Repair phrases
The most useful page in the handbook. Everything up to here assumes the conversation is going well. This chapter is for when it isn't.
Weighted deliberately toward listening failure rather than speaking failure, because of chapter 01: your problem in Brazil will rarely be that you can't say it. It will be that you can't hear it.
Grammar
Nothing new. These are fixed phrases. Learn them as units.
The one structural note: Como se diz…? and O que quer dizer…? use the impersonal se and the verb dizer (to say), neither of which appears elsewhere in this handbook. Take them as words.
Examples
When you didn't hear
| Portuguese | Respelling | English |
|---|---|---|
| Como? | KOH-moo | Sorry? |
| Oi? | oy | Sorry? (informal, very common) |
| Desculpa, não entendi | des-KOOW-pah, nowng en-ten-JEE | Sorry, I didn't catch that |
| Pode repetir? [+] | PAW-jee heh-peh-CHEER | Can you repeat that? |
| Repete, por favor | heh-PEH-chee poor fah-VOR | Say it again, please |
| Mais devagar, por favor [+] | mais deh-vah-GAR | Slower, please |
| Pode falar mais devagar? | PAW-jee fah-LAR mais deh-vah-GAR | Can you speak more slowly? |
| Não escutei [+] | nowng es-koo-TAY | I didn't hear you |
Oi? with a rising tone is the standard Brazilian sorry, what? — it is the same word as the greeting hi, and it is not rude. Como? (literally how?) is slightly more formal.
When you didn't understand
| Portuguese | Respelling | English |
|---|---|---|
| Não entendo | nowng en-TEN-doo | I don't understand |
| Não entendi | nowng en-ten-JEE | I didn't understand |
| Não estou entendendo | nowng toh en-ten-DEN-doo | I'm not following |
| Como assim? | KOH-moo ah-SEENG | What do you mean? |
| O que quer dizer isso? | oo kee kehr jee-ZEHR EE-soo | What does that mean? |
| O que significa…? [+] | oo kee seeg-nee-FEE-kah | What does … mean? |
| Não sei o que é isso | nowng say oo kee eh EE-soo | I don't know what that is |
| Desculpa, meu português é ruim | … MEH-oo por-too-GEHS eh hoo-EENG | Sorry, my Portuguese is bad |
Não entendo (present) = I don't understand generally. Não entendi (past) = I didn't catch that just now. The past is what you want most of the time.
Buying yourself time
| Portuguese | Respelling | English |
|---|---|---|
| Espera aí | es-PEH-rah ah-EE | Hang on a second |
| Um minutinho | oong mee-noo-CHEE-nyoo | Just a moment |
| Deixa eu ver [+] | DAY-shah eh-oo vehr | Let me see |
| Como é que fala? | KOH-moo eh kee FAH-lah | How do you say it? |
| Peraí [+] | peh-rah-EE | Hold on — contraction of espera aí, literally wait there |
| Então… | en-TOWNG | So… |
Getting a word
| Portuguese | Respelling | English |
|---|---|---|
| Como se diz … em português? | KOH-moo see jees … eng por-too-GEHS | How do you say … in Portuguese? |
| Como se chama isso? | KOH-moo see SHAH-mah EE-soo | What's this called? |
| Qual é a palavra? [+] | kwaw eh ah pah-LAH-vrah | What's the word? |
| Como se escreve? [+] | KOH-moo see es-KREH-vee | How do you spell it? |
| Pode escrever, por favor? | PAW-jee es-kreh-VEHR | Can you write it down? |
| Pode mostrar? [+] | PAW-jee mos-TRAR | Can you show me? |
| Isso [+] | EE-soo | That's it / exactly — literally that |
Pode escrever? is underrated. Written Portuguese is far easier for you than spoken Portuguese — chapter 01 explains why. Asking someone to write a number, an address, or a word converts an impossible listening task into an easy reading one.
