Basic Portuguese Words
One word on this page changes depending on who is speaking rather than who is listening. It is the word for thank you, and it is the mistake beginners make most.
The first ten
-
sim
seeng
-
yes
-
não
nowng
-
no, not
-
por favor
poor fah-VOR
-
please
-
obrigado
oh-bree-GAH-doo
-
thank you
Say obrigada if you are female
-
de nada
jee NAH-dah
-
you're welcome
-
talvez
tahl-VEHS
-
maybe
-
bom
bohng
-
good
-
ruim
hoo-EENG
-
bad
-
muito
MOOY-too
-
very, a lot
-
um pouco
oong POH-koo
-
a little
People
-
eu
eh-oo
-
I
-
você
voh-SEH
-
you
Covers formal and informal in Brazil
-
o senhor
oo seh-NYOR
-
you
Genuinely formal. a senhora to a woman
-
ele
EH-lee
-
he
-
ela
EH-lah
-
she
-
nós
nawss
-
we
-
eles
EH-leesh
-
they
Small words that hold a sentence together
-
e
ee
-
and
-
ou
oh
-
or
-
mas
myss
-
but
-
também
tam-BANG
-
also
-
com
kohng
-
with
-
sem
sang
-
without
-
aqui
ah-KEE
-
here
-
ali
ah-LEE
-
there
-
agora
ah-GOH-rah
-
now
Everyday things
-
a água
ah AH-gwah
-
water
-
a comida
ah koh-MEE-dah
-
food
-
a casa
ah KAH-zah
-
house
-
o amigo
oo ah-MEE-goo
-
friend
a amiga for a female friend
-
grande
GRAN-jee
-
big
-
pequeno
peh-KEH-noo
-
small
Obrigado or obrigada
The word agrees with the person saying it, not the person being thanked. A man says obrigado whoever he is speaking to. A woman says obrigada.
It is really an adjective meaning obliged, which is why it behaves this way, and it is the single most common thing learners get wrong in Portuguese.
Every noun is masculine or feminine, and the article says which: o for masculine, a for feminine. Learn a casa rather than casa.
Não does double duty. On its own it means no, and in front of a verb it means not: Não falo português.
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