Bica

Unit 15 of 16A25 lessons · 40 words

Services and paperwork in European Portuguese

Serviços e burocracia

Deal with Finanças, the bank, the post office and your landlord: tickets, forms and appointments. This is an A2 unit of the Bica course, in the Portuguese spoken in Portugal: below are all its words, example sentences you can listen to, and the grammar notes.

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Words and phrases

1. Offices and IDs

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PortugueseEnglish
o NIFalso o número de contribuinte
tax numberNIF = número de identificação fiscal. People also call it o número de contribuinte.
as Finanças
tax officeAlways plural: Vou às Finanças.
precisar de
to needAlways with de: Eu preciso de um NIF. Eu preciso de ir ao banco.
a autorização de residência
residence permit
a AIMA
immigration agencyThe Portuguese agency that handles residence permits. Say à AIMA, na AIMA.
a Segurança Social
Social Security
o Cartão de Cidadão
citizen cardThe Portuguese identity card.
a junta de freguesiaalso a junta
parish councilThe office of your freguesia (parish), the most local level of government. People often just say a junta.

2. At the counter

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PortugueseEnglish
a senha
ticket numberThe numbered ticket you take at an office. It also means "password".
a fila
queueEstar na fila = to be in the queue.
esperar
to waitWith or without por: esperar o autocarro or esperar pelo autocarro = to wait for the bus. Estar à espera de = to be waiting for.
a marcação
appointmentFor offices and services: Tem marcação? = Do you have an appointment?
o balcão
counterAt offices the counters have numbers: o balcão três.
a vez
turnÉ a minha vez = it's my turn. Uma vez = once.
abertoalso aberta
open
fechadoalso fechada
closed

3. Filling in forms

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PortugueseEnglish
preencher
to fill inThe polite command is preencha.
o formulário
form
assinar
to signThe polite command is assine. A signature is a assinatura.
a morada
address
o código postal
postcodePortuguese postcodes have seven digits, like 1100-148.
o documento
document
a fotocópia
photocopyYou can also say a cópia.
a caneta
pen

4. Bank and post office

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PortugueseEnglish
abrir uma conta
to open an accountA conta is a bank account, and also the bill at a café.
levantar dinheiro
to withdraw moneyLevantar literally means "to lift". You do it at the multibanco.
o dinheiro
money
os correiosalso os CTT
post officeThe postal company is os CTT, so people also say Vou aos CTT.
a carta
letterA registered letter is uma carta registada.
a encomenda
parcel
enviar
to sendMandar is also very common: mandar uma carta.
receber
to receive

5. Renting a home

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PortugueseEnglish
a renda
rentPagar a renda = to pay the rent.
o senhorioalso a senhoria
landlord
o contrato de arrendamento
rental contract
arrendar
to rentFor a flat or a house. People also say alugar.
a fatura
invoiceIn shops, the receipt is a fatura. You can ask for your NIF on it.
a luz
electricityIn Portugal a luz (light) also means electricity: a conta da luz.
a caução
depositThe money you leave with the landlord when you rent a home.
o comprovativo de morada
proof of addressFor example a utility bill, your rental contract or an atestado de residência from the junta de freguesia.

Example sentences

  • Eu preciso de um NIF.I need a tax number.Precisar always takes de: preciso de.
  • Onde ficam as Finanças?Where is the tax office?As Finanças is plural, so the verb is plural too: ficam.
  • Qual é o seu NIF?What's your tax number?Officials usually say o seu, with extra respect. With friends: o teu.
  • Onde é que eu tiro a senha?Where do I get a ticket?To take a ticket is tirar uma senha.
  • A fila está muito grande.The queue is very long.A long queue is uma fila grande or uma fila comprida.
  • Eu estou à espera da minha vez.I'm waiting for my turn.Estar à espera de is a very common way to say "to be waiting for" in Portugal.
  • Preencha este formulário, se faz favor.Please fill in this form.Preencha is the polite command that officials use.
  • Eu assino aqui?Do I sign here?
  • Assine aqui, se faz favor.Sign here, please.
  • Eu queria abrir uma conta.I'd like to open an account.Queria + infinitive is the polite way to ask for something.
  • Onde é que eu posso levantar dinheiro?Where can I withdraw money?
  • Eu vou ao multibanco levantar dinheiro.I'm going to the cash machine to get some money.You can go somewhere to do something with or without para: vou ao multibanco levantar dinheiro.
  • Quanto é a renda?How much is the rent?
  • Eu pago a renda no dia oito.I pay the rent on the eighth.For dates, Portuguese says dia + number: no dia oito = on the eighth.
  • Eu já paguei a renda deste mês.I've already paid this month's rent.Paguei is the past of pagar: the g becomes gu before e.

Every lesson page has all of its sentences: Offices and IDs · At the counter · Filling in forms · Bank and post office · Renting a home

Unit notes

The NIF and Finanças

Your NIF (número de identificação fiscal) is your Portuguese tax number. It is issued by the tax office, as Finanças, and you need it for almost everything: renting a flat, opening a bank account or signing a phone contract.

In everyday speech the NIF is often called o número de contribuinte. When you pay in a shop, you will often be asked Quer fatura com contribuinte?, that is, whether you want your tax number on the receipt.

  • Eu preciso de um NIF.I need a tax number.
  • Qual é o seu NIF?What's your tax number?

Senhas, filas and marcações

In many public offices, banks and post offices, the first thing to do is take a numbered ticket, uma senha, from the machine by the door. Then you wait until your number appears on the screen, together with the balcão (counter) that will serve you.

Many services also work by appointment, a marcação, so you will often be asked Tem marcação? If there is no ticket machine, ask Quem é o último? ("Who is last?") to find your place in the queue.

  • Onde é que eu tiro a senha?Where do I get a ticket?
  • Tem marcação?Do you have an appointment?
  • Quem é o último?Who's last in the queue?

Polite requests: Queria… and Podia…?

At a counter, people are polite. To ask for something, use queria ("I would like") with a noun or a verb: Eu queria abrir uma conta.

To ask someone to do something, use Pode…? ("Can you…?") or the even softer Podia…? ("Could you…?"), followed by an infinitive: Podia repetir, se faz favor?

Staff often speak to you with extra respect, with the verb on its own and polite commands like preencha ("fill in") and assine ("sign").

  • Eu queria enviar esta carta.I'd like to send this letter.
  • Podia falar mais devagar, se faz favor?Could you speak more slowly, please?
  • Assine aqui, se faz favor.Sign here, please.

Precisar de

Precisar (to need) always takes de, before a noun and before a verb: Eu preciso de um NIF. Eu preciso de ir aos correios.

The de joins the article: Eu preciso do passaporte. In a question, it moves to the front: De que documentos preciso?

  • Eu preciso de ir às Finanças.I need to go to the tax office.
  • De que documentos é que eu preciso?What documents do I need?

Às Finanças, aos correios

Some offices have plural names: as Finanças (the tax office) and os correios (the post office), which many people call os CTT, after the postal company. Use plural verbs with them: As Finanças ficam aqui perto. Os correios estão fechados.

With ir a, the preposition joins the article: Eu vou às Finanças. Eu vou aos correios. Eu vou à junta.

  • Amanhã vou às Finanças.Tomorrow I'm going to the tax office.
  • Os correios ficam ao lado do banco.The post office is next to the bank.