Which Portuguese phrases matter most here?

“Para beber, o que vão querer?” (What will you drink); “Um copo de água, por favor.” (A glass of water, please); “Pode trazer a ementa, por favor?” (Could you bring the menu, please). The full list is above.

Can I hear how they sound?

Not yet: this page has no recordings so far. Each phrase comes with its meaning in English.

How can I practise this conversation?

Press “Start the conversation” above to play it through and choose your replies, with a note on why some fit better in Portugal. Frasa, an iPhone app, lets you save these phrases and rehearse them out loud.

Portuguese phrases for ordering drinks and small plates in Portugal

In a sit-down bar in Portugal you order at your table: “Duas imperiais e um copo de vinho tinto, por favor”. Ask “Pode trazer a ementa, por favor?” and pick a few petiscos, small plates to share. The bill comes only when you ask: say “A conta, por favor” or “Queremos pagar separadamente”.

Try it · about two minutes

After work you meet friends at a busy bar and order a round of drinks and some plates to share.

You choose what to say back, and Frasa tells you why it works.

How does the conversation usually go?

Waiter
Para beber, o que vão querer?
What will you drink?
You
Duas imperiais e um copo de vinho tinto, por favor.
Two small draught beers and a glass of red wine, please.
The drinks arrive, and the whole table suddenly feels hungry.
You
Pode trazer a ementa, por favor?
Could you bring the menu, please?
Waiter
Já escolheram?
Have you decided?
You
Queríamos uma dose de croquetes e uma de pataniscas.
We’d like a portion of croquettes and a portion of cod fritters.
Waiter
O pedido fica pronto em poucos minutos.
Your order will be ready in a few minutes.
You
Pode trazer também um copo de água da torneira?
Could you also bring a glass of tap water?
Waiter
Deseja mais alguma coisa?
Would you like anything else?
You
A conta, por favor.
The bill, please.
Waiter
Paga com cartão ou em dinheiro?
Card or cash?
You
Queremos pagar separadamente.
We’d like to pay separately.

Which Portuguese phrases do you need?

Para beber, o que vão querer?
What will you drink?
Um copo de água, por favor.
A glass of water, please.
Pode trazer a ementa, por favor?
Could you bring the menu, please?
O que recomenda?
What do you recommend?
Já escolheram?
Have you decided?
Precisamos de mais uns minutos.
We need a few more minutes.
Pode trazer também um copo de água da torneira?
Could you also bring a glass of tap water?
Deseja mais alguma coisa?
Would you like anything else?
A conta, por favor.
The bill, please.
Queremos pagar separadamente.
We’d like to pay separately.

What is worth knowing in Portugal?

How a round goes

1
Sit down and a waiter comes to your table for the drinks.
Para beber, o que vão querer?What will you drink?
2
Order petiscos once the drinks land, and add more as you go.
O que recomenda?What do you recommend?
3
The bill comes only when you ask for it.
A conta, por favor.The bill, please.

Petiscos to share

Petiscos are small plates made for sharing, a bit like tapas. A dose is a full portion, and many places also sell a meia dose, a half.

Imperial or fino

A small draught beer is an imperial in Lisbon and a fino in Porto. Use the word you hear around you.

Duas imperiais, por favor.

Two small draught beers, please.

Questions about this situation

Which Portuguese phrases matter most here?: “Para beber, o que vão querer?” (What will you drink); “Um copo de água, por favor.” (A glass of water, please); “Pode trazer a ementa, por favor?” (Could you bring the menu, please). The full list is above.
Can I hear how they sound?: Not yet: this page has no recordings so far. Each phrase comes with its meaning in English.
How can I practise this conversation?: Press “Start the conversation” above to play it through and choose your replies, with a note on why some fit better in Portugal. Frasa, an iPhone app, lets you save these phrases and rehearse them out loud.

Related situations in Portuguese

All situations in Portuguese

Practise these phrases in Frasa

Frasa is an iPhone app for the conversations in front of you. Save phrases like these, rehearse them out loud, and they come back until they stick.

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AI-generated. May be inaccurate.