100 Basic Portuguese Words for Beginners
🇵🇹 Portuguese · 100 cards · A1 · by Mariana Costa
This is the list I hand to anyone starting Portuguese from zero: greetings, pronouns, the twenty verbs you can't get through a day without, everyday nouns, time words and the question words.
The vocabulary itself is easy. What trips learners up is that Portuguese has two big standards. Ônibus or autocarro, celular or telemóvel, suco or sumo — and banheiro, which is the bathroom in Brazil and the lifeguard in Portugal. Wherever a word splits, the note tells you which side of the Atlantic it belongs to: pick one variety and stay with it.
Do the verbs and the question words first — almost every beginner sentence you will build comes out of those two groups.
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How to use this deck
Flip through the cards, then switch to Quiz. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The full table below is there to read, print or copy into your own flashcard app.
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All 100 cards
| # | Portuguese | English | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | olá Neutral and safe everywhere; the default greeting in Portugal. | hello, hi | Olá! Há quanto tempo! Hello! Long time no see! | |
| 2 | oi Brazil's everyday greeting. In Portugal "Oi?" mostly means "Sorry, what?". | hi | Oi, tudo bem? Hi, how are you? | |
| 3 | bom dia Used until around midday. | good morning | Bom dia! Um café, por favor. Good morning! A coffee, please. | |
| 4 | boa tarde From midday until it gets dark. | good afternoon | Boa tarde, posso entrar? Good afternoon, may I come in? | |
| 5 | boa noite Both a greeting after dark and a farewell before bed. | good evening, good night | Boa noite, até amanhã. Good night, see you tomorrow. | |
| 6 | tudo bem? Answer with "Tudo bem" or "Tudo". Portugal also says "Está tudo bem?". | how are you?, all good? | Bom dia! Tudo bem? Good morning! How are you? | |
| 7 | obrigado Agrees with the speaker: a man says obrigado, a woman obrigada. | thank you | Muito obrigado pela ajuda. Thank you very much for the help. | |
| 8 | por favor In Portugal you will also hear "faz favor" and "se faz favor". | please | Fecha a porta, por favor. Close the door, please. | |
| 9 | desculpa Informal (tu form); use "desculpe" with strangers. Portugal often says "peço desculpa". | sorry, excuse me | Desculpa, foi sem intenção. Sorry, I didn't mean to. | |
| 10 | tchau Brazilian spelling; in Portugal usually written "chau". "Adeus" sounds more final. | bye | Tchau, até segunda! Bye, see you Monday! | |
| 11 | sim To agree, speakers often repeat the verb instead: "— Tens tempo? — Tenho." | yes | Sim, pode ser amanhã. Yes, tomorrow works. | |
| 12 | não Same word for "no" and for negating a verb. | no, not | Não sei onde deixei as chaves. I don't know where I left the keys. | |
| 13 | eu Often dropped, since the verb ending already shows the person. | I | Eu moro perto do centro. I live near the city centre. | |
| 14 | tu The standard informal form in Portugal. In Brazil mainly the South and Northeast, usually with third-person verbs ("tu vai"). | you (singular, informal) | Tu vens comigo ou não? Are you coming with me or not? | |
| 15 | você Brazil's default "you". In Portugal it sounds distant and can be rude to older people. | you (singular) | Você já almoçou? Have you had lunch already? | |
| 16 | ele Also "it" for masculine nouns. | he, him, it | Ele chega às oito. He arrives at eight. | |
| 17 | ela "num" = em + um; Brazilians often write "em um". | she, her, it | Ela trabalha num hospital. She works at a hospital. | |
| 18 | nós In everyday Brazilian speech "a gente" usually replaces it. | we, us | Nós vamos de carro. We're going by car. | |
| 19 | a gente Very common for "we" in spoken Brazilian; takes a singular verb. Used in Portugal too, but less often. | we (colloquial) | A gente se vê amanhã. We'll see each other tomorrow. | |
| 20 | eles Feminine plural is "elas"; a mixed group takes "eles". | they, them | Eles ainda não responderam. They haven't answered yet. | |
| 21 | ser For identity, origin, profession, lasting qualities. Irregular: sou, és, é, somos, são. | to be (permanent) | Ela quer ser médica. She wants to be a doctor. | |
