Has anyone ever used Duolingo? The majority of you have probably heard of Duo even if you’ve never actually used it. For quite a few years it’s been my go to app for learning new languages (or even refreshing myself on old ones).

On the 20th day of December 2023, I officially took Portuguese off my ‘to learn’ list and added it to my ‘learning’ list.

What useful Portuguese things did I learn that day?

You know, all of the typical things that Duolingo starts you off on: apple, boy, girl, house, car, milk, water… Although, when I first tried to recall any of the above, I’m not entirely sure that ‘learn’ was the correct word.

Actual Useful Portuguese Phrases/Words

I’ll be updating this section each time I learn a handy new word or phrase! Sorry, I don’t know how to write phonetically yet… My ‘to learn’ list never seems to get any smaller for some reason…

Type	English	Portuguese	My Comment
Food/drink	I order/ask for…	Eu peço…	‘Eh-uh pess-oh…’
Food/drink	I drink…	Eu bebo…	‘Eh-oh bay-bo’
Food/drink	Water	Agua
Food/drink	The juice	O suco
Food/drink	I boil…	Fervo…
Food/drink	A tea	Um chá	‘Mm sha’
Food/drink	A coffee	Um café
Food/drink	It is/ a beer	É/ Uma cerveja	‘ee serve-ay-jah’
Food/drink	The drink	A bedida	‘D’ is pronounced normally.
Food/drink	I eat…	Eu como…
Food/drink	I cook…	Eu cozinho…	‘Eh-uh coh-zi-no’
Food/drink	I cut…	Eu corto…
Food/drink	I fry…	Eu frito…
Food/drink	A banana	Uma banana
Food/drink	An apple	Um maçá	‘Mm mass-ah’
Food/drink	A grape	Uma uva
Food/drink	The salad	A salada
Food/drink	The carrot	A cenoura	‘ah sen-aur-eh’
Food/drink	The onion	A cebola
Food/drink	The potato	A batata
Food/drink	Pasta	Massa
Food/drink	Bread	Pão	‘pow-o’
Food/drink	The cheese	O queijo	‘oh kay-jeu’
Food/drink	An egg	Um ovo
Food/drink	The fish	O peixe	‘oh pesh-ay’
Food/drink	The meat	A carne	‘ah karn-ay’
Food/drink	The steak	O bife
Food/drink	The pork	A carne de porco	‘ah carn-ey jay pork-oh’
Food/drink	The chicken	O frango	‘Oh frang-oh’
Food/drink	The sauce	O molho	‘Oh moy-oh’
Food/drink	The cookie(biscuit?)	O biscoito
Food/drink	A chocolate	Um chocolate	‘Mm shock-oh-lat-ay’
Food/drink	The cake	O bolo
Food/drink	The cook	O cozinheiro
Food/drink	The bill	A conta
Food/drink	Lunch	Almoço
Accomodation	A (the) key	Uma (a) chave	‘shah-veh’
Travel	The passport	O passaporte
Travel	Bag	Bolsa
Travel	Jacket	Jaqueta
Travel	Where is…	Cadê…
Travel	Taxi	Táxi
Greetings	Hi	Oi	‘Oy’
Greetings	Hello	Olá
Greetings	Bye	Tchau	‘Chow’
Greetings	Nice to meet you	Prazer em conhecer vocé
Greetings	Good morning	Bom dia	‘D’ is pronounced like ‘gee’
Greetings	Good afternoon	Boa tarde	‘D’ is pronounced like ‘gee’
Greetings	Good evening/night	Boa noite	‘ite’ is pronounced like ‘eh-chey’
Polite Phrases	No	Não	‘Now’. Add this before a verb to make it negative eg. ‘Eu não tenho pão, desculpe’ means ‘I do not have bread, sorry’.
Polite Phrases	Yes	Sim
Polite Phrases	Excuse me	Com licença
Polite Phrases	Sorry	Desculpe	‘des-kull-pay’
Polite Phrases	Please	Por favor
Polite Phrases	Thank you/thanks	Obrigada/Obrigado	‘D’ is pronounced normally. Ends in ‘a’ if a female is speaking and an ‘o’ for a male speaking.
Polite Phrases	You’re welcome	De nada	First ‘D’ is pronounced like ‘gee’, second ‘D’ is pronounced normally.
Polite Phrases	Congratulations	Parabéns
Polite Phrases	How are you?/Everything is fine	Tudo bem(?)
Polite Phrases	How are you?	Como está você	você is pronounced ‘voh-say’
Nationalities & languages	Portuguese	Português
Nationalities & languages	English	inglês
Nationalities & languages	Sorry, I don’t speak Portuguese	Desculpe, eu nâo falo português
Nationalities & languages	Excuse me, do you speak English?	Com licença, vocé fala inglês?

Interesting Portuguese language facts

None just yet 🙂

Throughout my travels, I’ll be compiling lists of useful phrases and interesting language facts. Why not check here to see if there is anything that might help you on your next journey.