Are you learning Portuguese but feel that you’re missing the words you need to start participating in conversations? Studying a new language comes with its challenges, and one could easily become intimidated by the sheer number of words that exist. 

Luckily, most Portuguese speakers get by on a daily basis with just around 1000 words. No need to devour a whole dictionary to start speaking the language; all you need to get started are some basic Portuguese words for beginners. 

With only a few weeks of practice, you’ll have become familiar with around 200 words—enough to be considered a functional beginner. By the time you reach 1000, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a true conversationalist!

Let’s start today by going over those first couple hundred beginner Portuguese words. These will serve as a solid foundation that will help you engage in conversations, understand dialogues, and even deal with some day-to-day situations.

Table of Contents

1. Handy Pronouns
2. Counting: Numbers
3. The Name of Things: Nouns
4. Talk About Actions: Verbs
5. Add Details: Adjectives
6. Make Connections: Conjunctions
7. Add More Information: Adverbs
8. Even More Words: Brazilian Culture
9. Final Thoughts

1. Handy Pronouns

Pronouns are, without a doubt, some of the first words you’ll encounter in Portuguese. And for a good reason: Whenever we’re talking about people, personal pronouns are the first to pop up. 

There are several types of pronouns, and each type serves a different function within a sentence. For now, let’s just focus on the most common ones. 

1 – Personal Subject Pronouns

Talking about someone? Then personal subject pronouns are your best friend. They substitute the subject of a sentence:

• A professora chegou atrasada. (“The professor [feminine] arrived late.”) 
• Ela chegou atrasada. (“She arrived late.”) 

Person	Portuguese pronoun	English
1st person sg.	eu	I
2nd person sg.	tu / você	you
3rd person sg.	ele / ela	he / she
1st person pl.	nós	we
2nd person pl.	vós / vocês	you
3rd person pl.	eles / elas	they (masculine / feminine)

There are a few things we should point out about those pronouns.

1. In many parts of Brazil, você is used as the second person singular (instead of tu), in informal situations. In formal situations, you can use:

• O senhor (“the sir”): O senhor deseja um café? (“Fancy a coffee, sir?”)
• A senhora (“the madam”): A senhora precisa de algo? (“Need anything, madam?”)

These three forms of address (você, o senhor, a senhora) all use third person singular conjugations. You can find out more in this article.

2. To refer to the first person plural, many Brazilian speakers use a gente, with the verbs conjugated in the second person singular.

• Nós vamos comer pizza. (“We will eat pizza.”)
• A gente vai comer pizza. (“We will eat pizza.”)

3. Vós is rarely used in Brazilian Portuguese, being considered extremely formal. To refer to the second person plural, you can use:

• Vocês [informal]: Vocês sabem que horas são? (“Do you know what time it is?”)
• Os senhores [formal]: Os senhores podem aguardar aqui. (“You can wait here.”)
  • Masculine form, used for a group of only men or men and women
• As senhoras [formal]: As senhoras já podem entrar. (“You can already come in.”)
  • Feminine form, used for a group of only women

2 – Reflexive Pronouns

In Portuguese, some verbs are reflexive. They indicate an action done by the subject to themselves. When using these verbs, an extra pronoun (called an object pronoun), is required. 

Person	Portuguese pronoun	Use it with	English
1st person sg.	me	eu (“I”)	Eu me visto. (“I get dressed.”) Ela me acordou. (“She woke me up.”)
2nd person sg.	te	tu (“you”)	(Tu) te lembras dele? (“You remember him?”)
3rd person sg.	se	ele / ela (“he” / “she”) você (“you”) a gente (“we”)	Ele se vestiu. (“He got dressed.”) Você já se arrumou? (“Did you get ready?”) A gente se sentiu mal. (“We felt ill.”)
1st person pl.	nos	nós (“we”)	Nós nos assustamos. (“We got scared.”)
2nd person pl.	vos	vós (“you”)	Vós vos sentis bem? (“Do you feel well?”)
3rd person pl.	se	eles / elas (“they” masculine / feminine) vocês (“you”)	Eles se perderam. (“They got lost.”) Vocês se penteiam? (“Did you brush your hair?” plural)

There are several rules involved regarding the correct position of the reflexive pronoun in Portuguese (before or after the verb). For informal conversational purposes, most Brazilian Portuguese speakers place the reflexive pronoun before the verb. 

3 – Demonstrative Pronouns

You can use demonstrative pronouns to talk about the objects around you.

