Do you want to know what is the
Portuguese vocabulary
you need to speak?
Yes, around 300 words it's all you need!
Oi, então? E ai?
Before you start learning Portuguese, you might have thought of how much Portuguese vocabulary you need.
You might have thought of how many words you need to know to start speaking, and sustain a conversation with native speakers.
Well, I can tell you that you only need around 300 words* (*according to my own research and under the circumstances this research was carried out, of course.).
I'm going to present them to you here with some explanations. These words are very important because, in many cases, one word can be used in different situations, with different meanings.
By the way, a revolutionary way to learn Portuguese vocabulary easily and effortless is already available. Click the box above on the right hand side to have a look.
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OK, here I'll divide this essential Portuguese Vocabulary into categories, so that you can build sentences.
Learn no more than 10 words or expressions per day. Choose them from the different categories and learn them by heart. And yes, put your heart into it too.
Try to identify each word of this Portuguese vocabulary with the corresponding English words you use in the same situations.
Then, when you are having a conversation with one of your Portuguese native speaking friends, use this Portuguese words and... feeeeel them.
Build your own sentences. Common sense will guide you through.
So, Ready to learn this essential Portuguese vocabulary?
Here we go, choose them by category, if you feel it's easier for you.
1. Nouns.
2. Verbs.
3. Adjectives.
3. Prepositions.
4. Connector.
5. Determinants.
6. Pronouns.
7. Indefinite articles or pronouns.
8. Adverbs.
9. Interrogatives.
Definite and Indefinite articles.
These words exist in the Portuguese vocabulary because saying, for instance, A porta" ["the door"] is not the same as saying Uma porta" ["a door"].
So, the Definite articles are as follows, but you also should read this page here:
THE |
Masculine |
Feminine |
Singular |
O [oo] |
A [ah] |
Plural |
OS [oosh] |
AS [ash] |
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And the Indefinite articles which are the Portuguese words for "A", "An" and "Some", are as follows:
A/An/Some |
Masculine |
Feminine |
Singular |
UM [oong] |
UMA [oo-mah] |
Plural |
UNS [oongsh] |
UMAS [oomah-sh] |
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Prepositions Are also vital words in the Portuguese vocabulary because they are linking words. These words place the position or movement of something in time and place. There are many but, basically, we only need 9 to communicate. In Portuguese some of them must be contracted with the definite articles above.
Let's look at the Prepositions, and then their contractions.
Prepositions |
Meaning |
Sound |
Contractions |
Meaning |
De |
From Of About |
[deh] EU [chee] BR |
Do da dos das |
From the Of the About the |
A |
To At (with time) |
[Ah] |
Ao À Aos Às |
To the At the |
Até |
Up to Until Even (e.g. Even Maria was there) |
[Ah-tay] |
Até o Até a Até os Até as |
Up to the Until + time Even the |
Em |
In On At |
[eng] |
No Na Nos Nas |
In the On the At the |
Por * |
For Through Via By |
[poohr] |
Pelo Pela Pelos Pelas |
For the Through The Via The By the |
Para * |
To Towards For (as aim) In orther to |
[pah-rah] |
Para o Para a Para os Para as |
To the Towards the For the In order to |
Com |
With |
[con] |
Com o Com a Com os Com as |
With the |
Sem |
Without |
[seng] |
Sem o Sem a Sem os Sem as |
Without the |
Sobre |
About |
[soh-bray] |
Sobre o Sobre a Sobre os Sobre as |
About the |
The difference between "Por" and "Para" is commonly confusing. It might be a good idea to check it out in order for you to use them correctly.
And that's it. These are all the prepositions of the Portuguese vocabulary you need to know to communicate.
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Possessives are the words that demonstrates ownership or possession. In the Portuguese vocabulary, they can be pronouns (replacing an object name) or adjectives (qualifying an object). Let's look at the next table to understand them better.
