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Vocabulary

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Article
Category: vocabulary
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verb tenses common mistakes

[!related]

In my main guide, I cover the [[how-to-master-portuguese-past-participles-without-crying|rules for forming Portuguese past participles]]. Knowing the grammar is only half the battle. The other half is memorizing the common, everyday verbs that simply don't follow those rules.

This article is your cheat sheet for those words.

It's the practical vocabulary list that accompanies the grammar lesson. I’ve compiled the irregular participles I find myself using most often, organized by the situations where they tend to come up. Bookmark this page and come back to it whenever you get stuck.

The Daily Workhorses

These are the irregulars you'll reach for constantly....

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Article
Category: vocabulary
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prepositions common mistakes

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My first few months in Portugal, I kept saying things like "Eu gosto café" (I like coffee) or "Eu preciso ajuda" (I need help).

People understood me, but I could tell something was off. It didn't feel right, and sometimes you'd see this look of "oh that's cute" come across a person's eye when I wasn't even trying to be funny.

A friend eventually pointed out that I was frequently missing a small but important word, de.

I've learned that forgetting to use the "de" in these instances is an obvious giveaway that you're an English speaker learning Portuguese.

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Article
Category: vocabulary
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adjectives slang social etiquette

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English makes it easy to be lazy with compliments. You throw out a "cool," "cute," or "awesome," and one word covers everything from a puppy to a pair of shoes. Portuguese forces you to be specific. If you translate directly from English without knowing the nuance, you blur the lines natives hear clearly.

This is a common stumbling block for learners. You might think you are calling someone’s shirt "cool," but you accidentally tell them they are physically attractive. Or you try to call a guy "nice," but the word you choose sounds like you want to pinch his...

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Article
Category: vocabulary
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food and drink restaurants and cafes culture

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A marisqueira (traditional seafood restaurant) is a very common, very delicious part of Portuguese culture. While an exciting experience, the menus can be intimidating if you're not familiar with the specific terminology for local seafood and preparations.

This guide provides the practical, essential vocabulary you will likely need to know. Understanding these terms will help you navigate the menu with confidence, order exactly what you want, and transform a simple meal into a memorable cultural immersion. It’s your key to unlocking one of Portugal's most authentic dining experiences.

For the complete guide on ordering and dining etiquette, take a...

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Note
Category: vocabulary
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idioms and expressions pronunciation culture

My wife recently spotted this McDonald’s ad at a bus stop and we were both stumped by the phrase “Ouve avós do verão.”

My brain wants to translate this as “listen grandmothers of the summer”, with “ouve” being the imperative form of ouvir (to listen)?

But that can’t be right, can it? Is “avós do verão” some Portuguese expression I haven’t learned yet? Is this wordplay that’s going over my head?

I’ve been staring at this photo for way too long trying to figure it out. The fact that it’s on a major McDonald’s campaign means it must make sense to Portuguese speakers, but I’m missing something here.

Update: SOLVED! Big shout out to my Portuguese friend Jessica who said “if you close your eyes and say it really quickly”, it sounds like “A voz do verão”, or “The voice of summer”. Case closed. Mystery solved. Thanks, Jessica!

Note: Want to learn more about restaurant and dining lingo? Take a look at this article here

McDonald's ad at bus stop showing "Ouve avós do verão"

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Note
Category: vocabulary
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false friends common mistakes adjectives and adverbs

/ah-two-al-mint-uh/

🚫 English speakers think: Actually (in reality, in fact)
✅ Actually means: Currently, right now

This is one of the “False Friend” adverbs that constantly tricks English speakers. Because it ends in -mente (like our -ly), your brain screams “Actually!” But if you use it to correct someone, you’re just confusing them by talking about time, not truth.

Example in Context

“Atualmente moro em Lisboa.” → “I currently live in Lisbon.” (Not “I actually live in Lisbon.”)

How to say “Actually”

If you want to correct a misconception or emphasize the truth, you usually want na verdade or de facto.

  • Na verdade, não gosto de bacalhau. → “Actually, I don’t like cod.”

Portuguese is full of these tricky lookalikes. Another one that gets used incorrectly in the exact same way is Eventualmente, which sounds like “eventually” but… isn’t.

Memory Trick

Think Atual = Current (like “Current Events”). Therefore, Atualmente = Currently.

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Note
Category: vocabulary
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false friends

/pree-ten-dare/

🚫 English speakers think: To pretend (to fake, act like)
✅ Actually means: To intend, to plan, or to aim

This word makes English speakers sound surprisingly ambitious when they think they are being playful. If you say, “Eu pretendo ser médico,” you aren’t admitting to being a fraud—you are saying you aim to become a doctor.

