Brazilian people are known for their hospitality and politeness towards foreigners, but not many people in Brazil speak a second language. Although it may be difficult for English speakers to communicate when traveling in Brazil, there are a few sentences that can help travelers at the hotel, restaurants and shops.
Communicating in Brazilian Portuguese at the Hotel
Most of the large chains of hotels in Brazil are well prepared to receive foreigners and speak their language, but the crew of smaller family hotels in less popular (but not less beautiful) beaches may not speak any English. When calling these hotels to make a reservation, the easiest way to do it is by saying: "Gostaria de fazer uma reserva, por favor" (I would like to make a reservation, please). The attendant will ask for names, time of arrival and number of people.
- How many people? – Quantas pessoas?
- One person/ single room – Uma pessoa/ quarto individual
- Two people/ double room – Duas pessoas/ quarto duplo
- Three people/ triple room – Três pessoas/ quarto triplo
- How many nights? – Quantas noites?
- One night – Uma noite
- Two nights – Duas noites
There are other useful words and sentences that travelers may need to know once they are already at the hotel:
- Breakfast included – Café da manhã incluso
- Paying cash – Pagamento em dinheiro
- Paying with credit card – Pagamento com cartão de crédito
Communicating in Brazilian Portuguese at Bars and Restaurants
Brazil is known for its informality when it comes for bars and restaurants. Travelers can drink beers, caipirinhas (famous Brazilian drink with lemon, sugar and cachaça) and eat the delicious fish dishes in any open bar of every beach, but language can be a problem, specially in smaller beaches. Some sentences may help travelers get what they want.
- What would you like to drink? – O que gostaria de beber?
- I want a beer/ water – Eu quero uma cerveja/ água
- I would like meat/ chicken/ fish/ salad – Eu gostaria de carne/ frango/ peixe/ salada
- Side dishes – acompanhamentos
- Rice/ beans/ eggs/ vegetables – arroz/ feijão/ ovos/ legumes
- Would you like any dessert? – Você gostaria de alguma sobremesa?
- Menù – cardápio
- Bill – conta
Going Shoping in Brazil – Useful Words and Sentences
No matter if travelers want to buy local crafts in open markets or if they want to go shopping in the huge malls of the large cities, there are many words and sentences in Brazilian Portuguese that can make the experience much easier.
- How much is this? – Quanto custa?
- Can I try this on? – Posso provar?
- Small/ medium /large – pequeno/ médio /grande
- Can I see this? – Posso ver?
- T-shirt/ bag/ cap/ crafts – camiseta/ bolsa/ boné/ artesanato
- Do you have other colors? – Tem outras cores?
- White/ black/ blue/ red/ green/ yellow/ pink – branco/ preto/ azul/ vermelho/ verde/ amarelo/ rosa
More Useful Words in Brazilian Portuguese
These words can be used anywhere in Brazil:
- Thank you – Obrigado (for men), obrigada (for women)
- You're welcome – De nada
- Good morning – Bom dia
- Good afternoon/ night – Boa tarde/ noite
- Please – Por favor
Knowing some of the local language always helps travelers have a pleasant stay. This is not only an opportunity to learn a different language, it's also an opportunity to make friends for life.
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