Isto (“This”) and its variations

When talking about something close to you (the speaker), you can use:

• Isto (“This”)
  • Isto é lindo! (“This is beautiful!”)

• Este / Esta (“This”) – masculine and feminine form in the singular
  • Esta cadeira é pequena demais. (“This chair is too small.”)  

• Estes / Estas (“These”) – masculine and feminine form in the plural
  • Estas panelas estão sujas. (“These pans are dirty.”) 

Isto is not commonly used in spoken, casual Portuguese. A more popular option is isso:

Isso (“That”) and its variations

When talking about something close to the other person (the listener), use:

• Isso (“That”)
  • Isso é pesado? (“Is that heavy?”)

• Esse / Essa (“That”) – masculine and feminine form in the singular
  • Essa camisa é a sua cara! (“That shirt is so you!”)

• Esses / Essas – masculine and feminine form in the plural
  • Vocês podem usar esses lençóis. (“You can use those bedsheets.”)

Even though isso means “that,” it’s very common for Portuguese speakers to use it to mean “this” as well. So in casual situations, you can use isso to talk about objects that are close to the speaker or the listener. 

Aquilo (“That”) and its variations

This one is used when talking about something that is far from both you and the other party, whether physically or in terms of time.

• Aquilo (“That”)
  • Eu quero aquilo! (“I want that!”)

• Aquele / Aquela (“That”) – masculine and feminine form in the singular
  • Aquele quadro é muito caro. (“That painting is very expensive.”)

• Aqueles / Aquelas (“Those”) – masculine and feminine form in the plural
  • Aqueles shows foram inesquecíveis. (“Those concerts were unforgettable.”)

4 – Interrogative Pronouns

Use these pronouns to ask questions:

• Quem? (“Who?”)
  Quem chegou? (“Who arrived?”)

• O que? (“What?”)
  O que você quer comer? (“What do you want to eat?”)

• Qual? (“Which?”)
  Qual bolo você prefere? (“Which cake do you prefer?”)
  Quais são os livros que posso doar? (“Which are the books that I can give away?”)

• Quanto? (“How much?” / “How many?”)
  Quantos anos você têm? (“How old are you?”)
  Quantas caixas você quer? (“How many boxes do you want?”)
  Quanto custa essa casa? (“How much is this house?”)

Notice that quem and que are invariable pronouns: they never change. Qual and quanto are variable pronouns, which means they change depending on the gender and number of what they’re referring to.

5 – Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns are great for talking about unspecified things—people, places, objects, you name it! Here are some of the most important ones:

• Tudo (“Everything”)
• Todo / Toda (“All” masculine and feminine singular)
• Todos / Todas (“All” / “Everyone” masculine and feminine plural)

• Nada (“Nothing”)
• Nenhum / Nenhuma (“None” masculine and feminine)

• Algo (“Something”)
• Algum / Alguma (“Some” / “Few” masculine and feminine singular)
• Alguns / Algumas (“Some” / “Few” masculine and feminine plural)

• Ninguém (“Nobody”)
• Alguém (“Somebody”) 

• Vários / Várias (“Several” masculine and feminine)
• Muito / Muita (“A lot of” masculine and feminine)
• Muitos / Muitas (“Many” masculine and feminine)
• Pouco / Pouca (“Little” masculine and feminine)
• Poucos / Poucas (“Few” masculine and feminine)

Ele é médico e ela é enfermeira. (“He is a doctor and she is a nurse.”)

2. Counting: Numbers

As a beginner in Portuguese, you’ll need to know at least a few numbers to get by in certain situations. If you learn how to count from 0 to 10, you’ll have it covered!

0	Zero
1	Um
2	Dois
3	Três
4	Quatro
5	Cinco
6	Seis
7	Sete
8	Oito
9	Nove
10	Dez

What numbers will you use in your passcode?

3. The Name of Things: Nouns

Once you have the pronouns and numbers down, you should focus on memorizing as many basic nouns as possible. The words below will serve as a useful addition to your Portuguese beginner vocabulary; they’ll allow you to start forming sentences and you can even use them alone to get an urgent point across! 

1 – A Reminder: Articles

The first thing you need to remember about Portuguese nouns is that they have a gender and a number. For example, a noun could be masculine plural or feminine singular. 

A noun’s gender and number will affect which articles you need to use with it (and it will also affect adjectives, as we’ll see later).