In this first group, the possessive comes before the noun,
e.g. O meu amigo come carne. (My friend eats meat).
|
Masculine Singular |
Feminine Singular |
Masculine Plural |
Feminine Plural |
My |
O meu... [oo meh-oo] |
A minha... [ah mee-nyah] |
Os meus... [oosh meh-oosh] |
As minhas... [ash mee-nyash] |
Your dude (informal) |
O teu... [oo teh-oo] |
A tua... [ah too-ah] |
Os teus... [oosh teh-oosh] |
As tuas... [ash too-ash] |
Your Sir Your Madam (formal) |
O seu... [oo seh-oo] |
A sua... [ah soo-ah] |
Os seus... [oosh seh-oosh] |
As suas... [ash soo-ash] |
Our |
O nosso... [oo noh-soo] |
A nossa... [ah noh-sah] |
Os nossos... [osh noh-soosh] |
As nossas... [ash noh-sash] |
Your guys (plural) |
O vosso... [oo voh-soo] |
A vossa... [ah voh-sah] |
Os vossos... [osh voh-soosh] |
As vossas... [ash voh-sash] |
In this second group, the possessive comes after the noun,
e.g. O amigo dele come carne. (His friend eats meat).
His... / ... of him (his) |
... dele [deh-lee] |
Her... / ... of her |
... dela [deh-lah] |
Their... / ... of them (for males) |
... deles [deh-lesh] |
Their... ... of them (for females) |
... delas [deh-lash] |
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Nouns If you are not sure what a noun is,
click here to learn more.
When reading this Portuguese vocabulary, you'll find a definite article (O, A, Os, As) - "The" in English - in front of each noun, which indicates the
gender (masculine or feminine) and the
number (singular or plural) of it.
So, research shows that the most important nouns of the Portuguese vocabulary are:
Portuguese noun |
Word sound |
English translation |
A Água |
[ah ah-goo-ah] |
The Water |
A Ajuda |
[ah ah-joo-dah] |
The Help |
Os Anos |
[oosh ah-noosh] |
The Years |
O Apelido |
[oo ah-peh-lee-doo] |
The Surname |
O Autocarro |
[oo aoo-toh-car-roo] |
The Bus (in EU Portuguese) |
(O) Azar |
[oo ah-zahr] |
(The) Bad luck Tough |
O Balcão |
[oo bahl-kaong] |
The Balcony The Counter |
O Banho |
[oo bah-nyioo] |
The Bath |
O Bilhete |
[oo bee-lyieh-teh] |
The Ticket |
O Cartão |
[oo cahr-taong] |
The Card |
A Casa |
[ah kah-sah] |
The House The Home |
O Casal |
[oo kah-zahl] in EU [oo kah-zahoo] in BR |
The Couple |
A Chegada |
[ah shay-gah-dah] |
The Arrival |
A Coisa |
[Ah koee-zah] |
The Thing |
A Conta |
[ah-kong-tah] |
The Bill |
O Copo |
[oo koh-poo] |
The Glass |
O Cuidado |
[oo-koo-ee-dah-doo] |
Careful The carefulness |
A Desculpa |
[ah dsh-cool-pah] |
The Excuse |
O Dia |
[oo deer] |
The Day |
O Dinheiro |
[oo dee-nyieh-ee-roh] |
The Money The Cash |
A Direita |
[ah dee-ray-ee-tah] |
The Right hand side |
O Direito |
[oo dee-ray-ee-too] |
The (legal) Right |
A Era |
[ah air-rah] |
The Era |
O Esquerdo/A Esquerda |
[ah eesh-kayr-dah] [oo eesh-kayr-doo] |
The Left hand side |
A Esquina |
[ah sh-keen-ah] |
The Corner |
O Estudo |
[oo sh-too-doo] |
The Study |
O Favor |
[oo fah-vohr] |
The Favour |
O Fim |
[oo feeng] |
The End |
A Frente |
[ah-frayn-tt] in EU [ah-frayn-tchee] in BR |
The front |
O Frio |
[oo free-oo] |
The cold |
A Gente |
