an Appointment · Filling In Forms · At the Office · Documents · Deadlines & Renewals

   “Eu gostaria de marcar um horário, por favor”

   Living Abroad

   Settle in a new country

   Finding an Apartment · Utilities & Repairs · Meeting Locals · Settling In · Local Customs

   “O depósito é de um mês ou dois?”

   Guidebook: 15 grammar notes

   • Poderia and o senhor. Poderia is the polite could, and with staff or officials it pairs with o senhor and a senhora. Pode me plus an infinitive is the everyday version.
   • Há and desde for time. Há plus a length of time says how long it has been going on and desde plus a day says since when. Both take the plain present in Portuguese.
   • Faltar turns it around. Está faltando uma peça: what is missing becomes the subject and there is no word for missing. Sobrar works the same way for what is left over.
   • Interview register. Eu gostaria de and eu queria replace quero, em busca de replaces estou procurando, and de vocês is the polite your when you mean a company.
8. B2 Section 8: Speak Your MindOpinions, stories, what-ifs and idioms

   Debating Opinions

   Argue your point and listen

   Strong Opinions · Both Sides · Persuading · Doubts · Changing Your Mind

   “Se quer saber, essa abordagem está errada”

   Telling Stories

   Make people listen

   Setting the Scene · What Happened Next · Surprises & Twists · Feelings in the Story · The Moral

   “Isso aconteceu faz uns dois anos”

   News & Society

   Talk about the world

   In the News · The Environment · Technology & Us · Work & Life Balance · Traditions & Change

   “Você soube o que aconteceu no centro?”

   What If

   Imagine, regret and wish

   If I Had Time · Imagining · Regrets · Wishes · Plan B

   “Se eu tiver tempo amanhã, eu te ligo”

   Idioms & Expressions

   Sound like a native

   Everyday Idioms · Feelings in Idioms · Casual Talk · Being Funny · Sounding Natural

   “Custa os olhos da cara”

   Guidebook: 16 grammar notes

   • Opening an opinion. Se quer saber, para mim, na minha opinião and eu acho que all open a view. Acho que is by far the most common one in speech.
   • Por um lado, por outro lado. The pair frames the two sides of a question. Depender de and o ponto de vista carry the de that English quietly drops.
   • Verbs that keep a preposition. Concordar com, confiar em, acreditar em, depender de, convencido de: the little word belongs to the verb and merges into com o, no, desse.
   • Setting the scene and cutting in. The imperfect estava indo, era, estava paints the background, while the pretérito ouvi, pulou, ficou reports what happened at one point.

Speak Portuguese with an AI partner

The same 385 scenarios work in Portuguese. Your partner answers in Portuguese, rates each message Perfect, Good or Revision needed, and every scenario has goals to tick off. A few to start with:

18 Portuguese stories, read aloud

Short stories at A1, A2 and B1, each read by one of the characters, with questions at the end.

Bia está na estação. Bia is at the station.

São oito horas da manhã. It is eight o'clock in the morning.

From “O Trem Atrasado”