Basic expressions: Expressions

💬 [Não] is nasal: the [ão] doesn't sound like [now]. In European Portuguese, the final sound is more like a nasal (owng).

🇵🇹 In Portugal, [por favor] is natural for requests, but on its own it can also mean "go ahead" or "yes, please" when someone offers you something.

💬 Men usually say [obrigado]; women usually say [obrigada]. The ending matches the speaker, not the person you're thanking.

💬 [De nada] literally means "of nothing," but it's just the normal way to say "you're welcome." You'll also hear [não faz mal] in similar situations.

🇵🇹 [Com licença] is the polite way to get past someone, interrupt briefly, or enter a space. It's often a better choice than a direct translation of "excuse me" used for apologies.

🇵🇹 [Desculpa] is informal, for friends, family, children, or casual situations. With strangers or in more polite situations, [desculpe] is safer.

💬 The form changes to match the noun: [quanto pão?], [quanta água?], [quantos euros?], [quantas pessoas?]. Use singular for uncountable things and plural for countable ones.

💬 In Portugal it's common to attach object words to the end with a hyphen: [ajuda-me] = "help me," [diz-me] = "tell me." This pattern is very common in European Portuguese.