Introduction
When we have a conversation, it is inevitable to ask questions and answer the questions we are asked, right?
What you may not know is that you do not need to speak much PortugueseĀ to be able to communicate effectively!
With this in mind, in this guide I will teach you the 81 most relevant questions and answersĀ of the Portuguese language for English-speaking beginners.
They are questions and answers that we use constantly, that you will surely use every day in your own mother tongue.
These are phrases that you should consider a priority in your Portuguese study if you are a beginner. You will use them very often in daily life and on your holidays.Ā
You have the same content explained in Portuguese.Ā You can watch the video in Portuguese with subtitles in Portuguese or English for language immersion.
Who is this basic Portuguese guide for?
This guide will be especially useful if you are a beginner and want to learn the basicsĀ of the Portuguese language.However, if you already have some knowledgeĀ of Portuguese, you can also take advantage of this guide to brush up on your Portuguese skills. You will surelyĀ learn new things, too.
Do I need to have previous knowledge of Portuguese to learn with this guide for English speakers?
If you already speak a littleĀ Portuguese, you can continue learning with this guide.
If, on the other hand, you do not speak anyĀ Portuguese, you can also learn the phrases of this guide for English speakers.
- In that case, you should at least be familiar with the sounds of Portuguese. That will make itĀ easier to learnĀ these 81 questions and answers.
You also have a FREEĀ Portuguese mini-courseĀ for English-speaking beginners. With the course, you will start speaking Portuguese from scratch.
- You sign up withĀ two clicksĀ andĀ you have no deadlineĀ to take the lessons.
- The course includesĀ video classes, varied materials, and certificate.
Free course previewĀ (sneak peek), with many free learning tips, available here, no registration needed.
Al the end of this blog post you will find more FREE contentĀ for English-speaking beginners who want to learn Brazilian Portuguese from scratch, no registration required.
What you will learn in this guide about Portuguese language basics?
In this guide you will learn extremelyĀ useful and practical resourcesĀ so that you can start communicating in Portuguese ā even if you have little previous knowledge of the language.You will also find the main interrogatives of the Portuguese language.
The questions and answers in this free guide will help you:
- To talk to strangers, to introduce yourself and to offer basic information about yourself.
- To ask for help and to offer help.
- To communicate in shops and restaurants.
- To ask for information and to ask for directions in a new city.
- To indicate your likes and preferences.
- To express your opinion.
- To make proposals and invitations.
- This repertoire includes colloquial expressions so that you can speak Portuguese with the ease of an authentic Brazilian.
The material in this Portuguese guide for English-speaking beginners
The PDF, which includes theory, summary, exercises, and answers. portugues-perguntas-respostas
perguntas-portugues-ingles
port-verb-inf
port-verb-inf-1
portugues-brincadeira-louco
The quiz to practice this content, which you will find at the end of this post.
In the audios you can change the playback speed, if you think it is too fast.
The meaning of the asterisks in this Portuguese guide (click to read the content)
Attention: the questions that are marked with an asterisk (*) are used in Brazilian Portuguese in informal situations. They are not slang, nor contain curse words, but they are not suitable for situations that require a certain formality, such as the work environment.
Attention: many of the Spanish phrases in this guide have two possibilities, depending on the formality of the situation in which we communicate.
- For this reason, you will see the slash (/) indicating these alternatives: first the phrase if we use āVOCĆā (informal in Brazil) as form of address and then the same phrase, but using āO SENHOR / A SENHORAā (formal) as form of address.
- Some phrases only appear with āVOCĆā because they will normally only be used to talk to someone with whom we already have a personal relationship and, therefore, we address this person with āVOCĆā.
However, the conjugation of the verbs is identical (3rd person singular) whether we use āVOCĆā or āO SENHOR / A SENHORAā to address the person In Brazilian Portuguese.
- Therefore, if we omit the form of address and leave only the conjugated verb, the sentence is suitable for any communicative situation ā formal or informal, it does not matter.
- This aspect of Brazilian Portuguese grammar greatly simplifies the communication for all speakers, both natives and foreigners.
