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.

Or sign up for my free newsletter now to get information about vocabulary subtleties among other curiosities in Portuguese.

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.

    At that point of the situation
    Portuguese adverb
    Word sound
    English translation
    Agora

    Agora?
    [ah-goh-rah] Now
    Nowadays
    Right now?
    Já agora... [jah ah-goh-rah] might as well...
    [ah-ee] There (where the listener is)
    In that place
    So
    In that case
    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
    [jah] Already
    Now
    Já agora [jah-goh-rah] By the way
    Para já [prah jah] For the time being
    For now
    [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
    [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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    Here are some pages you may find interesting:


  • The Portuguese alphabet.
  • European Portuguese Pronunciation
  • Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation
  • Portuguese Determinants
  • Portuguese Nouns
  • Portuguese Verbs
  • Free Portuguese Verb Table
  • Portuguese Adjectives
  • Portuguese Prepositions
  • Portuguese Connectors
  • Portuguese Adverbs
  • Portuguese Question Words
  • Portuguese Numbers
  • Portuguese words similar to English
  • Direct and Reported Speech
  • Useful Portuguese Phrases
  • Days Of The Week
  • Phrases to get by - Brazilian Portuguese
  • Brazilian Portuguese phrases for second meeting
  • Some Portuguese Bad Words
  • Difference Between Por and Para in Portuguese
  • Present Subjunctive in Portuguese
  • Personal Infinitive in Portuguese
  • Future Subjunctive in Portuguese
  • Video-Lessons


  • * * * * *