This free lesson will teach you some essential travel Portuguese vocabulary so you can catch a train, find your hotel and navigate your way around the city.
Resources for further reading:
Here are some basic Portuguese phrases to get you started:
Rocket Record lets you perfect your Portuguese pronunciation. Just listen to the native speaker audio and then use the microphone icon to record yourself. Once you’re done, you’ll get a score out of 100 on your pronunciation and can listen to your own audio playback. (Use a headset mic for best results.) Problems? Click here!
Como faço para chegar à….?
How do I get to….(female nouns)?
Como faço para chegar ao….?
How do I get to….(masculine nouns)?
Como faço para chegar à catedral, por favor?
How do I get to the cathedral please?
Como faço para chegar ao hotel, por favor?
How do I get to the hotel please?
Onde fica…?
Where is…?
Onde fica a casa de câmbio?
Where is the currency exchange?
Onde fica a estação de trem?
Where is the train station?
Quanto custa?
How much?
Quanto custa a passagem?
How much is the fare?
Quanto custa o bilhete?
How much is the ticket?
Quanto custa para ir até lá?
How much is it to get there?
Boa viagem para todos!
Have a happy trip everyone!
O Rio de Janeiro is known for its natural beauties, such as the beaches and the hills that surround the entire city. The city probably became world famous after the Brazilian music style, called Bossa Nova, hit the charts in the US with the song “Garota de Ipanema” (The Girl from Ipanema) written by Tom Jobin and Vinicios de Moraes in the mid-1960s, later being recorded by Frank Sinatra. The city has always been the inspiration for many musicians, who write about their love not only for the city itself, but for its people and traditions.
Garota de Ipanema
The Girl from Ipanema
Here are some key words to help you find your way around in Rio de Janeiro.
O metrô
The subway network
O centro da cidade
The city centre or CBD
Os bairros
The districts
A Zona Sul
The south zone (only in Rio )
A Zona Norte
The north zone (only in Rio )
A Zona Leste
The east zone (only in Rio )
A Zona Oeste
The west zone (only in Rio )
O IPA
City train networks
A tarifa
The fare
À direita
To the right
À esquerda
To the left
Imagine wandering through one of Rio de Janeiro’s bustling “ruas,”, or through the city’s historic “centro,”, the city center, and re-living the magical era of Bossa Nova! Or drinking “uma gelada,” a cold beer, at one of the many bars along the streets, appreciating the warmth of the weather and the people.
ruas
streets
centro
city center
uma gelada
a cold one (beer)
Find out about asking Portuguese questions in this series of lessons. Make sure you listen to the audio and practice your Portuguese pronunciation. And do the Portuguese tests at the end of each lesson to reinforce your knowledge of Portuguese questions!
Até mais!
Tereza Pereira: Rocket Portuguese
Reinforce your learning from this lesson with the Rocket Reinforcement activities!