Português · 63 phrases · 7 categories

Basic Portuguese Phrases for Travelers

Hello in Portuguese is Olá, thank you is Obrigado/a, and the one to memorise before anything else is Socorro! — help. Below: all 63 phrases across 7 travel situations, each one tappable to copy.

Widely spoken in Lisbon and Porto. Much rarer across Brazil, including in Rio and São Paulo, where a phrasebook earns its keep.

Say obrigado if you are male and obrigada if you are female — the word agrees with the speaker, not with the person being thanked.

The Portuguese phrases to learn first

A greeting, a thank-you, an apology, a question, a price and an emergency — enough to get through a first day in Português.

Hello

Olá

Thank you

Obrigado/a

Please

Por favor

Excuse me / sorry

Com licença

Do you speak English?

Fala inglês?

How much is this?

Quanto custa?

Where is...?

Onde fica...?

Help!

Socorro!

How Portuguese is written

Latin alphabet with ã, õ, ç and accented vowels.

Where it gets you further

Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde and Timor-Leste.

🇵🇹 Portuguese — 8 countries

Saying Português out loud

  • European and Brazilian Portuguese sound very different. Brazilian is more open and far easier for a beginner to follow.
  • The nasal ã and õ in pão and irmão go through the nose with no n sound at all.
  • In Brazil, de and te before an i sound become jee and chee, so cidade is see-DA-jee.
  • European Portuguese swallows unstressed vowels, which is why it sounds more clipped than it looks on the page.
  • Lh is the lli in million and nh is the ny in canyon.

The mistake travelers make in Portuguese: Portuguese is not Spanish. Speaking Spanish in Brazil is understood but often lands badly; a handful of real Portuguese words goes much further.

All 63 Portuguese phrases, by situation

Yes

Sim

No

Não

Please

Por favor

Thank you

Obrigado/a

You're welcome

De nada

Excuse me / Sorry

Com licença

I don't understand

Não entendo

Do you speak English?

Fala inglês?

I don't speak [lang]

Não falo português

A little

Um pouco

Phrase guides in other languages

🇪🇸Spanish🇫🇷French🇯🇵Japanese🇩🇪German🇮🇹Italian🇨🇳Mandarin🇸🇦Arabic🇹🇭Thai🇮🇩IndonesianAll 10 languages

Ready to Go?

You've got the phrases — now plan your full trip with costs, transport, and a day-by-day itinerary.

✈️ Plan My Trip All Free ToolsEmergency Guide