Languages of Brazil

Language Information

The official language of Brazil is Portuguese, although English is spoken in some hotels and at popular tourist destinations. All of our tour guides are English-speaking, and other languages are available upon request.

Even though some Brazilians will know how to communicate with you in English, it is always a good idea to start learning a few basic phrases of the country’s official language. Knowing a few basic Portuguese phrases will make it much easier and enjoyable as you travel through Brazil. You might even be able to impress some of the locals!

Today, you don’t have to go to school in order to learn a language. If you have access to a smartphone, we recommend downloading a language learning app such as Duolingo. Duolingo helps people around the world learn languages such as Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German and more. It’s an easy way to pick up some basic phrases for your time abroad. If you don’t have access to a smartphone, we recommend that you take a “Portuguese for Travelers” class at your local community center, or with a software program such as Rosetta Stone. Many travel guidebooks include brief language sections – study up before you go to familiarize yourself with basic Portuguese.

Phrases to know:

“Olá” = Hello
“Tchau” = Goodbye
“Com licença” = Excuse me
“Por favor” = Please
“Obrigado” (if you are a man) = Thank You
“Obrigada” (if you are a woman) = Thank You
“Qual é o seu nome?” = What’s your name?
“De onde você é?” = Where are you from?
“Prazer em conhecer você!” = Nice to meet you.
“Posso sentar aqui?” = May I sit here?
“Voce me entende?” = Do you understand me?
“Como voce chama isto?” = What do you call (this/ that)?
“Onde é o banheiro?” = Where is the bathroom?
“Por favor repete devagar” = Please repeat slowly
“Que horas são?” = What time is it?
“De nada!” = You’re welcome!