The 100 Most Common Portuguese Words Every Beginner Needs
Author
Learning the most frequently used words is the fastest way to start speaking Portuguese.
You can understand a large portion of everyday conversations just by mastering a core vocabulary.
This guide breaks down the 100 most common Portuguese words into easy categories.
I’ve included both Brazilian and European Portuguese variations where applicable.
Table of Contents:
Personal pronouns
Pronouns are the building blocks of any sentence.
In Portuguese, the word you use for “you” depends heavily on where you are.
Brazilians predominantly use você in everyday speech.
In Portugal, tu is used for informal conversations with friends and family, while você is kept for formal situations.
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| Eu | I |
| Você | You (Standard in Brazil, Formal in Portugal) |
| Tu | You (Informal in Portugal and some Brazilian regions) |
| Ele | He |
| Ela | She |
| Nós | We |
| Eles | They (Masculine or mixed group) |
| Elas | They (Feminine only) |
| Meu / Minha | My |
| Seu / Sua | Your / His / Her |
Ela é minha amiga.
Eu preciso do seu carro hoje.
Greetings and pleasantries
Knowing how to say hello and be polite goes a long way.
When saying “thank you” in Portuguese, the word changes based on your own gender.
Men say obrigado, and women say obrigada.
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| Olá | Hello |
| Bom dia | Good morning |
| Boa tarde | Good afternoon |
| Boa noite | Good evening / Good night |
| Tchau | Goodbye (Informal) |
| Adeus | Goodbye (Formal or final) |
| Por favor | Please |
| Obrigado / Obrigada | Thank you |
| De nada | You’re welcome |
| Desculpa | Sorry / Excuse me |
Bom dia, por favor.
Muito obrigado.
Essential verbs
Verbs are the action words that bring your sentences to life.
Portuguese uses two different verbs for “to be.”
You use ser for permanent traits and estar for temporary states or locations.
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| Ser | To be (Permanent) |
| Estar | To be (Temporary) |
| Ter | To have |
| Fazer | To do / To make |
| Ir | To go |
| Poder | Can / To be able to |
| Saber | To know (A fact or how to do something) |
| Conhecer | To know (A person or place) |
| Querer | To want |
| Dizer | To say / To tell |
| Falar | To speak |
| Ver | To see |
| Dar | To give |
| Comer | To eat |
| Beber | To drink |
| Trabalhar | To work |
| Comprar | To buy |
| Gostar | To like |
| Achar | To think / To find |
| Precisar | To need |
Eu quero comer agora.
Você precisa trabalhar hoje.
Question words
You’ll need these words constantly to ask for information.
Note that por que is written as two words when asking a question in Portuguese.
When answering “because”, it combines into one word as porque.
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| O que | What |
| Quem | Who |
| Onde | Where |
| Quando | When |
| Por que | Why |
| Como | How |
| Qual | Which |
Onde fica a casa?
Como você faz isso?
Everyday nouns
These nouns represent the most common objects, concepts, and people you’ll talk about.
Keep in mind that some words vary regionally.
For example, “child” is usually criança in Brazil, but you’ll often hear miúdo or miúda in Portugal.
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| Pessoa | Person |
| Coisa | Thing |
| Tempo | Time / Weather |
| Dia | Day |
| Ano | Year |
| Casa | House |
| Água | Water |
| Comida | Food |
| Homem | Man |
| Mulher | Woman |
| Criança | Child |
| Lugar | Place |
| Trabalho | Work / Job |
| Dinheiro | Money |
| Família | Family |
| Amigo / Amiga | Friend |
| Mundo | World |
| Problema | Problem |
| Rua | Street |
| Carro | Car |
Eu não tenho dinheiro.
Ela é uma boa pessoa.
Common adjectives
Adjectives help you describe the nouns we just covered.
In Portuguese, adjectives must agree with the gender and number of the noun they describe.
Most masculine adjectives end in “-o”, while most feminine adjectives end in “-a”.
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| Bom / Boa | Good |
| Mau / Má / Ruim | Bad |
| Grande | Big |
| Pequeno / Pequena | Small |
| Novo / Nova | New |
| Velho / Velha | Old |
| Fácil | Easy |
| Difícil | Difficult |
| Bonito / Bonita | Beautiful |
| Feio / Feia | Ugly |
| Feliz | Happy |
| Triste | Sad |
| Certo / Certa | Right / Correct |
A casa é grande e nova.
Este problema é muito difícil.
Prepositions and conjunctions
These are the tiny words that glue your sentences together.
Without prepositions, adverbs, and conjunctions, you can only speak in disconnected words.
Mastering these will instantly make your Portuguese sound much more fluent.
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| E | And |
| Ou | Or |
| Mas | But |
| Se | If |
| De | Of / From |
| Em | In / On |
| Para | For / To |
| Por | By / For |
| Com | With |
| Sem | Without |
| Aqui | Here |
| Ali / Lá | There |
| Agora | Now |
| Depois | After / Later |
| Antes | Before |
| Muito | Very / Much / A lot |
| Pouco | Little / A few |
| Sempre | Always |
| Nunca | Never |
| Também | Also / Too |
Eu quero água sem gelo.
Ele está aqui agora.