Feminine Singular Nouns

Example: Cadeira (“Chair”) 

Use the following articles:

• Definite article a: a cadeira (“the chair”) 
• Indefinite article uma: uma cadeira (“a chair”)

Feminine Plural Nouns

Example: Cadeiras (“Chairs”) 

Use the following articles:

• Definite article as: as cadeiras (“the chairs”) 
• Indefinite article umas: umas cadeiras (“some chairs”)

Masculine Singular Nouns

Example: Livro (“Book”) 

Use the following articles:

• Definite article o: o livro (“the book”) 
• Indefinite article um: um livro (“a book”)

Masculine Plural Nouns

Example: Livros (“Books”) 

Use the following articles:

• Definite article os: os livros (“the books”) 
• Indefinite article uns: uns livros (“some books”)

To make it easier for you to remember the gender of nouns in the future, the following list will include the indefinite articles alongside the nouns. 

2 – Time

Uma hora

Hour

Um minuto

Minute

Um dia

Day

Um mês

Month

Um ano

Year

Uma manhã

Morning

Uma tarde

Afternoon

Uma noite

Night / Evening

Uma segunda-feira

Monday

Uma terça-feira

Tuesday

Uma quarta-feira

Wednesday

Uma quinta-feira

Thursday

Uma sexta-feira

Friday

Um sábado

Saturday

Um domingo

Sunday

3 – People

Uma mãe

Mother

Um pai

Father

Mamãe

Mom

Papai

Dad

Uma mulher

Woman

Um homem

Man

Uma esposa

Wife

Um marido

Husband

Um irmão

Brother

Uma irmã

Sister

Uma família

Family

Uma namorada

Girlfriend

Um namorado

Boyfriend

Um filho

Son

Uma filha

Daughter

Um amigo Uma amiga

Friend (masculine) Friend (feminine)

Um estudante Uma estudante

Student (masculine) Student (feminine)

Um vendedor Uma vendedora

Salesman Saleswoman

Um professor Uma professora

Professor / Teacher (masculine) Professor / Teacher (feminine)

Um médico Uma médica

Medical doctor (masculine) Medical doctor (feminine)

4 – Places

Um mundo

World

Um país

Country

Uma cidade

City

Um bairro

Neighborhood

Um endereço

Address

Uma rua

Street

Uma avenida

Avenue

Uma estrada

Road

Um lugar

Place

Uma praia

Beach

Uma floresta

Forest

Uma montanha

Mountain

Uma loja

Shop

Um hospital

Hospital

Um supermercado

Supermarket

Uma escola

School

5 – Transportation

Um carro

Car

Um ônibus

Bus

Um trem

Train

Um avião

Plane

Um táxi

Taxi / Cab

Uma bicicleta

Bicycle

6 – Home

Uma casa

House

Uma porta

Door

Uma janela

Window

Uma cozinha

Kitchen

Um quarto

Bedroom

Um banheiro

Bathroom

Uma sala de estar

Living room

Um jardim

Garden

7 – School and Office Supplies

Uma caneta

Pen

Um lápis

Pencil

Uma borracha

Eraser

Um caderno

Notebook

Um livro

Book

8 – Technology in the Home

Um telefone

Phone

Um celular

Cellphone

Uma tela

Screen

Um computador

Computer

A Internet

The internet

Uma televisão

Television

9 – Body

Uma cabeça

Head

Um olho

Eye

Uma boca

Mouth

Um nariz

Nose

Uma orelha

Ear

Cabelo

Hair

Um braço

Arm

Uma mão

Hand

10 – Dining and Food

Uma mesa

Table

Um prato

Plate

Um copo

Glass

Água

Water

Uma fruta

Fruit

Um legume

Vegetable

Um café

Coffee

Um pão

Bread

Arroz

Rice

Feijão

Beans

→ Want to find out how to pronounce the top 25 nouns in Portuguese? Then PortuguesePod101 has a video lesson for you!

Um menino (“A boy”)

4. Talk About Actions: Verbs

Portuguese beginners will greatly benefit from learning the most common verbs early on in the process. 

Verbs are the central part of sentences and, as you can imagine, there are thousands of them to choose from. Why not begin by getting acquainted with 50 of the most commonly used verbs in Portuguese?

→ Don’t stop there, though! You can discover 100+ of the most common verbs in Portuguese in the perfect starter guide by PortuguesePod101.

Ser	To be (permanent)
Ser is used to talk about permanent or long-lasting things that a person can be. For example, you can be a certain nationality or profession. Eu sou engenheira. (“I am an engineer.”) [feminine]

Estar	To be (impermanent)
Estar is used to talk about temporary things that a person can be or feel. For example, you can be cold or you can be in school. Eu estou no supermercado. (“I am in the supermarket.”) Eu estou com medo. (“I am scared.”)