[ah jayn-tt] in EU and [ah jayn-tt] in BR |
One (The people) We |
O Homem |
[oo oh-mayeen] |
The Man |
* A Hora (also compare with Tempo and Vez) |
[ah oh-rah] |
The Time The Hour |
O Horário |
[oo oh-ráh-ree-oo] |
The Timetable |
A Ida |
[ah ee-dah] |
The Go |
O Lado |
[oo lah-doo] |
The Side |
A Licença |
[ah lee-sayn-sah] |
The Permission The Licence |
A Maioria (de) |
[ah may-oo-ree-ah] |
Most (of) The majority (of) |
O Mal |
[oo mahll] |
The Bad thing |
O Mês Os Meses |
[oo may-sh] [oosh may-say-sh] |
The month/The months |
O Minuto |
[oo mee-noo-too] |
The minute |
A Mulher |
[ah moo-lyier] |
The Woman The Wife |
A Noite |
[ah noh-ee-teh] |
The Night |
O Nome |
[oo noh-meh] |
The Name |
As Novidades |
[ash noo-vee-dah-desh] |
The News (in terms of what is new) |
O Número |
[oo noo-may-roh] |
The Number |
O Ônibus |
[oo oh-nee-booss] |
The Bus (Brazilian Portuguese |
A Palavra |
[ah pah-lah-vrah] |
The Word |
(Os) Parabéns |
[(oosh) pah-rah-baingsh] |
(The) Congratulations |
O Pé |
[oo peh] |
The Foot |
As Pessoas |
[ash peh-soh-ash] |
The People |
A Porta |
[ah pohr-tah] |
The Door |
O Português |
[oo poor-too-gay-sh] |
The Portuguese |
O Prato |
[oo prah-too] |
The Plate The dish |
A Pressa |
[ah pray-sah] |
The hurry The Rush |
O Primeiro |
[oo pree-mahee-roh] |
The first |
O Princípio |
[oo preen-cee-peeoh] |
The Beginning |
O Problema |
[oh proh-blay-mah] |
The Problem |
O Próximo |
[oo pro-see-moo] |
The Next The following |
O Quarto |
[oo kwar-too] |
The Fourth The Bedroom |
O Recado |
[oo ray-kah-doo] |
The Message |
A Rua |
[ah roo-ah] |
The road The street |
O Semáforo |
[oo say-mah-foo-roh] |
The Traffic lights |
A Semana |
[ah say-mah-nah] |
The Week |
A Sorte |
[ah sohr-tt] in EU or [ah sohr-tchee] in BR |
The Luck |
(A) Tarde |
[(ah) tar-deh] in EU or [(ah) tar-tchee] in BR |
Late (The) Afternoon |
* O Tempo (also compare with Horas and Vez) |
[oo taym-poo] |
The Time (as The Weather |
O Trabalho |
[oo trah-bah-lyioo] |
The Work The Assignment |
O Troco |
[oo troh-koo] |
The Change |
O Último |
[oo ool-tee-moo] in EU and [oo ool-tchee-moo] in BR |
The Last (one) |
* A Vez (also compare with Tempo and Horas) |
[ah vaysh] |
The turn The time |
A Viagem |
[ah vee-ah-jaying] |
The journey The Trip |
A Volta |
[ah vohl-tah] |
The Return The Going back |
O Vôo |
[oo voh-oo] |
The Flight |
* Tempo, Vez and Hora are words that might be easily misused among the meanings of the Portuguese vocabulary if we don't understand them properly:
In Portuguese you'd use the word "Vez" to describe a "turn" ("Agora é a minha vez." - "Now it's my turn"). However, there are situations that we might incorrectly tend to say "tempo" instead of "vez" (e.g. "Esta vez vou de carro" - "This time I'll go by car"). Here we are using the word "time", but what we really mean is "this turn, i'm going by car".
Tempo is more like measuring a period of time, for instance asking "how long" something is going to take ("Quanto tempo é a reunião? Muito tempo?" - "How long is the meeting? Very long?").
