The Portuguese Imperative: Give Directions and Make Requests — Practice

Recognize common forms used with você

The imperative gives a direction, instruction, or request. In Brazilian Portuguese, forms such as fale (speak), espere (wait), and vire (turn) are commonly used when addressing você.

The exact form can change with the person addressed and regional speech. Learn the forms you hear in context, and use a polite frame when you are unsure how direct a bare command might sound.

Make a negative instruction with não

To say not to do something, place não before the verb: não toque (don’t touch), não entre (don’t enter), and não vire (don’t turn). Signs often use a short negative command.

Do not infer a safety rule from a phrase example. Follow the instructions posted at the location and ask staff if you need clarification.

Soften a request with a question

A command can sound direct. Add por favor, use a diminutive such as um minutinho in a friendly setting, or make the request a question with pode: Pode esperar um minuto? (Could you wait a minute?).

For the difference between pode and poderia, read our guide to polite requests in Portuguese. Practice the same action as a sign, a direction, and a courteous request.

Remember: Choose one verb such as esperar, virar, or falar. Practice it as a direction, a negative instruction, and a polite request.

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. Turn right at the next street.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Vire à direita na próxima rua.

2. Please wait a moment.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Espere um minutinho, por favor.

3. Please speak more slowly.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Fale mais devagar, por favor.

4. Do not touch this artwork.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Não toque nesta obra.

5. Do not enter through this door.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Não entre por esta porta.

6. Don’t turn here; turn at the next street.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Não vire aqui; vire na próxima rua.

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.

Choose one verb such as esperar, virar, or falar. Practice it as a direction, a negative instruction, and a polite request.

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 The Portuguese Imperative: Give Directions and Make Requests 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.