Portuguese is a Latin language, and its grammar is similar to Spanish and Italian. People who can speak Spanish may have trouble communicating in Brazil, though, except in areas that border the neighboring Spanish speaking countries. Brazilians may understand a little of your Spanish, but you probably will not understand their responses.
It is best to try to learn a little Portuguese before you travel. There are a lot of programs available on CD, DVD and online to help you practice prununciation as well as grammar. You should carry a phrase book, and perhaps a dictionary with you on your trip.
Remember Latin vowels are pronounced differently to English ones: a as in 'car', e as in 'bed', i as in 'see', o as in 'Paul' and u as in 'foot'. Plausive consonants, such as b, d, p or t are not as strong as in English. Portuguese is a very nasal language, and words finishing in -m, -ã, ão or -ões should be pronounced nasally. For example: jardim (garden), irmã (sister), verão (summer) and canções (songs). Portuguese ç is pronounced like an 's' and j is pronounced like 'sh'.
Let's have a look at some important phrases:
You answer the phone saying ' alô' and you can finish your call with a ' obrigado, tchau" - meaning 'thanks, bye'.
Some other helpful expressions:
- Sorry, I don't speak Portuguese -
- Please - Por Favor
- Sorry - Desculpe
- Excuse Me - Com Licença (pronounced like lisensa)
- Where is the toilet? - Onde é o banheiro?
- I want... - Eu quero...
- Hi - Oi
- How's it going? - Tudo bem?
- How much is... - Quanto é...
- What time is it? - Que horas são?
- At what time... - A que horas...
- When... - Quando...
- How many... - Quantos...
- Entry - Entrada
- Exit - Saída
- I'm lost - Estou perdido
- Please, can you help me? - Por favor, você pode me ajudar?
- Please, I want to go to.... - Por favor, eu quero ir a....
- I need to go to... - Eu preciso ir a ....
- How do I get.... ? - Como eu chego em.....?
- How much does it cost? - Quanto custa?
- My name is... - Meu nome é....
- Good Morning - Bom Dia
- Good Afternoon - Boa Tarde
- Good Night - Boa Noite
Food & Drink:
- Food - Comida
- Restaurant - Restaurante (pronounced like hestauranche)
- Soft Drink - Refrigerante
- Water - Agua
- Mineral Water - Agua Mineral
- Beer - Cerveja
- Draft Beer - Chopp (pronounced like shop)
- Menu - Cardâpio (some will recognize menu)
- White Wine - Vinho Branco
- Red Wine - Vinho Tinto
- Wine by the Glass - Taça de Vinho (pronounced like tasa)
- Meat - Carne
- Chicken - Frango
- Fish - peixe
- Rice - Arroz (pronounced like ahoz)
- French Fries - Batata Frita
- Plate - Prato
- Cup - Copo
- Knife, Fork and Spoon - Faca, Garfo e Colher
- Napkin - Guardanapo
- Straw - canudo
- Ashtray - cinzeiro
- No ice - sem gelo
- Iced - gelado
- Cold - frio
- Hot - quente
- Warm - morno
- Dessert - sobremesa
- Cake - bolo
- Coffe - café
- Tea - Chá
- Suggar - Açúcar
- Salt - sal
- Pepper - pimenta
- Bill - conta
Money:
- Money or Cash - Dinheiro
- Numbers - um, dois, três, quatro, cinco, seis, sete (seche), oito, nove, dez
- Bank - Banco
- ATM Machine - Caixa (caysha) Eletronica
- Check - Cheque (shek)
- Credit Card - Cartão de Crédito
- Cost - Custo
- Coin - moeda
- Bill - nota
- Change - troco
- Exchange - troca or câmbio
Transportation
- Car - Carro (cahoo)
- Bus - Onibus
- Plane - Avião
- Boat - Barco
- Train - Trem (treng)
- Subway - Metrô
- Ticket - Bilhete
- Passport - Passaporte
- Go up - subir
- Go down - descer
- Right - direita
- Left - esquerda
- Ahead - à frente
- Behind - atrás
- Rear - ré
- Bus Stop - ponto de ônibus
- Museum - museu
- Theater - teatro
- Park - parque
- Avenue - avenida
- Street - rua
- Go slow - vá devagar
- Go fast - vá depressa
- Go faster - vá mais depressa
