With the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro (Hiu gee Zhaneiru) coming up, many of you will be flying out there to experience the tingling warmth of the sun against your skin as you walk along the beautiful beach of Ipanema, white sand crunching softly beneath your feet between days of marveling at athletes as they dazzle you with feast of physical excellence.
If you happen to be among the many tourists making their way to the country where football is religion, then you’re going to need some of these important phrases to help you find your way around town. After all, as anyone knows, getting lost is nothing close to fun. But before we go on, let’s get this one out of the way: Com licença, onde fica o banheiro? (I’ll give you a clue: Excuse me, where is the toilet? Okay so that wasn’t a hint but at least I saved you some time). Below are some other important phrases to know:
- Aqui está meu passaporte: ‘Here is my passport’
Hey, the first place you’re going to find yourself when you arrive is likely immigration. It’s always useful for the moments you get in trouble. Valid identification is a life saver.
- Me chamo… ‘My name is…’
Ficki-ficki Slim Shady (I’m sorry. I had to do that)
- Por favor e obrigado: ‘Thank you’
Just like your mother taught you.
- Me desculpe! ‘I’m sorry’
Because you’re there to have fun and not be rude, right?
- Eu queria ir para… ‘I would like to go…’
To the ball game, maybe?
- Onde é a festa? ‘Where is the party?’
Because if you hadn’t heard, the Brazilians love a good party. This is important.
- Onde é o estádio? ‘Where is the stadium?’
Remember, futebol (foo-tchee-bao) is a religion.
- Quanto custa? ‘How much is this?’
Say this with enough confidence and you might just be able to get the price of that unreasonably expensive souvenir knocked down.
- Onde é o ponto de ônibus mais próximo? ‘Where is the closest bus stop?’
For those of you backpacking or trying to get around like a true local. What would be the point of taking a taxi when you get to see the city better on the bus?
- Onde eu posso encontrar um táxi? ‘How can I find a taxi?’
And this is for when you’re trying to live a little and cut to the chase. Sometimes we like to get where we’re going quick.
If you want to score some points with the locals you can throw in these phrases for fun:
- Lindo maravilhoso! ( ‘beautiful or marvelous’ like the beaches)
- Fala sério! (You’ve got to be kidding. Or literally ‘talk seriously’)
This is you stressing out.
- Fique tranquilo (This one is a caring way to say ‘Stay calm’ and you might hear or say it when you’re stressing out a bit after getting lost).
Ginika
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