Portuguese phrases that help off route

Brazil’s emergency numbers are 190 for police, 192 for an ambulance and 193 for fire. The 193 roadside help line works only in Portuguese, so learn the emergency phrases first. The tables below give Brazilian Portuguese for buses, boats, pousadas, food, directions and emergencies, each with a simple English respelling.

Outside the main tourist areas, few people speak English. Bus ticket clerks, boat crews, pousada owners and market sellers usually speak only Portuguese. A few dozen phrases, said politely, change how a day goes. Brazilians tend to be patient with learners and will often slow down or try gestures. A translation app helps, but it works badly with no signal, so download the Portuguese offline pack before you leave the city.

How to read the pronunciation guide

The respelling uses English sounds. Capital letters mark the stressed syllable. Pronunciation varies by region; this guide follows a general Rio and São Paulo pattern.

Words that describe you change ending with your gender. A man says obrigado and perdido. A woman says obrigada and perdida. The tables show both where it matters.

In the Northeast, many speakers say “t” and “d” before “i” as plain t and d, so noite sounds closer to NOY-tee. In parts of the South you will hear a softer “r”. You will still be understood with the pattern used here.

Basics

Start every exchange with a greeting. Walking up to a counter and asking a question without “bom dia” or “boa tarde” first comes across as rude.

Say obrigado (oh-bree-GAH-doo) if you are a man and obrigada (oh-bree-GAH-dah) if you are a woman. “Tudo bem?” (TOO-doo beng, “all good?”) works as both a greeting and a reply.

Buses and boats

Long-distance buses leave from the rodoviária, the bus station. In the Amazon, river boats carry passengers in hammocks on open decks, so a few boat phrases go a long way.

Write your destination on paper and show it at the ticket window. Place names are easy to mispronounce, and a written name avoids a wrong ticket. Booking and boarding rules are on long-distance buses in Brazil.

Pousadas

A pousada is a small guesthouse. The diária is the nightly rate. Many small pousadas take bookings by WhatsApp, so these phrases also work typed.

A “quarto” usually has a shared bathroom; a “suíte” has its own. A “cama de casal” is a double bed.

Food and paying

Many simple restaurants serve a “prato feito” or “PF,” a set plate of rice, beans, meat and salad. A “comida por quilo” restaurant charges by the weight of your plate.

The service charge, normally 10%, is optional and cannot be imposed on you. Most people pay it when service was good.

Vegetarians should know that “carne” often means red meat only. Ask “tem frango ou peixe?” (teng FRAHN-goo oh PAY-shee, “is there chicken or fish?”) if you avoid all meat.

A sign may read “só Pix.” It means the place takes payment only by Pix, Brazil’s instant payment system. Businesses must tell you in advance which payment methods they accept. How to pay without a Brazilian account is on money in Brazil.

Asking directions

Directions in small towns often use landmarks: the church, the square (praça), the gas station (posto). Ask two people if the answers differ.

Emergencies

Learn these before you go. In a crisis you will not have time to look them up.

Dial 190 for police, 192 for an ambulance (SAMU) and 193 for the fire department (Bombeiros). Two more numbers are useful.

Do not count on English in an emergency. Medical staff may speak little or no English, and the 193 roadside help line works only in Portuguese. Save your address in Portuguese on your phone, and keep a note of any allergies or conditions written in Portuguese.

Related routes

Spanish speakers can read how far Spanish gets you in Brazil. If you plan to stay long enough to study, see learning Portuguese in Brazil and the Celpe-Bras exam.