Rewrite a Direct Request More Politely in Portuguese — Practice

Keep the task clear while softening the request

A direct imperative such as manda o arquivo can be natural between people who already know each other. If you need a softer request, try pode me mandar o arquivo? or poderia me mandar o arquivo? Both ask for the same action while changing how you present it.

Politeness depends on the relationship, intonation, timing, and size of the favor, not only on one verb form. Poderia often adds distance or tentativeness, but it does not guarantee that a request will suit every situation. State the task clearly so your listener can understand it and decide whether to help.

Add context instead of adding pressure

A brief explanation can help the other person understand why you are asking. If a deadline matters, name it and leave room for an honest answer. Por favor helps mark a request, but it does not make an unreasonable demand reasonable or require the other person to agree.

For this rewriting exercise, take one short request and make two versions: one for a close colleague and another for someone you do not know. Keep the requested action identical. Then add the relevant deadline or reason and check that the sentence still sounds clear rather than overly elaborate.

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. Send the file, please.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Manda o arquivo, por favor.

2. Can you send me the file?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você pode me mandar o arquivo?

3. Could you send me the file today?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você poderia me mandar o arquivo hoje?

4. Can you speak more slowly, please?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Pode falar mais devagar, por favor?

5. Could you confirm the address?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Poderia confirmar o endereço?

6. If it isn’t possible today, let me know.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Se não for possível hoje, me avise.

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.

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 Polite Requests in Portuguese: Pode, Poderia, and Por Favor 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.