Basic Portuguese Phrases
Start with oi (hi), por favor (please), obrigado or obrigada (thank you), and quanto custa? (how much does it cost?). This guide contains 35 Brazilian Portuguese phrases, grouped by situation, with English meanings and a short audio exercise.
By Bruno Lopes · Brazilian Portuguese teacher
Host of I Speak Portuguese · Updated
Meet Bruno and the teaching teamGreetings
- OiHi
- OláHello
- Bom diaGood morning
- Boa tardeGood afternoon
- Boa noiteGood evening / night
- TchauBye
- Até logoSee you later
Choose a greeting for the time of day and relationship, then keep the exchange going. Explore greetings and how to reply.
Polite words
- Por favorPlease
- Obrigado / ObrigadaThank you (form agrees with the speaker)
- De nadaYou're welcome
- DesculpaSorry
- Com licençaExcuse me
Obrigado and obrigada refer to the person giving thanks. Learn when a neutral or informal expression fits. Choose a suitable way to say thank you.
Small talk
- Tudo bem?How are you?
- Tudo bem, e você?I'm good, and you?
- Qual é o seu nome?What's your name?
- Meu nome é…My name is…
- Prazer em conhecer vocêNice to meet you
- De onde você é?Where are you from?
- Eu sou dos Estados UnidosI'm from the United States
Adapt your introduction to your own name and home country, then prepare one question you want to ask. Practice a first conversation with your partner’s family.
Useful questions
- Você fala inglês?Do you speak English?
- O que é isso?What's this?
- Quanto custa?How much is it?
- Onde fica o banheiro?Where's the bathroom?
- Que horas são?What time is it?
- Pode repetir, por favor?Can you repeat, please?
- Não entendoI don't understand
When a reply is difficult to follow, ask for help instead of trying to guess every word. Practice asking for repetition and clarification.
Essentials
- SimYes
- NãoNo
- TalvezMaybe
- Eu quero…I want…
- Eu preciso de…I need…
- Eu gosto de…I like…
- Eu não seiI don't know
- Tudo bemIt's okay / all good
- Ajuda!Help!
Listen, then try it yourself
These phrase recordings are by Bruno. Play one, listen again, and repeat it aloud. The dialogue below is an original written practice example; the recordings cover the individual phrases shown here.
Practice a short conversation
- You: Oi, bom dia!
- Hi, good morning!
- Staff: Bom dia!
- Good morning!
- You: Quanto custa esse café?
- How much does this coffee cost?
- Staff: Custa cinco reais.
- It costs five reais. (Example price.)
- You: Valeu!
- Thanks!
Your turn
Say your answers aloud before opening the suggestions. Other answers can work too.
- Ask someone to repeat what they said politely.
- Ask how much an item costs.
- Thank a friend informally.
Show suggested answers
- Pode repetir, por favor? — Can you repeat, please?
- Quanto custa? — How much does it cost?
- Valeu! — Thanks!
Keep practicing everyday phrases and Brazilian audio in the Real Life Portuguese app. For feedback on your own conversations, explore lessons with our Brazilian teaching team.
Related: Portuguese phrases for travel