Ir

To go

Ter

To have

Poder

To be able to Can

Dever

To have to Must

Fazer

To do To make

Dizer

To say To tell

Falar

To talk To speak To tell

Dar

To give

Gostar

To like

Amar

To love

Ver

To see

Ouvir

To hear

Escutar

To listen

Tocar

To touch To play an instrument

Sentir

To feel

Pensar

To think

Procurar

To look for To search

Achar

To find

Saber

To know

Entender

To understand

Querer

To want

Pedir

To ask for

Ficar	To stay To get To be
Ficar translates to “to get” when it’s followed by an adjective. For example: Você está ficando vermelha! (“You are getting red!”) – feminine You can also use ficar when talking about locations: A minha casa fica logo ali. (“My house is right over there.”)

Precisar

To need

Deitar

To lay down

Colocar

To put To place

Dirigir

To drive

Chegar

To arrive

Entrar

To enter

Chamar

To call To summon

Começar

To start To begin

Vir	To come (over)

Voltar

To come back To return

Sair	To leave To go out

Conhecer	To meet To know
Conhecer only means “to know” when referring to something familiar. For example, you could use conhecer if you knew a certain street or a certain person: Você conhece a prima Luisa? (“Do you know Cousin Luisa?”) But you can’t use conhecer when referring to something you know how to do. In this case, use saber: Eu sei cozinhar. (“I know how to cook.”)

Conseguir

To achieve

Continuar

To continue

Viver

To live

Tomar	To take
Tomar can be used interchangeably with beber (“to drink”).

Pegar

To catch To grasp

Comer

To eat

Andar

To walk

Trabalhar

To work

Contar

To count To tell

Esperar

To wait

Abrir

To open

Fechar

To close

Decidir

To decide

Aprender

To learn

Estudar

To study

Vamos estudar. (“Let’s study.”)

5. Add Details: Adjectives

As we hinted at before, adjectives in Portuguese need to agree with the noun they describe in gender and number. 

Each adjective below is listed in the singular form. Where applicable, we’ve indicated the gender as follows: [masculine / feminine]. 

Bom / Boa

Good

Ruim

Bad

Fácil

Easy

Difícil

Difficult / Hard

Novo / Nova

New

Velho / Velha

Old

Caro / Cara

Expensive

Grande

Large / Big

Pequeno / Pequena

Small / Little

Longo / Longa

Long

Curto / Curta

Short

Bonito / Bonita

Beautiful

Lindo / Linda

Handsome / Pretty

Feio / Feia

Ugly

Forte

Strong

Legal

Nice

Alto / Alta

Tall

Baixo / Baixa

Short

Magro / Magra

Thin / Skinny

Gordo / Gorda

Fat

Alegre

Glad

Triste

Sad

Tímido / Tímida

Shy

Cansado / Cansada

Tired

Doente

Sick / Ill

Ensolarado

Sunny

Nublado

Cloudy

Chuvoso

Rainy

Frio / Fria

Cold

Quente

Warm / Hot

Importante

Important

Preto / Preta

Black

Branco / Branca

White

Azul

Blue

Verde

Green

Amarelo / Amarela

Yellow

Vermelho / Vermelha

Red

Doce

Sweet

Salgado / Salgada

Salty

Delicioso / Deliciosa

Delicious

→ Find out how to pronounce 25 important adjectives in Portuguese on PortuguesePod101.com. 

Ela tem cabelo preto. (“She has black hair.”)

6. Make Connections: Conjunctions

Conjunctions are small yet powerful words that connect two or more clauses or sentences. You’ll use them countless times when talking or writing in Portuguese. By mastering the most commonly used ones, you’ll get far!

• E (“And”)
  Eu gosto de correr e nadar. (“I like to run and swim.”)


• Ou (“Or”)
  Você quer café ou água? (“Do you want coffee or water?”)


• Nem (“Nor”)
  Não como carne nem peixe. (“I don’t eat meat nor fish.”)

• Se (“If”)
  Ela vai trabalhar se conseguir uma babá. (“She will work if she can get a nanny.”)

• Então (“So”)
  Hoje acordei tarde, então estou sem fome. (“I woke up late today, so I’m not hungry.”)

• Mas (“But”)
  Ela perdeu mas está feliz. (“She lost, but she is happy.”)

• Que (“That”)
  É importante que você passe nessa curso. (“It’s important that you pass this course.”)


