What do I need to know to get by?

[AussieGayle]

Hi friends
My husband and I did the Camino Frances in 2015, and flying to LIsbon to walk Camino Portuguese May 18th this year, through to Finisterre and Muxia, very excited! I had full intentions of learning some Portuguese before we left but somehow life got in the way and now our walk is just around the corner.
Can anyone who has done it, please tell me what are the most useful Portuguese phrases we will need to get by on a day-to-day basis ie ordering coffee and food, finding a bed, exchanging pleasantries etc. Hopefully we will remember our little bits of Spanish also to get us by
Thanks guys!

 

[surya8]

I walked from Lisbon and that was a spontaneous trip for me, so no knowledge of Portguese whatsoever. Obrigada/o (thank you) was one of the few words that helped a lot on the way. The Portugese in general speak English well, and not only in the touristic spots, especially the younger ones, in comparison to their neighbours in Spain. I think it might be easier for them to speak English then to talk to you in Spanish, they understand it but there was so much rivalry and tension in the past between these two countries that they might find it easier to talk in neutral English. And if you do try to speak some Portuguese they appreciate it even more.

 

[piggyhinton]

Hi friends
My husband and I did the Camino Frances in 2015, and flying to LIsbon to walk Camino Portuguese May 18th this year, through to Finisterre and Muxia, very excited! I had full intentions of learning some Portuguese before we left but somehow life got in the way and now our walk is just around the corner.
Can anyone who has done it, please tell me what are the most useful Portuguese phrases we will need to get by on a day-to-day basis ie ordering coffee and food, finding a bed, exchanging pleasantries etc. Hopefully we will remember our little bits of Spanish also to get us by
Thanks guys!

please and thank you........and a smile1

 

[lovetoread3]

You might check out the Duo Lingo app, pretty sure we learned all we "needed" for our 1 week stay in Portugal on the flight there from Duo Lingo

 

[Sheena]

I've been learning Portuguese using the Memorise app, as it teaches your the language of Portugal.
From memory I think the Duo Lingo app may only be Brazilian Portuguese.
I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong!

 

[mylifeonvacation]

I visited northern Portugal (north of Porto) with a group of Galician people last month and discovered that in that area, they actually consider themselves "brothers" with the people of Galicia. The Portuguese people spoke Portuguese and the Galicians spoke Spanish or Galician (Galician is quite similar to Portuguese), and everyone understood each other just fine. You will get along just fine with your bits of Spanish, and if you add in the Portuguese basics, even better!

I'm a native English speaker, so the Portuguese folks we met liked to speak English to me, and many of them spoke really excellent English. They explained that one factor is that in Portugal they get lots of English language tv/movies with Portuguese subtitles only, whereas in Spain they dub everything into Spanish.

Bom Caminho!!

 

[Sheena]

Hi.
I agree very much with the comments above about people in Portugal and Spain wanting to improve their English. We’ve had to really persuade some folk to speak in their own language and help us improve our foreign language skills!

For my husband and I, speaking the language of the country we’re visiting, is a very special part of being there.
Even when language difficulties have arisen, they’ve usually been funny and easily sorted out. The funniest mix up last year involved me receiving a huge slice of ice cream cake.
The waiter had misheard my request for ‘la cuenta detallada‘ an itemized bill, for an ice cream ‘helado’!! The two Spanish ladies sitting behind me, had head my request for the bill and burst out laughing when the cake arrived!

It all adds to the rich experience of the Camino!
Hoping for more fun in May with my very basic Portuguese.

 

[mylifeonvacation]

In all likelihood, people in hotels will speak some English, but it's always nice to have some words and phrases in the local language. Here's a link to a blog with some helpful Portuguese phrases for OP:
(from www.isabellestravelguide.com/portuguese-phrases.html)

Yes/No ~ Sim/Não (sieng/naung)
Please ~ Por favor(pòr fah-vor)

Thank you ~ Obrigado/da (o-brie-ga-doe/dah)
Excuse me ~ Desculpe (disj-koelp)
Hello ~ Olá (oh-lah)
Goodbye ~ Adeus (a-de-oesj)
How are you? ~ Como está? (koh-moe sjtah?)
Very well, thank you ~ Bem, obrigado/da (being o-brie-ga-doe/da)
I don’t understand. ~ Não compreendo. (naung kom-prie-èn-doe)
Do you speak English? ~ Fala inlgês? (fa-lah ieng-gleesj?)
I’m sorry. ~ Desculpe. (diesj-koelp)

Do you have any vacant rooms? ~ Tem um quarto livre? (teing oeng kwar-too lievr)
I have a reservation. ~ Tenho um quarto reservado (ten-joe oeng kwar-toe re-ser-va-do)

menu ~ a lista (ah liesj-tah)
breakfast ~ pequeno-almoço (pe-kè-noe-al-mò-soe)
lunch ~ almoço (al-mò-soe)
dinner ~ jantar (zjan-taar)
Food: rare, medium, well done ~ mal passado (mahl pah-sah-doe), médio (mè-die-oe)
The bill, please ~ A conta por favor/faz favor (ah kon-tah por fah-vor/faasj fah-vor)

A few notes:

• If you are a female, say "Obrigada" for "Thank you" (it means "thanks,", but in the sense of "I am obliged", so matches the gender of the person speaking).
• To be able to hear how the words are pronounced, I use the Google Translate app. Type in the foreign phrase and click on the little sound button at the top and the app will pronounce it for you. (Note: It sounds like the Portuguese in the Google Translate app is more Brazilian Portuguese, but you will be understood! It's just a slight difference in accent and pronunciation)
• The Google Translate app also has a camera function so you can use your camera to look at a menu, for example, and it will translate it on your screen. Not always 100% accurate, but quite helpful and sometimes the translations are unintentionally hilarious.

