Lesson 02 - Basic Portuguese Phrases

Basic Portuguese Phrases

O senhor fala português? Do you speak Portuguese? (formal)	Você fala inglês? Do you speak English? (informal)	(Não) Falo... I (don't) speak...
Compreende? Do you understand? (formal / informal)	(Não) Compreendo. I (don't) understand.	Eu (não) sei. yoh noh loh seh I (don't) know.
Pode me ajudar? Can you help me?	Claro que sim Of course	Como? What? Pardon me?
Onde está / Onde estão... ? Where is ... / Where are ... ?	Aqui Here.	Há / Havia... There is / are... / There was / were...
Como se diz ____ em português? How do you say ___ in Portuguese?	O que é isto? What is that?	Qual é o problema? What's the matter (with you)?
Não importa. It doesn't matter.	O que aconteceu? What's happening?	Não tenho idéia. I have no idea.
Estou cansado / doente. I'm tired / sick.	Estou com fome / sêde. I'm hungry / thirsty.	Estou com calor / frio. I'm hot / cold.
Estou chateado. I'm bored.	Não me importa. I don't care.	Não se preocupe. Don't worry
Tudo bem / 'Tá bom. That's alright.	Me esqueci. I forgot.	Tenho que ir agora. I must go now.
Saúde! Bless you!	Parabéns! Congratulations!	Boa sorte! Good luck!
É a sua vez. It's your turn. (informal)	Cale-se! / Cala a boca! Shut up!	Eu te amo. I love you. (informal and singular)

Notice that Portuguese has informal and formal ways of saying things. This is because there is more than one meaning to "you" in Portuguese (as well as in many other languages.) The informal you is used when talking to close friends, relatives, animals or children. The formal you is used when talking to someone who is older than you or someone for whom you would like to show respect (a professor, for example.) There are also two ways to say you in the plural, used when speaking to more than one person.

All the adjectives in Portuguese have masculine and feminine forms, as we'll see later.