| 22 | estar For states and places. Brazilians shorten "está" to "tá" in speech. | to be (temporary, location) | Vou estar em casa às seis. I'll be home at six. | |
| 23 | ter In Brazil "tem" also means "there is/are", where Portugal prefers "há". | to have | Não vou ter tempo hoje. I won't have time today. | |
| 24 | ir "ir" + infinitive is the usual future: vou comer. | to go | Quero ir à praia no sábado. I want to go to the beach on Saturday. | |
| 25 | fazer Irregular: faço, fazes, faz, fazemos, fazem. | to do, to make | O que vamos fazer agora? What are we going to do now? | |
| 26 | querer "Quero..." alone can sound blunt; add "por favor" when ordering. | to want | Ela não vai querer sair hoje. She won't want to go out today. | |
| 27 | poder "Pode ser" on its own means "that works for me". | can, to be able to, may | Você vai poder vir? Will you be able to come? | |
| 28 | saber "saber nadar" = to know how to swim. | to know (facts, how to) | Quero saber a verdade. I want to know the truth. | |
| 29 | conhecer Use conhecer for people and places, saber for information. | to know (people, places), to meet | Quero conhecer os teus pais. I want to meet your parents. | |
| 30 | falar "falar com" = to talk to someone. | to speak, to talk | Preciso falar contigo. I need to talk to you. | |
| 31 | dizer Brazilians often use "falar" where Portugal uses "dizer". | to say, to tell | Não sei o que dizer. I don't know what to say. | |
| 32 | comer | to eat | Vamos comer alguma coisa? Shall we eat something? | |
| 33 | beber With no object, "beber" often implies drinking alcohol. | to drink | Quer beber água? Do you want to drink some water? | |
| 34 | ver Portugal attaches the pronoun with a hyphen; Brazil says "Deixa eu ver". | to see, to watch | Deixa-me ver isso. Let me see that. | |
| 35 | gostar Always gostar DE: gosto de café. | to like | Você gosta de música brasileira? Do you like Brazilian music? | |
| 36 | precisar Portugal keeps "de" before a verb too (preciso de trabalhar); Brazil drops it (preciso trabalhar). | to need | Preciso de ajuda com isto. I need help with this. | |
| 37 | dar Brazilian pronoun order; Portugal: "Pode dar-me um guardanapo?". | to give | Pode me dar um guardanapo? Can you give me a napkin? | |
| 38 | morar Most common in Brazil; Portugal uses "viver" just as much. | to live, to reside | Moro nesta rua há dez anos. I've lived on this street for ten years. | |
| 39 | trabalhar "trabalhar em" + place, "trabalhar como" + job. | to work | Ele trabalha até tarde. He works late. | |
| 40 | comprar Portugal: bilhetes for everything. Brazil: "ingressos" for events, "passagens" for travel. | to buy | Vou comprar os bilhetes hoje. I'm going to buy the tickets today. | |
| 41 | pagar Brazil: "pagar no cartão"; Portugal: "pagar com cartão" or "por multibanco". | to pay | Quem vai pagar a conta? Who's going to pay the bill? | |
| 42 | ajudar Portugal: "Podes ajudar-me?". | to help | Você pode me ajudar? Can you help me? | |
| 43 | entender Understood everywhere, but Portugal usually says "perceber" or "compreender". | to understand | Desculpa, não entendi nada. Sorry, I didn't understand a thing. | |
| 44 | água Feminine: a água. | water | A água está muito fria. The water is very cold. | |
| 45 | pão Masculine; plural: pães. | bread | Comprei pão fresco na padaria. I bought fresh bread at the bakery. | |
| 46 | café Masculine. Same word for the drink and the place. | coffee, café | Vamos tomar um café? Shall we have a coffee? | |
| 47 | suco Brazil: suco. Portugal: sumo. | juice | Quero um suco de laranja. I'd like an orange juice. | |
| 48 | comida Feminine. "Comida caseira" = home cooking. | food | A comida aqui é ótima. The food here is great. | |
| 49 | casa "em casa" = at home, with no article. | house, home | Vamos para casa? Shall we go home? | |
| 50 | rua Feminine. "Estar na rua" can also mean being out of the house. | street | As crianças brincam na rua. The children are playing in the street. | |
| 51 | cidade Feminine: a cidade. "O centro da cidade" = the city centre. | city, town | Esta cidade é muito calma. This city is very quiet. | |
| 52 | carro Masculine. "Automóvel" is the formal, written word in both countries. | car | Vamos no meu carro. Let's take my car. | |
