100 Essential Brazilian Portuguese Words for Beginners
Your starter vocabulary, grouped by theme, with Brazilian pronunciation and meanings you can use today.
What are the most useful Portuguese words for beginners?
The most useful Portuguese words for beginners are everyday ones like oi (hi), obrigado/obrigada (thank you), sim (yes), and a gente (we). This guide groups 100 common Portuguese words by theme with Brazilian pronunciation and English meaning, so you start speaking right away.
Why learn these Portuguese words first?
You don't need a dictionary to start talking. A small set of high-frequency Portuguese words covers most everyday Brazilian conversation, and that's what you'll learn here.
These are basic Portuguese words you'll hear at a padaria, in a WhatsApp message, and on the street in São Paulo. Each entry shows three things: the Portuguese with correct accents, a plain-English pronunciation hint, and the meaning.
A quick note on pronunciation. In Brazilian Portuguese, a final -o usually sounds like "oo," and de/te/di/ti often soften to a "j" or "ch" sound (so de sounds like "jee"). The til (~) on ã and õ means a nasal sound, like humming through your nose. If the accent marks throw you, the Portuguese alphabet lays out every letter and mark in one chart. Don't stress about perfection. Brazilians are warm and patient with learners.
How do you say hello and thank you in Portuguese?
Start here. Greetings and polite Portuguese words are the fastest way to sound friendly and get a smile back.
One accuracy point that matters: obrigado and obrigada change with your own gender, not the listener's. A man says obrigado. A woman says obrigada. Valeu is casual Brazilian slang for "thanks" and works with everyone.
You'll spot sim and não at the bottom of the table. Worth knowing early: a Brazilian answering a question will usually say yes by repeating the verb rather than using sim on its own.
| Portuguese | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| oi | "oy" | hi |
| olá | "oh-LAH" | hello |
| bom dia | "bohn JEE-ah" | good morning |
| boa tarde | "BOH-ah TAR-jee" | good afternoon |
| boa noite | "BOH-ah NOY-chee" | good evening / good night |
| tchau | "chow" | bye |
| até logo | "ah-TEH LOH-goo" | see you later |
| obrigado | "oh-bree-GAH-doo" | thank you (male speaker) |
| obrigada | "oh-bree-GAH-dah" | thank you (female speaker) |
| valeu | "vah-LEH-oo" | thanks (casual) |
| de nada | "jee NAH-dah" | you're welcome |
| por favor | "poor fah-VOR" | please |
| com licença | "kohn lee-SEN-sah" | excuse me |
| desculpa | "dees-KOOL-pah" | sorry |
| tudo bem? | "TOO-doo behn" | how are you? / all good? |
| sim | "seen" | yes |
| não | "nown" | no |
Which Portuguese words name people, places, and things?
Now add nouns. With people and place words you can already point at the world and name it, from your casa to the whole beach vocabulary hiding behind praia.
Notice a gente. It literally means "the people," but in everyday Brazilian speech it means "we" and is far more common than the textbook nós. You'll use it constantly.
People
| Portuguese | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| eu | "eh-oo" | I |
| você | "voh-SEH" | you |
| ele | "EH-lee" | he |
| ela | "EH-lah" | she |
| a gente | "ah JEN-chee" | we (casual) |
| amigo | "ah-MEE-goo" | friend (male) |
| amiga | "ah-MEE-gah" | friend (female) |
| homem | "OH-mayn" | man |
| mulher | "moo-LYEHR" | woman |
| família | "fah-MEE-lee-ah" | family |
| gente | "JEN-chee" | people |
Places
| Portuguese | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| casa | "KAH-zah" | house / home |
| rua | "HOO-ah" | street |
| cidade | "see-DAH-jee" | city |
| praia | "PRY-ah" | beach |
| loja | "LOH-zhah" | shop / store |
| banheiro | "bah-NYAY-roo" | bathroom |
| trabalho | "trah-BAH-lyoo" | work / job |
| escola | "es-KOH-lah" | school |
What are the most common Portuguese verbs?
Verbs are the engine of every sentence. These appear in the dictionary form (the infinitive), which is how you'll meet them first.