Hora(s) is used to specify for instance a flight time, or the specific time of a flight ("A que horas é o vôo? As 14.30?" - "What time is the flight? At 14.30?").
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Verbs Are another important category of words of the Portuguese Vocabulary. If you are not sure what a verb (or doing word) is,
click here to learn more.
Portuguese verb |
Word sound |
English translation |
Abrir |
[ah-breer] |
To Open |
Achar |
[ah-shahr] |
To think To Guess To Find |
Ajudar |
[Ah-joo-darh] |
To Help |
Andar |
[An-darh] |
To be doing something To Walk |
Apanhar |
[ah-pah-nyiarh] |
To Take / To Catch / To Get |
Aprender |
[Ah-prayn-dayrh] |
To Learn |
Assinar |
[Ah-see-narh] |
To Sign |
Chegar |
[shay-garh] |
To arrive |
Deixar (de) |
[day-sharh] |
To Leave behind To let (To Stop doing something) |
Descer |
[Desh-sayrh] |
To go down To Descend |
Desculpar-se |
[daysh-cool-parr say] |
To Forgive |
Dizer |
[dee-zayhr] EU [Tchee-zayhr] BR |
To Say / To Tell |
Dormir |
[Door-meer] |
To Sleep |
Escrever |
[Aysh-cray-vehr] |
To write / to Spell |
Estar |
[eesh-tahr] |
To be (temporary) |
Estudar |
[ees-too-dahr] |
To study |
Falar |
[fah-lahr] |
To Speak To Say (BR) / To Tell (BR) |
Fazer |
[fah-zayhr] |
To Do / To Make |
Fechar |
[fay-shahr] |
To Close |
Ficar |
[fee-kahr] |
To be located To become To Stay |
Ficar com |
[fee-kahr con] |
To keep To stay with |
Gostar de |
[goosh-tahr] |
To Like |
Ir |
[eerh] |
To Go |
Ler |
[layrh] |
To Read |
Melhorar |
[may-lyio-rahr] |
To better / to improve |
Morar |
[moh-rahr] |
To Live |
Olhar |
[oh-lyiahr] |
To look (at) |
Parecer |
[pah-ray-cehr] |
To Seem / To Look like |
Pedir |
[peh-deer] EU [pee-cheer] BR |
to Ask (for smething) |
Perceber [EU] |
[payr-seh-behr] |
To Understand |
Perguntar |
[pehr-goon-tahr] |
To ask (questions) |
Poder |
[poh-dehr] |
Can To be able to |
Pôr |
[pohr] |
To Put |
Precisar |
[pray-cee-zahr] |
To need |
Preferir |
[pray-fay-reehr] |
To Prefer |
Responder |
[raysh-pohn-dehr] |
To Answer |
Saber |
[sah-behr] |
To Know (skills) |
Sair |
[sah-eehr] |
To Leave / To Go out |
Ser |
[sayhr] |
To Be (permanent) |
Sentar(-se) |
[sayn-tahr] |
To Sit Down |
Sentir |
[sayn-teehr] EU / [sayn-cheehr] BR |
To Feel |
Subir |
[soo-beehr] |
To Go Up / To climb |
Ter (de) |
[tay-rh (deh)] EU [tay-rh (chee)] BR |
To Have (to) |
Trabalhar |
[trah-bah-lyiahr] |
To work |
Trazer |
[trah-zehr] |
To Bring |
Trocar |
[tro-kahr] |
To change / To Exchange |
Usar |
[oo-sahr] |
To Use |
Ver |
[vayrr] |
To see To Watch |
Viajar |
[vee-ah-jar] |
To Travel / To Commute |
Vir |
[Veerr] |
To Come |
Voltar (a+other verb) |
[Vohl-tahr ah)] |
To Come Back /(To do again) |
Voar |
[voo-ahr] |
To fly |
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Adjectives Are another category of the Portuguese vocabulary that we need to identify and learn. Adjectives are words that describe objects, people or circumstances. They are of great importance in the Portuguese vocabulary.
Remember Adjectives follow nouns (e.g. to say "A tall man" in Portuguese you'd say "Um Homem alto".