| 53 | ônibus Brazil: ônibus (same in the plural: os ônibus). Portugal: autocarro. | bus | Perdi o ônibus outra vez. I missed the bus again. | |
| 54 | trem Brazil: trem. Portugal: comboio. | train | O trem atrasou vinte minutos. The train was twenty minutes late. | |
| 55 | celular Brazil: celular. Portugal: telemóvel. | mobile phone, cell phone | Meu celular está sem bateria. My phone is out of battery. | |
| 56 | dinheiro Masculine. "Em dinheiro" = in cash. | money | Não tenho dinheiro trocado. I don't have any change. | |
| 57 | banheiro Brazil only. In Portugal ask for the "casa de banho" — there a "banheiro" is a lifeguard. | bathroom, toilet | Onde fica o banheiro? Where is the bathroom? | |
| 58 | tempo Masculine. Also the weather: "O tempo está bom." | time, weather | Não tenho tempo para isso. I don't have time for that. | |
| 59 | dia Masculine despite the -a ending: o dia. | day | Que dia é hoje? What day is it today? | |
| 60 | noite Feminine: a noite. | night, evening | Trabalho de noite duas vezes por semana. I work nights twice a week. | |
| 61 | amigo Feminine: amiga. "Meu amigo" can also mean boyfriend only with context — the usual word is namorado. | friend | Ele é meu amigo de infância. He's my childhood friend. | |
| 62 | família Feminine. Portugal keeps the article (a minha); Brazil usually drops it (minha família). | family | A minha família é grande. My family is big. | |
| 63 | mãe Brazil: "ligar para a minha mãe". | mother, mum | Vou ligar à minha mãe. I'm going to call my mum. | |
| 64 | pai "os pais" means both parents. | father, dad | Pergunta ao teu pai. Ask your dad. | |
| 65 | filho Feminine: filha. "Filhos" covers sons and daughters together. | son | Eles têm dois filhos. They have two children. | |
| 66 | mulher "a minha mulher" = my wife; Brazil also says "esposa". | woman, wife | Aquela mulher é a chefe. That woman is the boss. | |
| 67 | homem Plural: homens. "O meu marido" is the word for husband. | man | Um homem perguntou por ti. A man asked for you. | |
| 68 | criança Grammatically always feminine, even for a boy: a criança. | child | Essa criança fala três línguas. That child speaks three languages. | |
| 69 | hoje "hoje em dia" = nowadays. | today | Hoje está um calor horrível. It's horribly hot today. | |
| 70 | amanhã "depois de amanhã" = the day after tomorrow. (Portugal says "teste" more than "prova".) | tomorrow | Amanhã tenho uma prova. I have a test tomorrow. | |
| 71 | ontem "anteontem" = the day before yesterday. | yesterday | Ontem choveu toda a tarde. It rained all afternoon yesterday. | |
| 72 | agora "agora mesmo" = right now, or just a moment ago. | now | Agora não posso falar. I can't talk right now. | |
| 73 | sempre In Portugal "sempre" can also mean "after all": "Sempre vais à festa?". | always | Ele chega sempre atrasado. He always arrives late. | |
| 74 | nunca Double negatives are normal: "nunca disse nada". | never | Nunca comi sushi. I've never eaten sushi. | |
| 75 | bom Feminine: boa. The adverb "well" is bem. | good | Este livro é muito bom. This book is very good. | |
| 76 | ruim Brazilian everyday word; Portugal says "mau" or "péssimo". Same form for both genders. | bad | O filme foi muito ruim. The film was really bad. | |
| 77 | grande Same form for masculine and feminine. Before a noun it often means "great": "um grande amigo". | big, large | Eles moram numa casa grande. They live in a big house. | |
| 78 | pequeno Feminine: pequena. | small | O quarto é pequeno mas claro. The room is small but bright. | |
| 79 | novo About people it means young: "ela é muito nova". | new, young | Comprei um casaco novo. I bought a new coat. | |
| 80 | velho About people it sounds harsh; say "idoso" or "mais velho". (Portugal: "edifício" more than "prédio".) | old | Este prédio é muito velho. This building is very old. | |
| 81 | bonito Feminine: bonita. Brazil uses "lindo/linda" just as often for extra praise. | pretty, beautiful, nice | Que vestido bonito! What a pretty dress! | |
| 82 | quente Same form for both genders. | hot, warm | O chá ainda está quente. The tea is still hot. | |
| 83 | frio "tenho frio" = I'm cold (literally: I have cold). | cold | Está frio lá fora? Is it cold outside? | |