The main interrogatives in Portuguese: vocabulary for English-speaking beginners
You will learn the most basic interrogatives and basic questions in Portuguese on minute 02:28 of the video.
| O que? QuĆŖ? | What? |
| Quem? | Who? |
| Como? | How? |
| Onde? | Where? |
| De onde? | From where? |
| Aonde? Para onde? | Where to? |
| Quando? | When? |
| Quanto? ($) | How much? ($) |
| Quanto? Quanta? Quantos? Quantas? | How many? ā How much? |
| Quanto tempo? | How long? |
| Por que ā¦? Por quĆŖ? Porque ā¦ . | Why? Becauseā¦ |
| Qual? Quais? | Which? |
| O que Ć© isso? | What is this? |
| Que horas sĆ£o? | What time is it? |
| Que dia Ć© hoje? | What day is today? |
How to introduce yourself and how to talk to strangers in Portuguese: phrases for English-speaking beginners
You will learn the questions to meet new people in Portuguese on minute 12:37 of the video.| PerdĆ£o. Desculpa. / Desculpe. | Sorry. Excuse me. |
| Eu te conheƧo de algum lugar? | Do we know each other? Do I know you from somewhere? |
| Como vocĆŖ se chama? / Como o senhor / a senhora se chama? | What is your name? |
| Eu me chamo ā¦ . Muito prazer! | My name is ā¦ . Nice to meet you! |
| O que vocĆŖ faz da vida? / O que o senhor / a senhora faz profissionalmente? | What do you do for a living? |
| Eu sou ā¦ . | I am ā¦ ​​. |
| VocĆŖ jĆ” esteve no Brasil? / O senhor / a senhora jĆ” esteve no Brasil? | Have you ever been to Brazil? |
| Sim, eu estive em ā¦ . / NĆ£o, ainda nĆ£o. | Yes, I was inā¦. / No, I have not been yet. |
| VocĆŖ Ć© daqui? / O senhor / a senhora Ć© daqui? | Are you from here? |
| Sim. NĆ£o, eu sou de ā¦ . | Yes. No, I am from ā¦ . |
| VocĆŖ Ć© novo por aqui? VocĆŖ Ć© nova por aqui? / O senhor Ć© novo por aqui? A senhora Ć© nova por aqui? | Are you new here? |
| VocĆŖ vem sempre aqui? / O senhor / a senhora vem sempre aqui? | Do you come here often? |
| VocĆŖ fala inglĆŖs? / O senhor / a senhora fala inglĆŖs? | Do you speak English? |
| Por que vocĆŖ estuda portuguĆŖs? / Por que o senhor / a senhora estuda portuguĆŖs? | Why do you learn Portuguese? |
| Eu estudo portuguĆŖs porque ā¦ . | I learn Portuguese because ā¦ . |
You can learnĀ how toĀ introduce yourselfĀ (minute 06:34)Ā andĀ how to indicate your place of originĀ (minute 13:26) inĀ Portuguese in this video for English-speaking beginners. In the video you will learn the 62 most useful phrases for your next trip to a Portuguese-speaking country (you have PDF, audio and more material to practice for free).
How to solve problems and how to ask for help in Portuguese: phrases for English-speaking beginners
You will learn the questions to solve problems and ask for help / offer help in Portuguese on minute of Ā 26:26 the video.| Como vocĆŖ estĆ” se sentindo? / Como o senhor / a senhora estĆ” se sentindo? | How are you feeling? |
| EstĆ” tudo certo? | Is everything alright? |
| Tem alguma coisa errada? | Is there something wrong? |
| Qual Ć© o problema? | What is the problem? |
| Eu posso fazer uma pergunta? Posso perguntar uma coisinha? | Can I ask a question? Can I ask something? |
| Pode me dar uma mĆ£ozinha? | Can you give me a helping hand? |
| Precisa de ajuda? | Do you need help? |
| Posso ajudar? | Can I help? |
In this short video you will learn useful phrases toĀ facilitate communicationĀ in Portuguese as a beginner. It is part of a series of videos for English speakers with free material to practice.
You will learn howĀ to ask for informationĀ in Portuguese withĀ this short video, which is part ofĀ a series of videos in PortugueseĀ with practical explanations so that you communicate much better on a day-to-day basis and on trips.