Because, in the Portuguese vocabulary, adjectives describe nouns, they have to agree in number and gender with these nouns.
When an adjective ends with an "o", it means that it's describing a masculine noun. The adjectives in the following table will be all in their masculine form.
In order for you to learn better the adjectives of the Portuguese vocabulary, I'd suggest you learn first the masculine, and then adapt it to the other forms.
You can easily transform it into the feminine gender by replacing the last "o" by an "a".
The same applies to plurals - in which case you need to ad an "s" after the "o" or "a".
e.g. "Aberto" means "open" for masculine nouns like "Um livro aberto", but if you are describing a feminine noun like "porta" (door), you say "Uma porta aberta.
And the same for plurals: "Uns livros abertos" and "Umas portas abertas.
So, here you have the most common adjectives in the Portuguese vocabulary.
Portuguese adjective |
Word sound |
English translation |
Aberto |
[ah-bayr-too] |
Open |
Alto |
[ahl-too]EU / [ahoo-too]BR |
Tall |
Baixo |
[bah-ee-shoo] |
Small (short in high) |
Barato |
[bah-rah-too] |
Cheap |
Bom/Boa/Bons/Boas |
[bong] |
Good |
Bonito |
[Boo-nee-too] |
Pretty / beautiful |
Caro |
[kah-roo] |
Expensive / Dear |
Casado |
[kah-zah-doo] |
Married |
Comprido |
[coom-pree-doo] |
Long (in lengh) |
Curto |
[coor-too] |
Short (in lengh) |
Directo |
[dee-reh-too] |
Direct |
Direito |
[dee-ray-too] |
Right (hand) / Straight (legal) Right |
Esquerdo |
[eesh-kehr-doo] |
Left hand |
Fechado |
[fay-shah-doooo] |
Closed |
Feio |
[fay-eeoo] |
Ugly |
Frio |
[free-oo] |
Cold |
Grande/Grandes |
[Gran-deh] EU / [Gran-chee] BR |
Big / Large |
Longa |
[lon-gah] |
Long |
longe (de) |
[lon-gee] |
Far (from) |
Lotado |
[loo-tah-doo] |
Packed with people Fully booked (e.g. hotel) |
Melhor/Melhores |
[may-lyiohr] |
Better |
Mau/Má/Maus/Más |
[Maaooh] |
Bad |
Novo |
[noh-voo] |
New / young |
Pequeno |
[pay-kay-noo] |
Small / short |
Perto (de) |
[pehr-too] |
Near / Close (to) |
(O)Pior/(Os)Piores |
[(oo) pee-ohr] |
(The) Worse |
Quente |
[kayn-teh]EU / [kayn-chee]BR |
Hot/warm |
Sério |
[say-ree-oo] |
Serious / Honest |
Velho |
[vay-lyioo] |
Old |
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Are you finding Portuguese vocabulary difficult or rather interesting?
Don't forget to build sentences. You'll learn your Portuguese vocabulary better is you feel the words.
Connectors are also very important words of the Portuguese vocabulary. As their name suggests, they connect 2 sentences and put them together in a way that makes sense when we speak. You don't need to know many of them. In the following table we will have the most frequent and important ones:
Portuguese connector |
Word sound |
English translation |
A não ser que... |
[ah naong sehr kay] EU [ah naong sehr kee] |
Unless... |
Como se... |
[komo seh] EU [komo see] |
As if... |
E |
[ee] |
And |
Enquanto |
[eng-kwantoh] |
While Whilest |
Já que |
[jah] |
Once Given that Given that |
Mas |
[mash]Eu [mah-eess] BR |
But |
Nem |
[naying] |
nor |
Nem...nem |
[naying...naying] |
Neither...nor... |
Ou |
[oh-oo] |
Or |
Ou...ou |
[oh-oo...oh-oo] |
Either...or... |
Para |
[pah-rah] |
In order to |
Por isso |
[poor-ee-soh] |
Therefore |
Portanto |
[poor-tan-too] |
Therefore So... |
Que |
[kay] EU [kee] BR |
That |
Se |
[seh] EU [see] |
If |
Senão |
[seh-naung] EU [see-naung] |
Otherwise |
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Adverbs are also very important words of the Portuguese vocabulary. Adverbs describe or tell us more about how a verb is performing. Think this way: if adjectives describe objects, adverbs describe actions.