Two verbs do the heavy lifting in Portuguese. Ser is "to be" for permanent things (who you are), and estar is "to be" for temporary states (how you feel right now). Both translate to "to be," so this trips up beginners. Keep them on your radar.
| Portuguese | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ser | "sehr" | to be (permanent) |
| estar | "es-TAR" | to be (temporary) |
| ter | "tehr" | to have |
| fazer | "fah-ZEHR" | to do / to make |
| ir | "eer" | to go |
| querer | "keh-REHR" | to want |
| poder | "poh-DEHR" | can / to be able to |
| falar | "fah-LAR" | to speak |
| comer | "koh-MEHR" | to eat |
| beber | "beh-BEHR" | to drink |
| gostar | "goss-TAR" | to like |
| saber | "sah-BEHR" | to know |
A tiny win: you can already say eu quero ("eh-oo KEH-roo") for "I want" and point at a menu. That alone gets you fed in Brazil.
What food, time, and question words should you learn?
Food gets you through a meal. Time and question words get you through a conversation.
Question words are pure payoff. Learn these eight and you can ask about almost anything, even with a small vocabulary.
Food & drink
| Portuguese | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| água | "AH-gwah" | water |
| café | "kah-FEH" | coffee |
| pão | "pown" | bread |
| comida | "koh-MEE-dah" | food |
| cerveja | "sehr-VEH-zhah" | beer |
| arroz | "ah-HOZE" | rice |
| feijão | "fay-ZHOWN" | beans |
| carne | "KAR-nee" | meat |
| fruta | "FROO-tah" | fruit |
| açúcar | "ah-SOO-kar" | sugar |
Time words
| Portuguese | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| hoje | "OH-zhee" | today |
| amanhã | "ah-mah-NYAN" | tomorrow |
| ontem | "ON-tayn" | yesterday |
| agora | "ah-GOH-rah" | now |
| sempre | "SEN-pree" | always |
| dia | "JEE-ah" | day |
Question words
| Portuguese | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| o que | "oo KEH" | what |
| quem | "kayn" | who |
| onde | "ON-jee" | where |
| quando | "KWAN-doo" | when |
| por que | "poor KEH" | why |
| como | "KOH-moo" | how |
| quanto | "KWAN-too" | how much |
| qual | "kwow" | which |
Which connectors, adjectives, and numbers come next?
These small Portuguese words glue your sentences together and let you describe things. Add the numbers 1 to 10 and you can count, tell time, and shop in reais and centavos.
Connectors
| Portuguese | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| e | "ee" | and |
| mas | "mahys" | but |
| ou | "oh" | or |
| porque | "poor-KEH" | because |
| também | "tahn-BAYN" | also / too |
| muito | "MWEEN-too" | very / a lot |
| com | "kohn" | with |
| sem | "sayn" | without |
Common adjectives
| Portuguese | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| bom | "bohn" | good |
| ruim | "hoo-EEN" | bad |
| grande | "GRAN-jee" | big |
| pequeno | "peh-KEH-noo" | small |
| bonito | "boh-NEE-too" | pretty / handsome |
| feliz | "feh-LEESS" | happy |
| novo | "NOH-voo" | new |
| legal | "leh-GOW" | cool / nice (slang) |
Numbers 1 to 10
| Portuguese | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| um | "oon" | one |
| dois | "doyss" | two |
| três | "trayss" | three |
| quatro | "KWAH-troo" | four |
| cinco | "SEEN-koo" | five |
| seis | "sayss" | six |
| sete | "SEH-chee" | seven |
| oito | "OY-too" | eight |
| nove | "NOH-vee" | nine |
| dez | "dehss" | ten |
That's your 100. Pick five today, say them out loud, and use one in a real message before you sleep. For what comes after the word lists, follow the step-by-step plan for learning Portuguese.
TL;DR: Your first 100 Portuguese words
Greetings open doors
Oi, tchau, and valeu are casual Brazilian staples. Lead with them and people warm up fast.
obrigado vs obrigada
Match the word to your own gender: men say obrigado, women say obrigada. It never changes based on who you thank.
a gente means we
In everyday Brazilian speech, a gente replaces nós for we. You'll hear it everywhere.
ser vs estar
Both mean to be. Ser is for permanent traits, estar is for temporary states like how you feel right now.
Question words are leverage
o que, quem, onde, quando, por que, como, quanto, and qual let you ask almost anything with a tiny vocabulary.
Brazilian pronunciation tips
Final -o sounds like oo, de/te soften to jee/chee, and the til (~) on ã/õ means a nasal hum.
Keep learning Brazilian Portuguese
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