Portuguese Basics

Greetings and Common Phrases (Frases Comuns)

When it comes to learning Portuguese, there are simply some words and phrases you have to know.

If you want to learn Portuguese verb tenses, click here.

Check out this chart to learn some Portuguese Basics:

Numbers (Números)

Learn how to spell and say Portuguese numbers:

Listing Numbers in Portuguese Numerically (Números em Listado em Português):

1. Primero/a
2. Segundo/a
3. Terceiro/a
4. Quarto/a
5. Qunito/a
6. Sexto/a
7. Sétimo/a
8. Oitavo/a
9. Nono/a
10. Décimo/a

Common Portuguese Verbs (Verbos Comuns em Português)

Notice how both 'Ser' and 'Estar' mean 'to be', however, they are used in different contexts. Typically speaking, Ser is used to describe things which are permanent and Estar is used to describe temporary things.

Examples: 'Eu sou alto.' / 'Eu estou muito cansado.' - Being tall is a permanent feature, while being sleepy is typically not permament.

Colors (Cores)

Note that while some of these colors end in either -a or -o, if they are describing a subject which is masculine or feminine, they may change their endings. For example, the Portuguese word for 'white' is Branco, but if you are talking about a house, it would be: 'A casa branca'.

Days, Weeks, and Months (Dias, Semanas, e Meses)

Notice how many of the months of the year are very similar to English. This is because both Portuguese and English share many of their roots with Latin.

Also, it is common not to say '-feira' at the end of every day. For example, you can simply say 'segunda' and not 'segunda-feira'.