We’re getting ever closer to our trip to Portugal and though we’ve got out travel itinerary pretty much nailed down, we still have to perfect a few phrases we’ll be using as we travel around Lisbon!
I love learning new languages and while I have no hopes of being fluent in Portuguese by the time we board our flight to Lisbon, I hope to at least have mastered the basics and can speak to the hotel staff, tour guides, and servers in Portuguese as we explore the city.
I always think it’s important to have a few phrases memorized in the language of your travel destination just to help cross that language barrier–even if it’s simply saying I don’t speak the language outside of hello, bye, and thank you.
So, as we prepare for our Portugal getaway, I’ve been rounding up some travel phrases that will probably come in handy on our trip.
Portuguese phrases for travel
English | Portuguese | Pronunciation
Portuguese greetings
Hello … Olá (oh-lah)
Good day … Bom dia (bom dee-ah)
Good evening … Boa tarde (bo-ah tar-deh)
Good night … Boa noite (bo-ah noyt)
Goodbye … Tchau (chow)
How are you? … Como está? (ko-mo es-tah) or tudo bem (too-do beng)
I’m fine, thanks … Estou bem, obrigado/a (es-tou behm, oh-bri-gah-do/da)
Nice to meet you … Prazer (prah-zer)
Polite phrases and expressions in Portuguese
Yes … Sim (seem)
No … Não (now)
Please … Por favor (por fa-vor)
You’re welcome… De nada (de na-dah)
Thank you … Obrigado (oh-bri-gah-do) (male speaker)/Obrigada (oh-bri-gah-da) (female speaker)
I’m sorry … Desculpa (des-kool-pah)
Excuse me … Com licença (kom lee-sen-sah)
I don’t understand … Não compreendo (now kom-preh-en-do)
I don’t speak Portuguese … Eu não falo portuguese (Eh-oh now fah-lo portu-gues)
Do you speak English? … Fala inglês (faa-laa een-gles)
Questions and directions in Portuguese
Who? … Quem (key-em)
What? … Que (key)
When? … Quando (kwan-doh)
Why? … Por quê (pohr kay)
Where is….? Onde fica (ohn-djeh fin-cah)
The bathroom … O banheiro (oh bahn-yea-roh)
The train station … A estação de comboio (ah esta-see-yoh dje kom-boy-o)
A hotel … Hotel (hoh-tel)
The airport … O aeroporto (oh ah-eh-ro-por-toh)
Left … Esquerda (es-ker-dah)
Right … Direita (djee-rey-ta)
Straight … Sempre em frente (sem-pre em fren-chee)
Entrance … Entrada (en-tra-dah)
Exit … Saida (sigh-da)
Dining & shopping
Do you have…? … Você tem (voh-sey tem)
I’d like… Eu gostaria (ee-oh goh-star-e-ah)
A ticket … Um ingresso (uhm in-greh-so)
Wine … Vinho (veen-yo)
Beer … Cerveja (ser-vey-jah)
Water … Agua (ah-gwah)
How much is…? Quanto custa? (kwang-to koos-taa)
The bill, please … A conta, por favor (a kon-tah, por fah-vor)
Time & numbers in Portuguese
What time is it? … Que horas são (key oh-ras so)
One … Um (uhm)
Two … Dois (doys)
Three … Três (treh-s)
Four … Quatro (kwa-tro)
Five … Cinco (sin-ko)
Six … Seis (seys)
Seven … Sete (seh-chee)
Eight … Oito (oy-to)
Nine … Nove (noh0ve)
Ten … Dez (dez)
Like most traveling experiences in other countries, people appreciate the effort even if it’s just a simple please and thank you in their native tongue. After some amazing port wine you might not remember all of these Portuguese travel phrases but it’s the thought that counts when greeting people or saying thank you.
What other handy phrases would be helpful for travelers exploring Portugal? Sound off in the comments below!
