How to Make Small Talk in Portuguese
When I first moved here, I remember being at my local Continente and the cashier was scanning my groceries at a million kilometers (not miles) per hour.
As she finished, she looked up and asked me something in Portuguese. I just stood there, blank-faced, and gave her my card. After a few seconds of awkward silence, I managed a mumbled "obrigado", took my stuff, and fled the scene.
I'm sure many of us have similar experiences here.
It's those moments when a simple, friendly interaction turns into a complete nightmare because you're terrified of going off-script.
We all get stuck...