Portuguese Phrasebook

Portuguese sounds unfamiliar to German ears at first — almost Slavic, some say. This is due to the many sibilants, nasal vowels, and swallowed syllables. European Portuguese (in Portugal) sounds quite different from Brazilian Portuguese — the Brazilian variant is more open, melodic, and easier to understand. Portuguese people understand Brazilians well, but not always vice versa.

Pronunciation Guide

Basic Rules

• The stress is usually on the penultimate syllable (if the word ends in a vowel or -s/-m) or on the last syllable (if it ends in a consonant). Accents indicate deviations
• Unstressed vowels are greatly reduced or completely swallowed — hence Portuguese sounds so "compressed"
• Women say "obrigada" (thank you), men "obrigado" — the adjective adapts to the gender of the speaker

Politeness is highly valued in Portugal. People greet when entering a shop, thank profusely, and often use "se faz favor" (please). Here are the most important expressions.

Greeting

Politeness

Addressing

Portuguese people often use “Senhor" / “Senhora" (Mr. / Mrs.) as a polite form of address — even without last names. In a restaurant: “Senhor, a conta, se faz favor" (Sir [waiter], the bill, please). The informal form (tu) is used only among friends and young people. The formal address is the 3rd person singular (ele/ela — thus “Fala" instead of “Falas").

Dining in Portugal is a social event — and a few words in Portuguese make the experience even more authentic.

Ordering & Inquiring

Drinks

Evaluating Food

A particularly useful phrase: “O couvert é obrigatório?" (Is the couvert mandatory?) — This way you'll find out if the appetizers on the table are free or will be charged.

At markets and in small shops, a few words in Portuguese make a big difference. Bargaining is uncommon in Portugal — except at flea markets (Feira da Ladra in Lisbon, Vandoma in Porto) and for larger purchases.

In the Shop

Numbers

At markets, prices are often given per kilo. Useful: “Meio quilo de..." (half a kilo of...) or “Duzentos gramas de..." (200 grams of...).

Navigation and transport in Portugal — the most important phrases for bus, train, taxi, and when you get lost.

Orientation

Transport

Useful Place Terms

Even though English usually works in emergencies — these phrases can help in stressful situations.

Allergies & Intolerances

Important: The emergency number 112 works throughout Portugal. The control center speaks Portuguese and English. At the police, you can file a report at tourist posts (in Lisbon, Porto, and the Algarve) also in German or English.

Finally, a collection of particularly useful everyday phrases and a comparison between European and Brazilian Portuguese that travelers should know.

Everyday Phrases

European vs. Brazilian Portuguese

Since many learning materials are geared towards Brazilian Portuguese, here are the most important differences:

Note: The word "rapariga" means "girl/young woman" in Portugal, but "prostitute" in Brazil — a popular example of the pitfalls between the two variants.

Pronunciation Differences

The biggest difference is pronunciation: In Portugal, unstressed vowels are swallowed, and "-de" / "-te" at the end of a word are pronounced like "d"/"t". In Brazil, they become "dschi"/"tschi" — "cidade" sounds like "ssi-DAD" in Portugal and "ssi-DA-dschi" in Brazil. If you speak with a Brazilian accent in Portugal, everyone will understand you — but Portuguese people will be amused.