Survival Portuguese for life in Lisbon: 50 phrases for new residents

Short answer: The three phrases worth learning before anything else are por favor (please), obrigado if you are a man or obrigada if you are a woman (thank you), and socorro (help!) if you are ever in trouble. With bom dia, desculpe and não percebo, you can handle most first encounters politely which, in Lisbon, is the thing people notice first.

This guide covers 50 phrases grouped by the situations new residents meet first: cafés and restaurants, shops, public transport, admin and housing, greetings and small talk, and asking for help when your Portuguese runs out. Each entry gives the European Portuguese, a beginner pronunciation guide and a brief history where the word came from. Everything here is written as it is used in Portugal rather than Brazil.

Although most of these phrases have direct translations into English, some cultural differences mean they are slightly different and not applicable to the exact situation in English. Below is a table of 50 words and phrases that are great for new residents to know, along with how to pronounce them and where the saying originates from.

European Portuguese reduces unstressed vowels in a way the spelling never shows, so a phrase you can read confidently can still be unrecognisable when a Lisbon local says it at speed. Memrise pairs each phrase with video of a native speaker for that reason.

English	Portuguese	Pronunciation	Origin
Good morning!	Bom dia!	bohn DEE-ah	Bom is derived from the Latin word “bonus”, meaning “good” Dia comes from the Latin word “dies”, meaning “day”
Thank you	Obrigado (male) Obrigada (female)	oh-bree-GAH-doo and obrigada as oh-bree-GAH-dah	Comes from the Latin word “obligatus”, which means “obligated”
Sorry/Excuse me	Desculpe	deh-SKOOL-peh	Desculpe derives from the Latin word “culpa”, which means “an error” or “a mistake”
I need help	Preciso de ajuda	pre-SEE-zoo dee ah-JOO-dah	Ajuda comes from the Latin word “adiūtāre”, which means “to assist”
I would like an espresso, please	Queria um café, por favor	kee-REE-uh oom kuh-FEH poor fuh-VOHR	Queria comes from the Latin Phrase “quaerere”, which means to “seek”
One more, please	Mais um, por favor	myeesh oom, por fah-vohr	Mais comes from the Latin phrase “magis”, which means “more”
The bill, please	A conta, por favor	uh KON-tuh poor fah-VOHR	Conta comes from the Latin word “computare”, which means “to count”
Can we pay separately?	Podemos pagar em separado?	po-de-mos pa-GAR se-pa-RA-do	Podemos comes from the Latin word “posse”, which means “to be able to”
Do you accept card?	Aceitam cartão?	ah-SAY-tãw kar-TÃO	Aceitam comes from the Latin word “acceptāre”, which means “to receive” or “to take for oneself”
Do you have vegetarian options?	Tem opções vegetarianas?	Tayng op-SOYNS veh-jeh-tah-ree-AH-nahsh?	Vegetarianas comes from the Latin Phrase “vegetāre”, which means “to enliven”
Everything was great	Estava tudo ótimo	sh-TAH-vuh TOO-doo AW-tee-moo	Estava comes from the Latin word “stāre”, which means “to stand”
To go, please	Para levar, por favor	PAH-ruh luh-VAR, pohr fuh-VOR	Levar comes from the Latin word “levare”, which means “to lift”
Do you have the store card?	Tem cartão da loja?	Tayng kar-towng dah loh-zhah?	Cartão comes from the Latin word “charta”, which means “a leaf of paper”
Do you need a bag?	Precisa de saco?	pre-SEE-zuh duh SAH-koo	Precisa comes from the Latin word “praecidere”, which means “to cut off”
Where is the sugar?	Onde fica o açúcar?	ón-de fí-ka u a-sú-kar	Açúcar comes from the Sanskrit word “śarkarā”, which means “grit”
How much does this cost?	Quanto custa isto?	KWAN-too KOOSH-tuh EESH-too	Comes from the Latin word “quantus”, which means “how many”
That’s all, thank you	É só isto, obrigado	Eh saw eesh-too, oh-bree-gah-doo	Obrigado comes from the Latin word “obligatus”, which means “to bind”
Where is the bus stop?	Onde fica a paragem de autocarro?	ON-deh FEE-kuh uh puh-ruh-ZHENG duh ow-too-KAH-hoo	Paragem comes from the Latin word “parare”, which means “to prepare”
Does this tram go to Alfama?	Este elétrico vai para Alfama?	ESH-teh eh-LEH-tree-koo vye PAH-ruh al-FAH-muh?	Este comes from the Latin word “istum” meaning “this”
One ticket for the metro, please	Um bilhete para o metro, por favor	oom bee-LYE-tuh PAH-ruh oo MEH-troo, poor fah-VOR	Para comes from the Latin phrase “per ad”, which means “towards”
Where can I top up my transit pass?	Onde posso carregar o passe?	OHN-de PÔ-su kuh-ree-GAHR oo PAH-suh?	Passe comes from the Latin word “passus”, which means “a step”
Where is the train station?	Onde fica a estação de comboios?	ON-deh FEE-kah ah es-tah-SOON deh koom-BOY-oosh	Estação comes from the Latin word “statio”, which means “a standing” or “a post”
