Portuguese for Networking at a Conference in Brazil — Practice

Introduce your role in one sentence

Start with your name and the kind of work you do: trabalho com design de produto (I work in product design) or sou pesquisador na área de… (I am a researcher in…). If you are between roles or studying, say that directly and add the area you are interested in.

A short introduction is easier to remember than a rehearsed paragraph. You can add one detail about what brought you to the event, then ask the other person the same kind of question.

Ask about the other person's work

Use com o que você trabalha? (what do you work with?) or em que área você atua? (what field do you work in?). If the answer is unfamiliar, ask what a project involves instead of pretending you understood the specialist vocabulary.

Questions about the event can also open a conversation: qual palestra você mais gostou? (which talk did you like most?) or você já conhecia esse tema? (were you already familiar with this topic?).

Exchange contacts and close the conversation

If it feels useful to stay in touch, ask posso te adicionar no LinkedIn? (can I add you on LinkedIn?) or posso pegar seu contato? (can I get your contact details?). Follow the other person's preference and share only the contact information you want to share.

A polite close can be gostei de conversar com você (I enjoyed talking with you) or vou voltar para a próxima palestra (I’m going back to the next talk). This gives both people a natural way to continue their event.

Remember: Say what you do, ask about the other person's work, and exchange contact details only if both people want to.

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. I’m Alex, and I work in digital education.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Sou a Alex e trabalho com educação digital.

2. I came to meet people who work in technology.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Vim para conhecer pessoas que trabalham com tecnologia.

3. What kind of project do you work on?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Em que tipo de projeto você trabalha?

4. Could you explain what that team does?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Pode explicar o que essa equipe faz?

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.

Say what you do, ask about the other person's work, and exchange contact details only if both people want to.

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 Networking at a Conference in Brazil 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.