If we take as an example the sentence "Ele fala bem Português" (or in English, He speaks Portuguese well.), we can see that the word "fala" [speaks] is the verb (in other words, the doing word) and the word "bem" [well] is the adverb - which describe how the verb is doing.
While you are learning the Portuguese vocabulary, you'll realize that sometimes adverbs can also describe adjectives (e.g. "Ela é muito bonita" [She is very pretty]. So, "muito" [very] is the adverb and "bonita" [pretty] is the adjective.
Also many adverb words that in English end in ...ly, in Portuguese the same words end in ...mente.
So, can you imagine how much can you increase your Portuguese vocabulary right now?
Can you imagine how may words you can immediately convert from English into Portuguese? Lots of them! For instance, "immediately" in Portuguese is "imediatamente"; "automatically" in Portuguese is "automaticamente"; "basically" is "basicamente", and so on.
Now, who can tell me this is not great...?
In the following table, I'll present you the most common adverbs in the Portuguese vocabulary. I'm also adding some useful common expressions that use those adverbs. Learn them, and use them when you are talking to your Portuguese speaking friends. They will be impressed with your Portuguese skills!
But, hey! Don't be greedy! Remember: 10 words or expressions only per day. Otherwise you'll be retaining NONE in your memory!
OK, ready? Let's then analyze the most frequent adverbs of the Portuguese vocabulary.
Portuguese adverb |
Word sound |
English translation |
Agora
Agora? |
[ah-goh-rah] |
Now Nowadays Right now? |
Já agora... |
[jah ah-goh-rah] |
might as well... |
Aí |
[ah-ee] |
There (where the listener is) In that place So In that case | At that point of the situation
Ainda |
[ah-een-dah] |
Still Yet |
Ainda agora |
[ah-een-dah agoh-rah] |
Just now |
Ainda assim |
[ah-een-dah asee-ing] |
Nevertheless |
Ainda que |
[ah-een-dah kay] |
Although Even though |
Aqui |
[ah-kee] |
Here In this place At this point In this occasion |
Assim |
[ah-sing] |
This way |
Assim como |
[ah-sing coh-mo] |
As well as |
...e assim por diante |
[ee ah-sing por dee-an-teh]EU [ee ah-sing por chee-an-chee]BR |
...and so on |
Assim que |
[ah-sing kee] |
As soon as |
Assim seja |
[ah-sing say-jah] |
Amen |
Ainda assim |
[Ah-een-dah-sing] |
However / Even though |
Bem |
[Bah-ing]EU [Baing]BR |
Well |
Depressa |
[deh-pray-sah] EU [chee-pray-sah]BR |
Quickly |
Devagar |
[deh-vah-gahr] EU [chee-vah-gahr] BR |
Slowly |
Então
Então? |
[eing-taung] |
So In this case Having said that Then What's up? |
Desde então |
[des-deing-taung] |
Since then |
Hoje |
[Ohjeh] |
Today |
Hoje em dia |
[ohjen-dee-ah] EU [ohjen-cee-ah] |
Nowadays |
Mais hoje, mais amanhã |
[mah-eesh ohjeh, mah-eesh ah-mah-nyiah] |
Sooner or later |
De hoje em diante |
[deh ohjen dee-an-teh] EU [chee ohjen chee-an-chee] BR |
From today on |
Já |
[jah] |
Already Now
|
Já agora |
[jah-goh-rah] |
By the way |
Para já |
[prah jah] |
For the time being For now |
Lá |
[lah] |
Over there In that place In between those people Among those things |
Logo |
[loh-goo] |
Later Immediately promptly |
Logo que |
[loh-goo kay] |
As soon as |
Desde logo |
[daysh-deh loh-goo]EU [daysh-chee loh-goo] |
Since then |
Mal |
[mal] EU [mah-oo] BR |
Badly As soon as |
Mal por mal... |