Turn left/right	Vire à esquerda/direita	VEE-reh ah eh-SKEHR-dah or VEE-reh ah di-RAY-tah	Vire comes from the Latin word “gyrare”, which means “to turn around in a circle”
Go straight ahead	Siga em frente	SEE-guh ahn FREN-tuh	Siga comes from the Latin word “sequī”, which means “to follow”
I have an appointment	Tenho uma marcação	TAIN-yoo OO-mah mar-kah-SOWNG	Marcação comes from the Latin word “marcare”, meaning “to mark”
I want to open a bank account	Quero abrir uma conta bancária	KEH-roo ah-BREER OO-mah KOHN-tah bahn-KAH-ree-ah	Quero comes from the Latin word “quaerere”, which means “to ask for”
How much is the rent?	Qual é o preço da renda?	Kwal eh oo press-oo duh rrehn-duh	Renda comes from the Latin word “rendere”, which means “to give back”
Are utilities included?	As despesas estão incluídas?	uz deez-PAY-zuhsh-tãw een-cloo-EE-duhsh	Despesas originally comes from the Latin word “dispendere”, which means “to weigh”
Where can I apply for a NIF?	Onde posso pedir o NIF?	OHN-deh POH-suh peh-DEER oo neef	Onde comes from the Latin word “unde”, which means “where from”
I need proof of address	Preciso de um comprovativo de morada	pre-SEE-zoo duh oom kom-pruh-vuh-TEE-vu duh moo-RAH-duh	Comprovativo comes from the Latin word “comprobare”, which means “to confirm”
The Internet stopped working	A internet parou de funcionar	ah een-ter-NET pah-ROO djee foon-see-o-NAR	Parou comes from the Latin word “parare”, which means “to make”
Good afternoon!	Boa tarde!	BOH-ah TAR-deh	Boa comes from the Latin word “bona”, the feminine form of “bonus”, meaning “good” Tarde is derived from the Latin word “tarde”, meaning “latter part of the day”
Good evening/night!	Boa noite	BOH-uh NOY-teh	Boa is derived from the Latin word “bona”, the feminine form of “bonus”, meaning “good” Noite derives from the Latin word “nox”, meaning “night”
You're welcome	De nada	deh NAH-dah	Nada comes from the Latin phrase “(nulla res) nata”, meaning “no born thing”
Excuse me	Com licença	koom lee-SEN-suh	Com originates from the Latin word “cum”, which means “with”
How are you?/Is everything good?	Tudo bem?	TOO-doo BAYN	Tudo comes from the Latin word “Tōtus”, which means “all/whole”
My name is	Chamo-me	sham-oo-m	Comes from the Latin word “clamare”, which means “to call”
Nice to meet you!	Prazer!	prah-ZEHR	Comes from the Latin word “placēre”, which means “to please”
See you soon!	Até breve!	ah-TEH BREHV	Breve comes from the Latin word “brevis”, which means “short” or “soon”
I don't speak Portuguese well	Não falo bem português	NOW FAH-loo BAYN por-too-GAYSH.	Não comes from the Latin word “nōn”, which means “not”
Can you speak slower, please?	Pode falar mais devagar, por favor	POH-deh fah-LAHR maheeze deh-vah-GAHR, pohr fah-VOHR	Devagar comes from the Latin phrase “vacāre”, which means "to be empty"
Can you repeat that?	Pode repetir?	POH-d(uh) rreh-peh-TEER	Repetir comes from the Latin word “repetere”, which means “to return to”
Do you speak English?	Fala inglês?	FAH-luh een-GLEHSH	Fala comes from the Latin word “fābula”, which means “discourse”
How do you say this in Portuguese?	Como se diz isto em português?	KOH-moo s' deesh EESH-too aing poor-too-GAYSH	Português? originates from the Latin “Portucalense” and is derived from Portus Cale (the original name of the city of Porto)
I didn't understand	Não percebi	nowng pehr-say-BEE	Percebi comes from the Latin word “percipere”, which means “to take”
Where is the bathroom?	Onde fica a casa de banho?	ON-deh FEE-kah ah KAH-zah duh BAHN-yoo	Banho comes from the Latin word “balneum”, which means “bathroom”
Where is the nearest pharmacy?	Onde é a farmácia mais próxima?	ON-deh eh ah far-MAH-see-ah mahy PRO-shee-muh	Farmácia comes from the Greek word “pharmakeia”, which means “the use of drugs, medicines or potions”
Call an ambulance!	Chame uma ambulância!	SHAH-meh OO-mah am-boo-LAN-see-ah	Ambulância comes from the Latin phrase “ambulare”, which means “to walk”

Frequently asked questions

What is the best way to learn Portuguese?

There is no set ‘best way’ to learn any language; different things may work better for different people. But generally, immersing yourself within the culture is a great way to pick up on things textbooks can’t tell you, as you can interact with native speakers.

However, not many people can just up and leave their lives to move to Portugal. Memrise offers a more convenient alternative: video clips of natives talking the language; this way, you can begin to learn the cadence in which natives talk.

Is Portuguese easy to learn?

As far as foreign languages for native English speakers go, yes, Portuguese is relatively easy to learn. The FSI (Foreign Service Institute) places it in Category 1 (the lowest category). Although this does not mean you can become fluent overnight, you will still have to spend roughly 600–750 hours studying to reach a professional level.