Unit 12 · TravelA2Lesson 4 of 5: Hiring a car
Hiring a car in European Portuguese
This is lesson 4 of 5 in Unit 12, Travel (Viagens), an A2 unit in which you fly, book a hotel room, hire a car and talk about your holidays. It teaches 8 words and phrases, including alugar (to hire), o aluguer (rental) and conduzir (to drive), and uses them in 10 example sentences. By the end you can say things like Há uma bomba de gasolina aqui perto? (“Is there a petrol station near here?”). The unit’s grammar notes cover “Alugar and o aluguer” and “On Portuguese roads”.
Words in this lesson
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
alugar | to hireAlugar um carro = to hire a car. Aluguei = I hired (g → gu). |
o aluguer | rentalO aluguer de carros = car hire. The rent for a flat is a renda. |
conduzir | to driveConduzo = I drive. Conduzi = I drove. |
a carta de condução | driving licence |
a autoestrada | motorway |
a portagem | tollMany Portuguese motorways have portagens. |
a gasolina | petrolA bomba de gasolina = petrol station. Diesel is o gasóleo. |
estacionar | to park |
Example sentences
- Eu queria alugar um carro.I'd like to hire a car.
- Onde fica o aluguer de carros?Where is the car hire?O aluguer de carros = car hire.
- Tu tens carta de condução?Do you have a driving licence?No article needed: ter carta = to have a driving licence.
- Eu não gosto de conduzir em Lisboa.I don't like driving in Lisbon.
- Há portagens nesta autoestrada?Are there tolls on this motorway?Nesta = em + esta.
- As portagens são muito caras.The tolls are very expensive.
- Nós alugámos um carro no aeroporto.We hired a car at the airport.Alugámos (we hired) has an accent, like falámos.
- Onde é que eu posso estacionar?Where can I park?
- Há uma bomba de gasolina aqui perto?Is there a petrol station near here?A bomba de gasolina = petrol station.
- Eu conduzi três horas.I drove for three hours.
Grammar notes
The grammar notes for this lesson are on the page for Unit 12: Travel: