How to Give Advice in Brazilian Portuguese Without Sounding Bossy — Practice

Offer an idea as one option

Use eu tentaria… (I would try…) or eu no seu lugar… (if I were you…) to share what you might do. These phrases mark advice as a suggestion from your perspective rather than an order the other person has to follow.

Include a reason when it helps: eu tentaria ligar de manhã, porque costuma ser mais tranquilo (I would try calling in the morning because it tends to be quieter). Advice sounds more useful when the listener can see how it connects to the situation.

Use a question to suggest a next step

Que tal + infinitive? offers an idea as a question: que tal conversar com ela? (how about talking to her?). This can leave the other person more room to accept, adapt, or reject the suggestion.

Talvez seja melhor… (maybe it would be better…) is another option when you want to sound cautious. Notice seja, a subjunctive form used after talvez to present a possibility rather than a certainty.

Check whether the person wants advice

Before giving a list of solutions, ask você quer uma sugestão? (would you like a suggestion?) or você quer que eu só escute? (would you like me just to listen?). This is useful when you do not know whether the person wants an idea, practical help, or simply a chance to talk.

If someone does not take your suggestion, you can respond sem problema, você conhece melhor a situação (no problem, you know the situation better). Advice is part of a conversation, not a promise that you know the single correct choice.

Remember: Offer advice with eu tentaria or que tal, explain your reason, and check whether the person wants a suggestion first.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. If I were you, I would ask about another date.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Eu no seu lugar, perguntaria sobre outra data.

2. I would try to explain what happened calmly.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Eu tentaria explicar o que aconteceu com calma.

3. How about asking for more details before deciding?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Que tal pedir mais detalhes antes de decidir?

4. Maybe it would be better to wait for confirmation.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Talvez seja melhor esperar a confirmação.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Offer advice with eu tentaria or que tal, explain your reason, and check whether the person wants a suggestion first.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our How to Give Advice in Brazilian Portuguese Without Sounding Bossy lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.