How to shop and how to order food in Portuguese: phrases for English-speaking beginners
You will learn the basic questions to communicate in shops, cafĆ© and restaurant in Portuguese on minute 31:37 of the video.| VocĆŖ querā¦? / O senhor / a senhora quer ā¦? | Do you want ā¦? |
| VocĆŖ queria ā¦? / O senhor /a senhora queria ā¦? | Would you like ā¦? |
| VocĆŖ gostaria de ā¦? / O senhor / a senhora gostaria de ā¦? | Would you like ā¦? |
| Sim, por favor. NĆ£o, obrigado/a. | Yes, please. No, thank you. |
| Sim, estou procurando ā¦ . / Sim, preciso de ā¦ . | Yes, I am looking forā¦ . / Yes, I need ā¦ . |
| NĆ£o, obrigado/a, sĆ³ estou dando uma olhadinha. | No, thank you, I am just browsing. |
| Pode me ajudar? | Can you help me? |
| VocĆŖ tem ā¦? / O senhor / a senhora tem ā¦? | Do you haveā¦? |
| Possoā¦? | May Iā¦? |
| Pode me darā¦? | Can you give me ā¦? Can I have ā¦ ? |
| VocĆŖ se importariaā¦? / O senhor / a senhora se importariaā¦? | Would you mind ā¦? |
| VocĆŖ pode ā¦? / O senhor / a senhora podeā¦? | Can you ā¦? |
| Sim, eu posso. NĆ£o, nĆ£o posso. | Yes, I can. No, I cannot. |
| VocĆŖ sabe ā¦? O senhor / a senhora sabe ā¦? | Do you knowā¦? |
| Sim, eu sei. NĆ£o, nĆ£o sei. | Yes, I know. No, I donāt know. |
| VocĆŖ conhece ā¦? / O senhor / a senhora conhece ā¦? | Do you knowā¦? |
| Sim, eu conheƧo. NĆ£o, nĆ£o conheƧo. | Yes, I know. No, I donāt know. |
| Quanto custa? | How much does it cost? |
| Mais alguma coisa? | Do you want anything else? |
| Posso pagar (com cartĆ£o/em dinheiro)? | Can I pay (by card / cash)? |
| Eu queria pagar. | Iād like to pay. |
You will learn useful phrases forĀ shoppingĀ and for ordering atĀ the cafĆ© or restaurantĀ inĀ Portuguese in these short videos with useful phrases. They are part of a free communication guideĀ for Ā English-speaking beginners with practical explanations and extra material. 12-14 16
How to find your way around the city in Portuguese: phrases for English-speaking beginners
You will learn the essential questions to ask for information on the street in Portuguese on the minute 44:15 of the video.| Tem um/uma ā¦ por aqui? | Is there a ā¦ around here? |
| Onde fica o/a ā¦? | Where is ā¦? |
| Como vou para ā¦? | How do I get to ā¦? |
| Pode me levar para ā¦? | Can you take me to ā¦? |
You will learn how to talk aboutĀ city and transportĀ in these two Portuguese videos for English speakers, which are part of aĀ free communication guide for beginnersĀ with videos, audios, quizzes and flashcards.
How to express your likes, preferences, and opinions in Portuguese: phrases for English-speaking beginners
You will learn to indicate what things you like and what you think about a topic in Portuguese on minute 47:32 of the video.| VocĆŖ gosta de ā¦? / O senhor / a senhora gosta de ā¦? | Do you like? |
| Sim, eu gosto. NĆ£o, nĆ£o gosto. | Yes, I like. No, I do not like. |
| Do que vocĆŖ gosta mais, ā¦ ou ā¦? / Do que o senhor / a senhora gosta mais, ā¦ ou ā¦? | What do you like better, ā¦ or ā¦? |
| Eu gosto mais de ā¦ . | I like ā¦ better. |
| O que vocĆŖ prefere? / O que o senhor / a senhora prefere? | What do you prefer? |
| Eu prefiro ā¦ . | I prefer ā¦ . |
| Qual Ć© a sua opiniĆ£o? | What do you think? |
| Eu penso que ā¦ . | I think that ā¦ . |
| O que vocĆŖ acha? / O que o senhor / a senhora acha? | What do you think? |
| Acho que ā¦ . | I think that ā¦ . |
You can learn to talk about the activities you like to do in Portuguese in this short video for English-speaking beginners. In the explanations (available for free, with material to practice) you will better understand how to indicateĀ your likes and preferencesĀ in Portuguese.
How to make invitations and proposals in Portuguese: phrases for English-speaking beginners
You will learn to invite someone in Portuguese on minute 52:10 of the video.| Podemos conversar? | Can we talk? |
| VocĆŖ tem tempo para ā¦? | Do you have time for ā¦? |
| Quer beber alguma coisa? | Do you want to have a drink? |
| Vamos fazer alguma coisa? | Shall we do something together? |
| VocĆŖ vem comigo? / O senhor / a senhora vem comigo? | Will you come with me? |
| VocĆŖ me acompanha? / O senhor / a senhora me acompanha? | Will you join me? Will you come along? |
| VocĆŖ topa? | Are you in? |
| Posso te convidar para sair? | Do you want to go out with me? |
| Posso te convidar para almoƧar/jantar fora? | Can I buy you lunch/dinner? |
You will learn useful phrasesĀ toĀ make invitations and to meetĀ your friends in Portuguese in this video for English-speaking beginners, which hasĀ more explanations and free material to practice.
