4 Portuguese Phrases to Prepare You for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil

By Sarah-Claire Jordan

The Olympic games, whether you’re talking about the summer or winter variety, always tend to create a space for people to learn more about other countries and cultures. The main idea behind the Olympics is to strengthen the ties of different nations through healthy athletic competition, reminding us all that we may come from different places and speak different languages, but we are all still human.

Countries take turns hosting the games, and each host has the opportunity to share with the rest of the world a bit about its history, culture, people, and more. This coming year, Brazil will host the summer Olympic games and will have a chance to show the world what it means to be Brazilian. To get you ready for this momentous occasion, here are four useful Portuguese phrases you should learn:

1. Ó, desculpe!

This phrase is extremely useful for getting someone’s attention or when walking in an area with lots of people. It means “Excuse me” in English and with all of the people who will be in Brazil for the summer games, you may find yourself using it a lot if you plan on going yourself. Sometimes people add “Com licença” to the phrase, but this isn’t necessary unless you really want to sound like a local.

2. Onde fica…?

For tourists visiting Brazil for the games, this is an important phrase to know as well. Having a map is helpful, but sometimes you just have to ask someone, “Onde fica (insert place here)?” Yes, you guessed it, “Onde fica…?” means “Where is.. ?” Given that there will be all kinds of new stadiums and structures built just for the Olympics, you’ll hear pretty much everyone, Brazilians and foreigners alike, asking this while trying to get from one event to another.

3. Obrigado/a!

You were probably taught to say this as a kid, and in Brazil it’s no different. If someone helps you or does something for you, say “Thank you!” The tricky part with Portuguese is that the last letter changes depending on the gender of the person you are talking to. For men, you say “obrigado”, but for women make sure you change that last “o” to an “a”. If you say “obrigado” to a woman or “obrigada” to a man, they probably will understand that Portuguese isn’t your first language and won’t get offended and will politely correct you, but it’s always nice to get those kind of details right anyway.

4. Nossa!

Club-goers may have heard this word before thanks to the popular dance song by Michel Teló that repeats the word in the chorus. It’s used as an exclamation, similar to “wow!”, and is a shortened form of the phrase “Nossa Senhora” which translates to “Our Lady,” referring to the Virgin Mary. You will definitely hear a lot of Brazilians shouting this when amazing things happen during the games, so feel free to join in.

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Tags: portuguese

Category: Foreign Language