Situations · Português
Everyday situations in Portuguese
Real conversations for life in Portugal. Each one has the phrases locals use, what they mean, a short spoken practice and a few things worth knowing.
Cafés & restaurants
- Booking a table at a restaurantYou phone a restaurant to book a table for Saturday night, then call back to change the number of guests.
- Ordering coffee at a barYou walk up to the counter of a neighbourhood café and order your morning coffee just the way you like it.
- Asking for the bill, splitting it and tippingAt the end of a meal with friends you ask for the bill, decide how to split it and whether to leave a tip.
Shopping & services
- Getting a haircutYou call in at a hairdresser’s without a booking and explain exactly how much to take off.
- Returning or exchanging clothesYou take back a jumper that doesn’t fit and ask for an exchange or your money back.
- Paying at the supermarket checkoutAt the till the cashier asks about bags, loyalty cards and how you’ll pay.
Meeting people
- Asking someone to repeat or slow downAt the post office a clerk is talking too fast for you, so you ask them to repeat, slow down or write it down.
- Saying hello and goodbyeThrough the day you greet shopkeepers, neighbours and colleagues, and say goodbye the right way.
- Explaining where you're from and why you movedA new acquaintance asks where you’re from, how long you’ve lived here and what brought you.
Neighbours
Home & repairs
- Reporting a broken boiler to your landlordThere’s no hot water, so you call your landlord to explain and get someone sent round.
- Getting home internet installedYou sign up for fibre broadband and arrange a day for the technician to install it.
- Viewing a flat: questions to askOn a flat viewing you ask about the heating, the noise, the light and which furniture stays.
Getting around
Admin & banking
- Opening a bank accountAt a bank branch you ask which documents you need and which fees apply to open a current account.
- Registering at the town hall (padrón)You go to your parish council, the Junta de Freguesia, with your rental contract to get a certificate of address, which other paperwork often asks for.