Bom Caminho!! (Buen Camino!)

 

[MarkN]

I walked it last fall and found that your suggestions of what to learn were what I learned and served me well.
Some basics with polite effort and a smile worked every time and led to some great stories!

 

[KariC]

I used to be pretty good at Brazilian Portuguese, but hadn't used it in a while, so checked out Pimsleur Language on CD from the library - European Portuguese version - to familiarize myself with the European accent and get that part of my brain reactivated.
It would be a good series to listen to to get some basic phrases down - I really like the way they teach.
All I can say is that for me the Portuguese Portuguese was WAY more difficult!! I got asked once if I was Brazilian - the Brazilian accent was "in front of" the gringo accent - that's how different they are!
Having said that, Pimsleur would be my recommendation.

 

[AussieGayle]

In all likelihood, people in hotels will speak some English, but it's always nice to have some words and phrases in the local language. Here's a link to a blog with some helpful Portuguese phrases for OP:
(from www.isabellestravelguide.com/portuguese-phrases.html)

Yes/No ~ Sim/Não (sieng/naung)
Please ~ Por favor(pòr fah-vor)

Thank you ~ Obrigado/da (o-brie-ga-doe/dah)
Excuse me ~ Desculpe (disj-koelp)
Hello ~ Olá (oh-lah)
Goodbye ~ Adeus (a-de-oesj)
How are you? ~ Como está? (koh-moe sjtah?)
Very well, thank you ~ Bem, obrigado/da (being o-brie-ga-doe/da)
I don’t understand. ~ Não compreendo. (naung kom-prie-èn-doe)
Do you speak English? ~ Fala inlgês? (fa-lah ieng-gleesj?)
I’m sorry. ~ Desculpe. (diesj-koelp)

Do you have any vacant rooms? ~ Tem um quarto livre? (teing oeng kwar-too lievr)
I have a reservation. ~ Tenho um quarto reservado (ten-joe oeng kwar-toe re-ser-va-do)

menu ~ a lista (ah liesj-tah)
breakfast ~ pequeno-almoço (pe-kè-noe-al-mò-soe)
lunch ~ almoço (al-mò-soe)
dinner ~ jantar (zjan-taar)
Food: rare, medium, well done ~ mal passado (mahl pah-sah-doe), médio (mè-die-oe)
The bill, please ~ A conta por favor/faz favor (ah kon-tah por fah-vor/faasj fah-vor)

A few notes:

• If you are a female, say "Obrigada" for "Thank you" (it means "thanks,", but in the sense of "I am obliged", so matches the gender of the person speaking).
• To be able to hear how the words are pronounced, I use the Google Translate app. Type in the foreign phrase and click on the little sound button at the top and the app will pronounce it for you. (Note: It sounds like the Portuguese in the Google Translate app is more Brazilian Portuguese, but you will be understood! It's just a slight difference in accent and pronunciation)
• The Google Translate app also has a camera function so you can use your camera to look at a menu, for example, and it will translate it on your screen. Not always 100% accurate, but quite helpful and sometimes the translations are unintentionally hilarious.

Bom Caminho!! (Buen Camino!)

I walked from Lisbon and that was a spontaneous trip for me, so no knowledge of Portguese whatsoever. Obrigada/o (thank you) was one of the few words that helped a lot on the way. The Portugese in general speak English well, and not only in the touristic spots, especially the younger ones, in comparison to their neighbours in Spain. I think it might be easier for them to speak English then to talk to you in Spanish, they understand it but there was so much rivalry and tension in the past between these two countries that they might find it easier to talk in neutral English. And if you do try to speak some Portuguese they appreciate it even more.

This is brilliant and will help us so much, thanks!!