[Mal por mal] |
Preferentially... |
De mal a pior |
[deh-mahlah-pee-ohr] EU [chee-mahoo-ah-pee-ohr] BR |
From worse to worse |
Mais |
[mah-eesh] EU [mah-eess] BR |
More In addition Also Plus |
Não ... mais |
[Naong mah-eesh] EU [naong mah-eess] BR |
Not +(verb or noun)+ anymore |
Mais dia menos dia |
[mah-eesh dear meh-noosh dear] EU [mah-eesh cheeah meh-noosh cheeah] BR |
Sooner or later |
De mais |
[deh mah-eesh] EU [chee mah-eess] BR |
Too much Too many |
Sem mais nem menos |
[sing mah-eesh nehing mehnosh] EU [mah-eesh cheeah meh-noosh cheeah] BR |
Suddenly All of a sudden |
Menos |
[meh-noosh] EU [meh-nooss] BR |
Less Minus |
A menos que |
[ah meh-noosh kay] EU [ah meh-noosh kee] |
Unless |
Nem mais nem menos |
[Naing mah-eesh naing meh-noosh] EU [Nen mah-eess nen meh-nooss] |
No more no less Exactely |
Pelo menos |
[pay-loo meh-noosh] EU [pay-loo mah-eess] |
At least |
Mesmo |
[maysh-moo] EU [mays-moo] BR |
Really Even (so) |
É mesmo? |
[ay maysh-moo?] EU [ ay mayss-moo?] BR |
Really? |
Mesmo que/se |
[maysh-noo kay /seh] EU [mayss-moo kee / see] |
Even that / if |
Mesmo aqui |
[maysh-moo ah-kee] EU [mayss-moo ah-kee] |
Right here |
Mesmo assim |
[maysh-moo ah-sing] EU [mayss-moo ah-sing] |
Even though Still! (like: expensive still!) |
O mesmo |
[oo maysh-moo] EU [oo mayss-moo] |
The same |
Nada |
[nah-dah] |
Nothing No ... nothing No ... anything |
De nada |
[deh nah-dah] EU [chee nah-dah] BR |
Don't mention it You're welcome |
Não ser nada a |
[naong sehr nah-dah ah] |
Do not have any family connections with |
Não |
[nahong] |
No don't |
Nunca |
[nung-kah] |
Never Never ever |
Mais do que nunca |
[mah-eesh doo kay nung-kah] |
More than ever |
Quase nunca |
[kwah-zay nung-kah] |
Almost never Rarely |
Muito |
[mooing-too] |
Very With intensity Too much Frequently |
Ontem |
[on-teng] |
Yesterday |
Pouco |
[paw-coo] |
Little (as "not much") Rarely |
Muito pouco |
[mooing-too paw-coo] |
Very little |
Fazer pouco de |
[fah-zayr paw-coo deh] |
To take the micky of |
Há pouco (EU) Faz pouco (BR) |
[ah paw-coo] EU [fah-eess paw-coo] BR |
A while ago |
Por pouco |
[poor paw-coo] |
By the skin of my teeth |
Pouco a pouco |
[paw-coo ah paw-coo] |
Little by little |
Pronto |
[pron-too] |
Ready Readly |
(pagamento) a pronto |
[ah pron-too] |
(payment) in cash |
E pronto! |
[ee pron-too!] |
And full stop! |
Sempre |
[seng-pray] |
Always For ever Constantly **In the end... |
Sempre que |
[seng-pray kay] |
Every time that |
Sim |
[sing] |
Yes |
Só |
[soh] |
Only |
A sós |
[ah sosh] |
In private |
Também |
[tam-baying] |
Also As well Too In addition |
Não só mas também |
[naong soh mash tam-baying] |
Not only but also |
Tão |
[taung] |
So much |
Tão (+ adjective) |
[taung] |
Too (e.g. Too good!) |
Tanto |
[tahn-too] |
So much |
Tanto melhor |
[tahn-too may-lyior] |
Even better |
Tanto faz |
[tahn-too fahsh] |
It doesn't matter |
Tanto quanto (...sei) |
[tahn-too kwan-too] |
As far as (...I know) |
A páginas tantas |
[ah pah-gee-nash tahn-tash] EU |
All of a sudden |
Tarde |
[Tar-deh] EU [Tar-chee] BR |
Late |
Muito tarde |
[muing-too tar-deh] EU [muing-too tar-chee] BR |
Too Late / very late |
** This is a rather coloquial expression in the Portuguese vocabulary but very usefull and "sempre" gives the idea of decision (e.g. "Sempre foste a Portugal?" - "In the end, did you go to Portugal?").