How to say āI am jokingā and āyou are crazyā in Portuguese: phrases for English-speaking beginners
You will learn informal phrases to indicate that you are kidding and that you think someone is crazy in Portuguese on minute 55:57 of the video.| Estou brincando! | Iām just kidding. |
| Estou de brincadeira! | Iām just kidding. |
| *Estou zoando! Estou de zoeira! | Iām just kidding. |
| *Estou te tirando! | Iām just kidding. |
| *Estou tirando onda com a sua cara! | Iām just kidding. |
| *O que Ć© que Ć© isso? | What the hell? |
| Essa ideia Ć© louca. | This is a crazy idea. |
| VocĆŖ me deixa louco/a. | You drive me crazy. |
| Que loucura! | Thatās crazy! |
| Que doideira! | Thatās crazy! |
| Que maluquice! | Thatās crazy! |
| VocĆŖ Ć© maluco/a. | You are crazy. |
| VocĆŖ Ć© doido/a. | You are crazy. |
| *VocĆŖ estĆ” pirado/a. | You are crazy. |
| *VocĆŖ estĆ” viajando. | You are crazy. |
| *VocĆŖ estĆ” tantĆ£. | You are crazy. |
| *VocĆŖ estĆ” biruta. | You are crazy. |
| *VocĆŖ pirou! | You are crazy. |
| VocĆŖ endoideceu! | You went crazy. |
| *VocĆŖ despirocou! | You went crazy. |
| *VocĆŖ estĆ” com um parafuso solto. | You went crazy. |
| *VocĆŖ Ć© doido/a varrido/a. | You are crazy. |
| *CĆŖ Ć© doido, maluco? | You crazy? |
A quiz, so you can practice the most relevant questions and answers in Portuguese for beginners
In the quiz there is at least one wrong answer.Online Self-Study Brazilian Portuguese Courses for Beginners (with Certificate)
If you have little or no prior knowledgeĀ of the Portuguese language, you can start learning it with theĀ FREE ONLINE SELF-STUDY MINI-COURSE.The FREE course for English speakers includesĀ certificateĀ andĀ varied digital materials.
The signup process is fast and intuitive. You canĀ start learningĀ whenever you want. YouĀ do notĀ have a deadlineĀ to finish the online course.
Here is more informationĀ about the free Brazilian Portuguese mini-course.
You have two previews of course content. You can access these free course sneak peeks without having to sign up.
- The firstĀ is aĀ pleasant first contactĀ with the foreign language.
- The secondĀ includes manyĀ free tipsĀ to motivate and to inspire your learning.
The mini-course works as an introductionĀ to the Portuguese language and will allow youĀ to continue learning more easily.
When you finish the mini-course you get a discount couponĀ to take the comprehensive Portuguese course with which you willĀ conclude the A1Ā level.
But the mini-course is FREE, NO STRINGS ATTACHED. If the mini-course has inspired you to keep on learning, the A1 course is the best way to boost your Portuguese skills comfortably and effectively.
The A1-Portuguese course includes varied digital materials, a certificate, and webinarsĀ where you can ask your questions in real time.
You have a freeĀ trial lessonĀ available.
Apart from the information on the course page, you have theĀ FAQĀ andĀ more informationĀ about the self-study system available here. If you have more questions,Ā get in touch.
Learn Brazilian Portuguese from Scratch: Newsletter, YouTube, and Social Media
You can sign up for the PortugueseĀ newsletterĀ for English-speaking beginners for free, with content and tips to learn the language for free. You can learn Portuguese with content for beginners on social media: Do not miss the YouTube channel! Subscribe! You have this list with videos to get familiar with the basicsĀ of the Portuguese language in a communicative and enjoyable way (explanations in English).The same content isĀ available in PortugueseĀ (with Portuguese / English subtitles) so you can do language immersion.
In this list you will find videos to learn theĀ must-know Portuguese vocabularyĀ (explanations in English).
The same content isĀ available in PortugueseĀ (with Portuguese / English subtitles) so you can do language immersion.
You will learn Portuguese in a matter of seconds in this list ofĀ short videos to master basic phrases.
More Free Content to Learn Brazilian Portuguese: Blog for English-speaking Beginners
In the Portuguese self-study blog for English speakers, you will find varied resources for beginners (videos, PDF, cheat sheets, audios, interactive flashcards, quiz).Images obtained via CanvaĀ®
2021 Alicia Montero Schiemann
All rights reserved.
Discens Language LearningĀ®