 

[AussieGayle]

In all likelihood, people in hotels will speak some English, but it's always nice to have some words and phrases in the local language. Here's a link to a blog with some helpful Portuguese phrases for OP:
(from www.isabellestravelguide.com/portuguese-phrases.html)

Yes/No ~ Sim/Não (sieng/naung)
Please ~ Por favor(pòr fah-vor)

Thank you ~ Obrigado/da (o-brie-ga-doe/dah)
Excuse me ~ Desculpe (disj-koelp)
Hello ~ Olá (oh-lah)
Goodbye ~ Adeus (a-de-oesj)
How are you? ~ Como está? (koh-moe sjtah?)
Very well, thank you ~ Bem, obrigado/da (being o-brie-ga-doe/da)
I don’t understand. ~ Não compreendo. (naung kom-prie-èn-doe)
Do you speak English? ~ Fala inlgês? (fa-lah ieng-gleesj?)
I’m sorry. ~ Desculpe. (diesj-koelp)

Do you have any vacant rooms? ~ Tem um quarto livre? (teing oeng kwar-too lievr)
I have a reservation. ~ Tenho um quarto reservado (ten-joe oeng kwar-toe re-ser-va-do)

menu ~ a lista (ah liesj-tah)
breakfast ~ pequeno-almoço (pe-kè-noe-al-mò-soe)
lunch ~ almoço (al-mò-soe)
dinner ~ jantar (zjan-taar)
Food: rare, medium, well done ~ mal passado (mahl pah-sah-doe), médio (mè-die-oe)
The bill, please ~ A conta por favor/faz favor (ah kon-tah por fah-vor/faasj fah-vor)

A few notes:

• If you are a female, say "Obrigada" for "Thank you" (it means "thanks,", but in the sense of "I am obliged", so matches the gender of the person speaking).
• To be able to hear how the words are pronounced, I use the Google Translate app. Type in the foreign phrase and click on the little sound button at the top and the app will pronounce it for you. (Note: It sounds like the Portuguese in the Google Translate app is more Brazilian Portuguese, but you will be understood! It's just a slight difference in accent and pronunciation)
• The Google Translate app also has a camera function so you can use your camera to look at a menu, for example, and it will translate it on your screen. Not always 100% accurate, but quite helpful and sometimes the translations are unintentionally hilarious.

Bom Caminho!! (Buen Camino!)

Thanks so much for all the info!!

 

[Rainerbernd]

I've been learning Portuguese using the Memorise app, as it teaches your the language of Portugal.
From memory I think the Duo Lingo app may only be Brazilian Portuguese.
I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong!

Well, Brazilian Portuguese is no problem in Portugal. In Duo Lingo it´s standard Brazilian Portuguese. We understand it very well - no problems at all.

Important to know. In Portuguese restaurants the waiters bring you some extras to the table, like olivs, ham ,cheese or sausages. That is to pay extra! Well the problem always is, you dont know the price. Sometimes it could be a surprise. If you eat it, allright. You don´t like it? Don´t let it be on your table! Doing so, it will be on your bill later! Tell the waiter - nós não queremos isto. Tire isto daqui!

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

Hi friends
My husband and I did the Camino Frances in 2015, and flying to LIsbon to walk Camino Portuguese May 18th this year, through to Finisterre and Muxia, very excited! I had full intentions of learning some Portuguese before we left but somehow life got in the way and now our walk is just around the corner.
Can anyone who has done it, please tell me what are the most useful Portuguese phrases we will need to get by on a day-to-day basis ie ordering coffee and food, finding a bed, exchanging pleasantries etc. Hopefully we will remember our little bits of Spanish also to get us by
Thanks guys!

Sorry I do not have a simple answer but this may help.

There is a set of videos on Youtube called, "Spanish for Pilgrims." Within these, all the necessary phrases are learned, (English to Spanish). Now the second step, if you wish, as most Spanish is understood in Portugal).

But if you wish to have the same phrases, in Portuguese, take the English phrases and run them all through Google Translate.

Myself, I have copied all the Spanish phrases into my iPhone Notes so I have them when I need them but I have also started learning Spanish using a free App called, DuoLingo, as you will be given in the aforementioned videos.

Hope this helps.

 

[ophelia]

Well, Brazilian Portuguese is no problem in Portugal. In Duo Lingo it´s standard Brazilian Portuguese. We understand it very well - no problems at all.

Important to know. In Portuguese restaurants the waiters bring you some extras to the table, like olivs, ham ,cheese or sausages. That is to pay extra! Well the problem always is, you dont know the price. Sometimes it could be a surprise. If you eat it, allright. You don´t like it? Don´t let it be on your table! Doing so, it will be on your bill later! Tell the waiter - nós não queremos isto. Tire isto daqui!

Hi Rainerbernd,

Would just like to clarify that talking that way to any waiter in Portuguese is extremely rude - please do not use that kind of language! In Portuguese, tire isto daqui is super authoritarian and beyond the acceptable.
Those extras are called entradas and a lot of people eat them while waiting for the main course. The prices are always - always - on the menu, in the entradas/appetizers section. It is common to bring them to the table without anyone asking, but it is not done to trick you, it is just something traditional/cultural. Of course that if you eat it you pay it, but if you don't want them you can say the nós não queremos isto part, just avoid the second section of your phrase. Instead, you could just say "nós não queremos isto, pode levar por favor" which would be the normal and polite way of asking.

 

[Rainerbernd]

Sorry , sometimes I write in Alentejano and it sounds a bit harsh. Claro, you can say: leva isto, faz favor (imperative) or in another way, more polite. By the way, the old custom to bring entradas without asking is against the law for years, but nobody cares.