Report a Crime in Brazil: Clear Portuguese for the Police — Practice

Use 190 for an immediate public-safety emergency

Brazil's national emergency codes list 190 for Military Police. If there is an immediate threat or a crime in progress, contact emergency services. For a past incident, ask the local authority which reporting channel or station applies; processes can vary.

This article teaches communication phrases, not legal advice or a guarantee that a particular report will be accepted. Follow guidance from local authorities and your consulate when needed.

Describe what happened in a factual order

Start with the event, then add the time and place. Use direct language and distinguish what you saw from what someone else told you. If a detail is uncertain, say that it is uncertain.

You can use roubaram when someone stole something from you, and perdi when you lost it. Be precise about the difference.

Ask what information or next step is needed

If you have a passport or identification document, ask which details are useful and whether you need a copy of the report. Do not hand over original documents unless the official process requires it and you understand why.

Ask the officer to write down a name, protocol number, or instruction if you are unsure you understood it. Use a translation app or interpreter if a consequential detail is unclear.

Remember: For a crime in progress, 190 is the Military Police emergency number. For other reports, confirm the local process with the responsible authority.

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 need police help. Something is happening right now.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Preciso de ajuda da polícia. Há uma situação acontecendo agora.

2. Where can I file a report?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Onde posso registrar uma ocorrência?

3. Someone took my backpack at the station around six.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Levaram minha mochila na estação por volta das seis.

4. I lost my document, but I don't know where.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Perdi meu documento, mas não sei onde.

5. What information do I need to provide?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Que informações preciso apresentar?

6. Could you write down the reference number, please?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Pode escrever o número do protocolo, por favor?

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.

For a crime in progress, 190 is the Military Police emergency number. For other reports, confirm the local process with the responsible authority.

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 Report a Crime in Brazil: Clear Portuguese for the Police 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.