Portuguese for a Client Discovery Call: Goals and Questions — Practice

Open the call and set an agenda

A discovery call can be called uma conversa inicial or uma reunião de diagnóstico, depending on the context. Start by confirming how much time you have and what the client hopes to cover.

Use primeiro, depois, and no final to explain a simple agenda. If the client would rather begin with another topic, adjust the order together.

Ask about the current situation and constraints

Use desafio for challenge, prioridade for priority, and prazo for deadline or timeframe. Ask what is already working and what is getting in the way before suggesting a change.

To soften a question about a limitation, try Existe alguma restrição de prazo ou orçamento? The client can explain what needs to fit the project.

Summarize what you heard before proposing work

Use Então, se entendi bem… (So, if I understood correctly…) before summarizing the client's goal and constraint. This invites a correction while the details are still being discussed.

Ask the client to confirm which outcome matters most. A proposal should respond to what the client said, not to an assumption you have not checked.

Remember: Ask about goals, constraints, and priorities, then summarize the client's needs before offering a solution.

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. We have half an hour. What is most important for us to discuss today?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Temos meia hora. O que é mais importante conversarmos hoje?

2. First I want to understand the goal; then we can talk about options.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Primeiro quero entender o objetivo; depois, podemos falar das opções.

3. What is the biggest challenge right now?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Qual é o maior desafio neste momento?

4. Is there an important deadline we need to consider?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Existe algum prazo importante que precisamos considerar?

5. So, if I understood correctly, the priority is to reduce customer response time.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Então, se entendi bem, a prioridade é reduzir o tempo de atendimento.

6. Is anything important missing from this summary?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Faltou alguma coisa importante nesse resumo?

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.

Ask about goals, constraints, and priorities, then summarize the client's needs before offering a solution.

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 Portuguese for a Client Discovery Call: Goals and Questions 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.