BicaUnit 12 of 16A25 lessons · 40 words
Travel in European Portuguese
Viagens
Fly, book a hotel room, hire a car and talk about your holidays. 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.
Words and phrases
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
o voo | flightPlural: os voos. |
o avião | planePlural: os aviões. |
o passaporte | passport |
a mala | suitcaseAlso a handbag. Fazer a mala = to pack. |
o cartão de embarque | boarding pass |
despachar | to check in (luggage)For luggage: despachar a mala = to check in your suitcase. |
a partidaalso as partidas | departure |
a chegadaalso as chegadas | arrival |
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
reservar | to bookEu reservei um quarto. = I booked a room. |
a reserva | booking |
o quarto duplo | double roomA room for two people. |
o quarto individual | single room |
a noite | nightPara duas noites = for two nights. À noite = at night. |
incluídoalso incluída | included |
a chave | key |
a receção | reception |
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
as férias | holidaysAlways plural. Boas férias! = Have a good holiday! |
ir de férias | to go on holiday |
estar de férias | to be on holiday |
a viagem | tripBoa viagem! = Have a good trip! |
o turistaalso a turista | touristThe same word for a man or a woman: o turista, a turista. |
o mapa | mapMasculine, even though it ends in -a. |
a câmaraalso a câmara fotográfica, a máquina fotográfica | cameraYou will also hear a máquina fotográfica. |
tirar fotografiasalso tirar fotos | to take photos |
| 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 |
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
perguntar | to askPerguntar o caminho = to ask the way. You ask a someone: perguntar a um senhor. |
o caminho | way |
perdidoalso perdida | lostA man says estou perdido, a woman says estou perdida. |
perder | to losePerdi o comboio. = I missed the train. |
a bagagem | luggage |
atrasadoalso atrasada | lateO voo está atrasado. = The flight is delayed. |
canceladoalso cancelada | cancelled |
ajudar | to helpThe pronoun goes after the infinitive: Pode ajudar-me? |
Example sentences
- A que horas parte o voo?What time does the flight leave?
- Onde está o meu passaporte?Where is my passport?Use estar for things that move around, like a passport. For places that stay put, use ficar: Onde fica o hotel?
- O cartão de embarque está no meu telemóvel.The boarding pass is on my phone.
- Eu queria reservar um quarto duplo.I'd like to book a double room.Queria + infinitive is the polite way to ask.
- Eu tenho uma reserva para duas noites.I have a booking for two nights.
- Há quartos livres?Are there any rooms available?Livre = free, available.
- No verão nós vamos de férias para o Algarve.In the summer we're going on holiday to the Algarve.Ir de férias = to go on holiday.
- Eu estou de férias!I'm on holiday!
- Boa viagem!Have a good trip!
- 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.
- Desculpe, eu estou perdido.Excuse me, I'm lost.
- Tu podes ajudar-me?Can you help me?The pronoun me goes after the infinitive: ajudar-me.
- Eu vou perguntar o caminho.I'm going to ask the way.
Every lesson page has all of its sentences: At the airport · At the hotel · Holidays · Hiring a car · Lost & late
Unit notes
Férias: always plural
Holidays are always plural in Portuguese: as férias. Use ir de férias for "to go on holiday" and estar de férias for "to be on holiday". To say where, add para or a: Nós vamos de férias para o Algarve.
Before someone leaves, wish them Boas férias! ("Have a good holiday!") or Boa viagem! ("Have a good trip!").
- Eu estou de férias!I'm on holiday!
- Em agosto vamos de férias.In August we're going on holiday.
- Boas férias!Have a good holiday!
Booking a room
To book, start with Queria reservar… ("I'd like to book…"). A room for one person is um quarto individual, for two um quarto duplo. Say how long with para: para duas noites.
When you arrive, go to a receção and say Eu tenho uma reserva. A useful question: O pequeno-almoço está incluído?
- Eu queria reservar um quarto duplo para três noites.I'd like to book a double room for three nights.
- Eu tenho uma reserva em nome de Ana Costa.I have a booking under the name Ana Costa.
At the airport
At the check-in desk you hand over your suitcase with despachar: Eu queria despachar esta mala. You keep a bagagem de mão (hand luggage) with you, and you need o cartão de embarque (boarding pass) at a porta de embarque (the gate).
The signs say Partidas (departures) and Chegadas (arrivals). Flying as a passenger is andar de avião.
- O embarque é na porta doze.Boarding is at gate twelve.
- Encontramo-nos nas chegadas.Let's meet at arrivals.
Alugar and o aluguer
To hire a car is alugar um carro, and car hire is o aluguer de carros. You will need your carta de condução (driving licence). To drive is conduzir: conduzo, conduzes, conduz.
Alugar is also used for renting a flat, but the money you pay each month is a renda.
- Eu queria alugar um carro por uma semana.I'd like to hire a car for a week.
- Sabes conduzir?Can you drive?
On Portuguese roads
Motorways (as autoestradas) have numbers like the A1 (Lisbon to Porto) and the A2 (Lisbon to the Algarve). Many of them have tolls, as portagens, and some tolls are electronic only, so hire cars often come with a Via Verde device that pays them for you.
A petrol station is a bomba de gasolina. Pumps offer gasolina (petrol) and gasóleo (diesel), so check which one your car takes!
- Há portagens na autoestrada?Are there tolls on the motorway?
- Onde é que posso estacionar?Where can I park?