Example in Context

“Ele pretende mudar-se para o Porto no próximo ano.” → “He intends to move to Porto next year.”

How to say “Pretend”

If you actually want to talk about faking it (kids playing make-believe, or someone acting like they didn’t see you), use fingir.

  • Ela fingiu que não me viu. → “She pretended not to see me.”

Usage Tip

Because this verb is all about intentions and plans, it’s a very common alternative way of talking about the future without actually using the future tense!

Memory Trick

Flaky people only pretend to make plans. But in Portuguese, pretender IS to plan.

More False Friends

This is a fun one. Check out my note on the verb puxar - it doesn’t mean what you think it means. 🚪

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Note
Category: vocabulary
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false friends common mistakes food and drink

/pahsh-tuh/

🚫 English speakers think: Pasta (spaghetti, linguine, etc.)
✅ Actually means: Folder, briefcase, or paste (like toothpaste)

If you walk into a stationary store and ask for pasta, you get a folder. If you walk into a restaurant and ask for pasta, you get a confused look—or perhaps the waiter’s briefcase.

Example in Context

Ponha o contrato nesta pasta azul, por favor. → “Put the contract in this blue folder, please.”

How to say “Pasta” (The Food)

When you are hungry for spaghetti or fusilli, the word you want is massa (dough/pasta).

  • Vou cozinhar massa para o jantar. → “I’m going to cook pasta for dinner.”

Dining out can be stressful when words don’t mean what you think they mean. To avoid accidentally ordering office supplies, check out our guide on how to sound less like a tourist in restaurants.

Memory Trick

In Portugal, Pasta belongs in the office (or on your toothbrush), not on your plate.

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Note
Category: vocabulary
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false friends common mistakes prepositions

/ah-sish-teer/

🚫 English speakers think: To assist (to help someone)
✅ Actually means: To attend / To witness (a live event, a match, a concert)

This is a classic “false friend.” If you tell a Portuguese friend you want to assistir them move apartments, you aren’t offering to carry boxes—you’re saying you want to stand there and watch them sweat.

The Safe Alternative

When you actually want to help someone, use ajudar.

  • Posso ajudar-te? → “Can I help you?”

The Grammar Trap: The “A”

When using assistir, you don’t just “watch the game”—you “watch to the game.” This verb requires the preposition a.

  • Vamos assistir ao jogo no estádio? (masculine noun = a + o)
  • Vamos assistir à peça de teatro? (feminine noun = a + a)

If you find yourself constantly guessing which little connecting word to use, it’s worth reviewing the rules for Portuguese prepositions.

Also: don’t assume just because assistir includes “a” at the end that you can apply other prepositions the same way. For example, “assistir de” sounds very old fashioned and nothing like you’d be likely to hear in modern Portugal.

For this, it might be useful to check out my article on verbs that use the preposition 'de'.

A Note on “Watching TV”

While dictionaries say assistir means “to watch,” locals usually restrict this word to live events where you are present (like a stadium).

If you are just watching a screen (Netflix, TV, YouTube), the colloquial choice is simply ver (to see), which doesn’t need the fancy preposition.

  • Assistir ao jogo. (At the stadium).
  • Ver o jogo. (On TV).
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Note
Category: vocabulary
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false friends common mistakes adjectives and adverbs

/esh-kee-sea-two/

🚫 English speakers think: Exquisite (refined, elegant, beautiful)
✅ Actually means: Weird, strange, or odd

This is a high-stakes adjective. If you tell a Portuguese cook their dinner was esquisito, you aren’t complimenting their refined palate—you are telling them the food tasted weird.

Example in Context

“Este queijo sabe um bocado esquisito.” → “This cheese tastes a bit weird.”

How to say “Exquisite”

If you want to be polite and fancy, the word you are looking for is requintado.

  • Este vinho é requintado. → “This wine is exquisite.”

Food vocabulary is a minefield here. Just like esquisito doesn’t mean exquisite, make sure you don’t confuse your office supplies with your lunch. If you ask for a pasta in a restaurant, you’re asking for a folder, not spaghetti (they call it ‘massa’ instead of what we English speakers call pasta, the food).

See Also

If you think this one is tricky, wait until you see the danger of confusing a cold with… well, you’ll see: Constipação.

Memory Trick

Exquisite things are beautiful. Esquisito things make you squint and say “Yikes.”

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