| 84 | caro Before a noun it means "dear": "caro amigo". | expensive | Esse restaurante é caro. That restaurant is expensive. | |
| 85 | barato Opposite of caro. "Saiu barato" = it came out cheap. | cheap | Achei um voo barato. I found a cheap flight. | |
| 86 | legal Brazilian slang. In Portugal "legal" only means lawful — the slang word there is "fixe". | cool, nice | Que legal! Adorei. How cool! I loved it. | |
| 87 | muito Invariable before adjectives and verbs; agrees as a quantifier: muitas pessoas. | very, a lot, much | Ela fala muito rápido. She speaks very fast. | |
| 88 | mais Comparatives: "mais alto que" = taller than. | more | Quero mais um pouco. I want a bit more. | |
| 89 | bem Adverb. "Estou bem" = I'm fine; never "estou bom". | well, fine | Dormi bem esta noite. I slept well last night. | |
| 90 | também In texts Brazilians write "tb" or "tbm". | also, too | Eu também quero ir. I want to go too. | |
| 91 | que As a question word, "what" is usually "o que": "O que é isso?". | that, what, than | Que horas são? What time is it? | |
| 92 | quem "De quem é isto?" = Whose is this? | who | Quem está na porta? Who's at the door? | |
| 93 | onde With movement, Brazil says "aonde" ("Aonde vamos?"), Portugal "para onde". | where | Onde você mora? Where do you live? | |
| 94 | quando "Desde quando?" = Since when? | when | Quando é o teu aniversário? When is your birthday? | |
| 95 | como A lone "Como?" means "Sorry, what?". | how, like, as | Como se diz isto em português? How do you say this in Portuguese? | |
| 96 | quanto Agrees with the noun: quantos anos, quantas pessoas. | how much, how many | Quanto custa a entrada? How much is the entrance fee? | |
| 97 | mas In Brazil "mas" and "mais" (more) sound almost identical in speech; context tells them apart. | but | É bonito, mas é caro. It's nice, but it's expensive. | |
| 98 | com Contracts with pronouns: comigo, contigo, conosco (BR) / connosco (PT). | with | Vou ao cinema com ela. I'm going to the cinema with her. | |
| 99 | saudade No exact English word. Brazil often uses the singular, Portugal the plural "saudades". | longing, missing someone | Tenho saudade dos meus amigos. I miss my friends. | |
| 100 | um Feminine: uma. Same word for the article and the number one. Brazil: "Me dá um minuto." | a, an, one | Dá-me um minuto. Give me a minute. |
Mariana Costa
Native Portuguese · Speaks English, Spanish
From Porto, with a decade in São Paulo. I flag Brazil versus Portugal on every card, since the same word can land very differently.
Published
Questions about this deck
- Are these Portuguese words the same in Brazil and Portugal?
- Most are identical — verbs like ser, ter, ir and fazer and nouns like água, casa and dinheiro work everywhere. About a dozen cards here split: ônibus/autocarro, trem/comboio, celular/telemóvel, suco/sumo, banheiro/casa de banho, ruim/mau, legal/fixe, tchau/chau, entender/perceber, morar/viver and você/tu. The note on each card says which variety it belongs to, so choose one and stay consistent.
- Should I learn tu or você first?
- It depends on where you will use Portuguese. In Brazil, você is the normal informal "you"; tu appears mainly in the South and Northeast, usually with third-person verbs (tu vai). In Portugal, tu is the informal form with friends and family, while você can sound cold or disrespectful to older people, so speakers often drop the pronoun and let the verb ending do the work.
- Why are there two verbs for "to be", ser and estar?
- Ser covers identity, origin, profession and lasting traits: sou portuguesa, ele é professor. Estar covers temporary states and location: estou cansada, está frio, vou estar em casa. The classic beginner mistake is "sou cansado", which sounds like you are a tiring person. In Brazilian speech está becomes tá; in Portugal the first vowel almost disappears, so it sounds like "shtá".
- Do I say obrigado or obrigada?
- It matches the speaker, not the person being thanked: a man always says obrigado, a woman always obrigada, whoever they are talking to. Add muito for warmth: muito obrigado / muito obrigada. In Portugal you will also hear the casual softeners obrigadinho and obrigadinha, and in formal writing "agradeço desde já".