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Interrogatives are also very important words of the Portuguese vocabulary. Interrogatives are the question-words. They allow us to ask questions like "Onde?" [on-deh] - "where", "Quando" [kwando] - "When", etc. The interrogatives of the Portuguese vocabulary are like this:
Portuguese Interrogative |
Word sound |
Meaning |
A que horas? |
[ah kay oh-rash? |
What time at? |
Com que frequência? |
[con kay fray-kwen-ceeah?] |
How often? |
Com quem? |
[con kaing?] |
With who? |
Como? |
[koh-moh?] |
How / What? |
Como (é)? |
[koh-moh (ay)?] |
what (is it) like? |
Donde? |
[don-deh?] EU {don-chee?] BR |
Where from? |
De que côr? |
[deh kay cohr?] EU [chee-kee-cohr] BR |
What colour? |
Há quanto tempo? |
[ah kwan-too teing-poo?] |
How long ago? |
* (O) que? |
[oo kay?] |
what? |
Onde? |
[on-deh?] EU [on-chee?] |
where? |
Para onde? |
[pah-rah on-deh?] EU [pah-rah on-chee?] |
where to? |
Para que? |
[pah-rah kay?] EU [pah-rah kee?] |
What for? |
Porque? / Por que? |
[poohr kay?] EU [poohr kee?] |
Why? |
Qual Quais? |
[kwal?] [kwaiss?] |
Which one Which ones? |
Quando? |
[kwan-doo?] |
When? |
Quanto? |
[kwan-too?] |
How much? |
Quantos? |
[kwan-toosh?] EU [kwan-tooss?] |
How many? |
Quantos anos? |
[kwan-toos ah-noos?] |
How old? |
De que tamanho? |
[deh kay tah-mah-nyio?] EU [chee kee tah-mah-nyio?] |
How big/small? What size? |
Quem? |
[kaying?] |
Who? |
Quem? |
[kaying?] |
Who? |
* "O que?" is normally followed by a verb, (e.g. "O que bebe?" - "what would you like to drink?"), whereas "Que?" is followed by a noun (e.g. "Que carro tem?" - "What car do you have?").
Note: When European (EU) Portuguese native speakers ask a question, they normally emphasize these question words of the Portuguese vocabulary with "é que" (e.g. Quem é que come carne? - Who eats meat?). If you ask questions with this "é que", you'll impress your Portuguese friends, because normally, only native speakers use it! However, it has to be said really fast to sound natural.
My suggestion is: practise them all running the words together like this: "Como é que?" [koo-may kay?], "porque é que?" [poohr-kay-kay?], and so on.
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And yes, now, go to the streets and start asking people questions in Portuguese! Even if nobody understands you (in case you are in a non-Portuguese speaking country), at least you are practising by saying it aloud...!
Numbers are also very important words in the Portuguese vocabulary.
Please click here to learn and practise the Portuguese numbers.
Fantástico! With this Portuguese vocabulary you can already speak Portuguese!
I told you it wouldn't be difficult!
Agora, vamos praticar! [ahgoh-rah vah-moosh prah-tee-car!] Now, let's practise!
Rafa x
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