European Portuguese Phrases for Portugal
Most phrasebooks teach Brazilian Portuguese, which is understood in Portugal but often isn't what people there say. This page collects the greetings, everyday expressions and café vocabulary you will actually hear in Lisbon, Porto, the Algarve and Madeira, with notes on where they differ from Brazil.
Looking for transport, hotel and emergency phrases? See Portuguese phrases for travel.
Greetings and courtesy
| Portuguese (Portugal) | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Olá, tudo bem? | Hi, how are you? | The standard friendly greeting in Portugal. |
| Tudo bem, obrigado/a. E consigo? | Fine, thanks. And you? | Consigo is the polite “you” after a preposition; with friends say E tu? |
| Bom dia / Boa tarde / Boa noite | Good morning / afternoon / evening | Boa tarde starts at lunchtime; boa noite after dark. |
| Como está? / Como estás? | How are you? (polite / informal) | Como estás? uses tu, for friends and family. |
| Até já | See you in a moment | Literally “until already”; used when you will be back shortly. |
| Até logo / Até amanhã | See you later / See you tomorrow | |
| Adeus | Goodbye | Normal in Portugal; in Brazil it sounds final. |
| Com licença | Excuse me (to pass, to enter) | |
| Se faz favor / Faz favor | Please; excuse me! (to call a waiter) | Very common in Portugal alongside por favor. |
| Desculpe | Sorry; excuse me | |
| De nada / Não tem de quê | You're welcome | |
| Muito obrigado/a | Thank you very much |
Everyday expressions
| Portuguese (Portugal) | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Pois | Yes, right, I see | An all-purpose agreement word. Pois é = “that's right”. |
| Está bem / Tá bem | OK, all right | |
| Fixe | Cool, great | Informal. “Que fixe!” = “How cool!” |
| Giro / Gira | Cute, nice, pretty | “Que giro!” is used for things, places and people. |
| Bué | Very, a lot | Lisbon youth slang: bué de gente = loads of people. |
| Ora essa! | Not at all! / Don't mention it! | A warm reply to thanks or an apology. |
| Não faz mal | It doesn't matter / No problem | |
| Estou a ver | I see | Uses estar a + infinitive, the typical Portugal continuous. |
| Estou a aprender português | I'm learning Portuguese | In Brazil: Estou aprendendo português. |
| Não percebo | I don't understand | In Portugal perceber is the everyday verb; entender is also understood. |
| Pode repetir, se faz favor? | Could you repeat that, please? | |
| Bom fim de semana! | Have a good weekend! |
Cafés and food
| Portuguese (Portugal) | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Uma bica | An espresso (Lisbon) | Elsewhere just ask for um café. |
| Um galão | A milky coffee served in a tall glass | |
| Uma meia de leite | A coffee with milk in a cup | |
| Um pastel de nata | A custard tart | Plural: pastéis de nata. |
| Uma imperial / Um fino | A small draught beer | Imperial in Lisbon and the south, fino in Porto and the north. |
| O pequeno-almoço | Breakfast | Brazil: café da manhã. |
| A ementa / O menu | The menu | Menu can also mean a set meal. |
| O prato do dia | The dish of the day | Often the best-value lunch. |
| A conta, se faz favor | The bill, please | |
| Onde é a casa de banho? | Where is the toilet? | Not banheiro, which in Portugal can mean a beach lifeguard. |
Tu, você and o senhor: how to say “you” in Portugal
This is the biggest social difference from Brazil.
- Tu is for friends, family, children and people your own age in informal settings: Como estás?
- O senhor / a senhora is the safe polite form for strangers, older people and shop or hotel staff: O senhor sabe onde fica a estação?
- Você exists but can sound distant or even slightly rude when said directly to someone. Most people avoid it by dropping the pronoun and using the verb alone: Sabe onde fica a estação?
Dropping the pronoun is the easiest strategy for visitors: it is polite and you never pick the wrong form.
How European Portuguese sounds
Written Portuguese is nearly identical in both countries, but Portugal's pronunciation surprises learners who studied with Brazilian material:
- Unstressed vowels are reduced or swallowed: obrigado sounds like “obri-GA-du” and de like a brief “d”.
- S at the end of a syllable is “sh”: Lisboa = “lizh-BOH-uh”, dois = “doysh”.
- T and D stay hard before an “i” sound: tia is “TEE-uh”, not Brazilian “CHEE-uh”.
More detail: Portuguese pronunciation for English speakers.