• Porque (“Because”)
  Ela ganhou porque treinou muito. (“She won because she trained a lot.”)


• Como (“As” / “Like”)
  Ela, como suas amigas, é estudante. (“She, like her friends, is a student.”)
  Como me perdi, cheguei atrasada. (“As I got lost, I arrived late.”)

Learn even more Portuguese conjunctions, as well as how and where you can use them, with this complete guide by PortuguesePod101. 

Eles gostam de conversar e assistir vídeos. (“They like to chat and watch videos.”)

7. Add More Information: Adverbs

While adjectives modify nouns, adverbs modify other types of words (verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs). Adverbs are a nifty set of words in Portuguese for beginners to learn, as they allow you to better express yourself and add extra information to what you’re saying. 

→ There are many more adverbs you can learn and add to your Portuguese vocabulary! You can study 100+ adverbs on PortuguesePod101.com to get started. 

1 – Questions

Like the interrogative pronouns we already saw, interrogative adverbs can also be used to ask questions. 

Quando	When
Quando é seu aniversário? (“When is your birthday?”)

Onde	Where
Onde vocês estão? (“Where are you?”) – plural

Aonde	Where to
Aonde você vai?  (“Where are you going to?”)

Como	How
Como foi a sua viagem? (“How was your trip?”)

Por que	Why
Por que eles brigaram? (“Why did they fight?”)

2 – Time

Tarde

Late

Cedo

Early

Logo

Soon

Já

Already

Ontem

Yesterday

Hoje

Today

Amanhã

Tomorrow

Antes

Before

Depois

After

3 – Frequency

Sempre

Always

Jamais / Nunca

Never

Às vezes

Sometimes

Geralmente

Usually

4 – Place

Aqui

Here

Lá

There

Em toda parte / Em todo lugar

Everywhere

Dentro

Inside

Fora

Outside

Longe

Far

Perto

Closeby

5 – Manner

Bem

Well

Mal	Poorly / Barely

Muito

Very

Pouco

Little / Few

Rápido

Fast

Realmente

Really

Nada

Nothing

Somente

Only

Mais

More

Menos

Less

Juntos

Together

Só / Sozinho

Alone

Ela sempre se perde. (“She always gets lost.”)

8. Even More Words: Brazilian Culture

Let’s dive into some specific Portuguese vocabulary you can use to engage in interesting conversations!

1 – Traditional Brazilian Culture

Boi-bumbá

A Brazilian folk theatrical tradition

Novela

Soap opera

Festa junina

Traditional party that takes place in June

Capoeira

Afro-Brazilian martial art

2 – Holidays

Ano Novo

New Year

Carnaval

Carnival

Natal

Christmas

Páscoa

Easter

3 – Music and Musical Styles

Samba

Samba

Bossa nova

Bossa nova

Axé

Axé music

Funk	Funk carioca

Sertanejo

Brazilian country music

4 – Food & Beverages

Feijoada

Stew of black beans, beef, and pork

Churrasco

Barbecue (Brazilian-style)

Brigadeiro

Brazilian chocolate truffle

Tapioca

Cassava pancake

Paçoca

Peanut candy

Guaraná

Soft drink made with guaraná, a typical fruit from the North region which resembles an eye

Caipirinha

Traditional alcoholic cocktail, made with cachaça, ice, sugar, and lime

Cachaça

Alcoholic beverage made out of sugarcane; some are cheap, while others are prime Brazilian drinks.

Chimarrão

Caffeine-rich infusion with the yerba mate plant

Mandioca

Manioc, cassava

Palmito

Heart of palm

Desfile de escola de samba no Carnaval (“Samba parade during Carnival”)

9. Final Thoughts

This article presented 200+ words every Portuguese beginner should know, from pronouns and verbs to culture-specific terms. This will be a handy guide you can come back to as you advance in your Portuguese learning journey. Soon, you’ll have many more words to add to this list! 

We would love to hear your thoughts. Did you like this article? Do you think we missed any important Portuguese words for beginners? Let us know in the comments. 

And now, it’s time to put it all into practice. To start, you can check out these tips for remembering words better. Or go ahead and choose your own vocabulary list or another free resource on PortuguesePod101.com, and get studying!

If you want to take your learning experience further, members of PortuguesePod101 get access to the largest language lesson library in the world, with thousands of real lessons by real teachers. Perfect for anyone who wants to learn from anywhere, feel motivated, and be ready to speak Portuguese with confidence.