Declaring your level
| Portuguese | Respelling | English |
|---|---|---|
| Eu falo um pouco de português | eh-oo FAH-loo oong POH-koo… | I speak a little Portuguese |
| Eu estou aprendendo [+] | eh-oo toh ah-pren-DEN-doo | I'm learning |
| Eu não falo bem | eh-oo nowng FAH-loo beng | I don't speak well |
| Só um pouquinho | saw oong poh-KEE-nyoo | Only a tiny bit |
| Você fala inglês? [+] | voh-SEH FAH-lah een-GLEHS | Do you speak English? |
| Tem alguém que fala inglês? | teng ahw-GENG kee FAH-lah… | Is there anyone who speaks English? |
| Sou estrangeiro [+] | soh es-trahn-ZHAY-roo | I'm a foreigner |
Saying Eu falo um pouco up front usually gets you slower, clearer speech for the rest of the conversation. It is the cheapest thing you can do.
Confirming you understood
| Portuguese | Respelling | English |
|---|---|---|
| Entendi | en-ten-JEE | Got it |
| Ah, tá | ah tah | Ah, I see |
| Tá bom | tah bong | OK |
| Certo [+] | SEHR-too | Right |
| Isso mesmo? [+] | EE-soo MEHZ-moo | Is that right? |
| Então é aqui, né? | en-TOWNG eh ah-KEE neh | So it's here, right? |
| Deixa eu ver se entendi | DAY-shah eh-oo vehr see en-ten-JEE | Let me see if I understood |
Repeating back is the single most reliable repair technique. Então, é na segunda rua à direita, né? confirms in one move and invites correction.
Numbers, which you will mishear
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| Quanto? | How much? |
| Repete o preço, por favor | Say the price again, please |
| Pode escrever o número? | Can you write the number? |
| Vinte ou trinta? | Twenty or thirty? |
| Cinco ou quinze? | Five or fifteen? |
cinco / quinze and três / seis are the two pairs most easily confused — which is exactly why Brazilians say meia instead of seis (ch. 11).
When you need to get away
| Portuguese | Respelling | English |
|---|---|---|
| Obrigado, mas não | oh-bree-GAH-doo mahs nowng | Thanks, but no |
| Não, obrigado | nowng oh-bree-GAH-doo | No thanks |
| Agora não | ah-GOH-rah nowng | Not now |
| Estou com pressa [+] | toh kong PREH-sah | I'm in a hurry |
| Depois eu volto [+] | deh-POYS eh-oo VOW-too | I'll come back later |
| Tenho que ir | TEH-nyoo kee eer | I have to go |
| Deixa [+], obrigado | DAY-shah | Never mind, thanks |
Emergency-adjacent
| Portuguese | Respelling | English |
|---|---|---|
| Preciso de ajuda | preh-SEE-zoo jee ah-ZHOO-dah | I need help |
| Me ajuda, por favor | mee ah-ZHOO-dah | Please help me |
| Tem um problema | teng oong proh-BLEH-mah | There's a problem |
| Eu me perdi [+] | eh-oo mee per-JEE | I'm lost |
| Perdi o meu passaporte [+] | per-JEE oo MEH-oo pah-sah-POR-chee | I lost my passport |
| Onde fica o hospital? | OHN-jee FEE-kah oo os-pee-TAW | Where's the hospital? |
| Chama a polícia [+] | SHAH-mah ah poh-LEE-see-ah | Call the police |
The ten to memorise first
If you learn nothing else from this book before you land, learn these:
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
1. Desculpa, não entendi | Sorry, I didn't understand |
2. Pode falar mais devagar? | Can you speak more slowly? |
3. Pode repetir? | Can you repeat that? |
4. Eu falo um pouco de português | I speak a little Portuguese |
5. Como se diz … em português? | How do you say … in Portuguese? |
6. Pode escrever, por favor? | Can you write it down, please? |
7. Quanto custa? | How much does it cost? |
8. Onde fica…? | Where is…? |
9. Você pode me ajudar? | Can you help me? |
10. Obrigado / Obrigada | Thank you |
What to take from this chapter
Oi?andComo?are the everyday sorry, what?Não entendi(past) beatsNão entendo(present) for a specific missed sentence.Pode escrever?converts a hard listening problem into an easy reading one.- Announce your level early —
Eu falo um poucobuys you slower speech for free. - Repeat back with
né?to confirm and invite correction in one move.