12 Portuguese Phrases to sound like a Brazilian

Oi, Dani here

Today’s topic is about the 12 most common words or phrases among Brazilians.

If you use them in your communication it will certainly sound more natural and familiar in Brazil.

They also make you safer and more comfortable to use at the beginning or end of sentences and make a good impression.

Watch below the video on YouTube to get the pronunciation of all them:

12 Phrases in Portuguese to sound like a Brazilian:

  • 1 Valeu
    Used to thank in informal moments to replace the word “obrigado(a)” (thank you).
  • 2 Obrigado(a) de verdade 

         We used to thank you too and it means “thank you very much, really”. It’s a way to use it when you’re sincerely grateful.

  • 3 Por favor
    It is our “please” and it is highly recommended that you use it to sound more polite and friendly. Use it even if some people don’t use it with you.

         You can use this phrase at the beginning or at the end of the sentence.

       For example:

       Um copo d’água, por favor.
       Por favor, um copo d’água.

       Pega isso pra mim, por favor?

       Por favor, pega isso pra mim?

  • 4 Desculpa
    These words are very useful in Portuguese, especially when you are in public places and bump into someone. Sound polite is always welcome and opens doors.
  • 5 Foi mal

          It is a way to apologize in a more relaxed way. It sounds like you’re a Brazilian. But use only in informal situations to not sound unprofessional.

  • 6 Esquece
    This is the famous “never mind” in Portuguese. Or you can also see the next way being used.
  • 7 Deixa pra lá
    This is also very common and makes your Portuguese more Brazilian.
  • 8 Pera aí
    This phrase is classic, every Brazilian from anywhere and social class uses it. It is for you to “ganhar tempo” buy time or ask someone to wait a while. 
  • 9 Deixa eu ver…
    Another way to have time to think before you answer. I didn’t mention it in the video but that phrase can also be used in the sense of “let me see …”, that is, when you really need to observe or check something.
  • 10 Foi bom conhecer você / Foi bom te conhecer
    It’s “nice to meet you” and it’s an alternative for you to use and it doesn’t sound weird or extremely formal like “prazer em conhecê-lo(a)” would.
  • 11 Me passa seu…
    Here is for you to create and maintain friendships and relationships in Brazil. An extra tip is that Brazilians use the WhatsApp application a lot for messages, so instead of asking someone’s number we often ask “Me passa seu WhatsApp?”.
  • 12 Na verdade
    It is a great sentence to conclude a reasoning or to start a sentence and it means “actually”. You can also use it when you are a little doubtful about what you are saying.

         It can be used at the beginning or at the end of the sentence and makes your speech more natural.

         Examples:
         Na verdade eu não sei se eu vou pra festa…

          Não sei se vou com ela, na verdade… Eu não tenho certeza.

This content is also available in Podcast format. Click to listen:

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Até a próxima,

Dani

Daniele Lima

Oi, I’m Dani, I am a native of Brazil and I teach Brazilian Portuguese to students from all over the world. Here at Brazilianing, we believe that learning Portuguese doesn't have to be difficult. Let's speak Portuguese together?