HOW TO LEARN BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE
The best way to learn Brazilian Portuguese (or any language) is to expand your vocabulary by gradually memorizing lists of related words. This technique will help orient your mind to making connections between words in a certain category or taxonomy, which will facilitate your retrieval of the newly learned words later on when you need them.
So, Here’s a list of Brazilian Portuguese words relating to the telephone, and leaving a voicemail. Enjoy!
- this is called an “orelhao” (meaning “big ear) – it’s what the public pay phones look like in brazil
Here’s a list of Portuguese Telephone Vocabulary:
o telefone, fone - telephone, phone
extensão – extension
diretório – directory
o celular – cell phone
secretária eletrônica (or just “secretária “) – voicemail box
o gancho – the hook, hanger (for the phone)
carregador – charger
carregar – to charge
ligar - to call, make a phone call (the Portuguese word “chamar” also means to call, but it is used more for calling out to someone, not through the phone)
desligar – to hang up
uma chamada, uma ligação – a call
fazer uma ligação - to make a call
identificador de chamadas - caller ID
“atender o telefone” – to answer the phone
bloquear chamadas - to block calls
gravar – to record
um recado, uma mensagem – a (phone) message
discar – to dial
“alô?” – “hello?” – this is how most people answer the phone in Brazil
conversar – to have a conversation
bate papo – to chat
bater/disligar o telefone na cara de alguém – to hang up on someone *colloquial
tocar - to ring (when talking about a phone. in other contexts this word means “to touch”)
“o telefone está tocando” - “the phone is ringing”
torpedo / text - text message
mandar um torpedo - to send a text
digitar - to press
“digite um” - “press one”
o sinal - the signal / tone
o sinal de ocupado - busy signal
o código de área - area code
o código internacional - international code
o interurbano - long distance
a ligação a cobrar - collect call
aplicativos - phone apps/applications
operadora - network operator
“Eu gostaria de falar com a Ana, por favor?” – “I would like to speak to Ana, please?”
“Posso deixar um recado?” - “Can I leave a message?”
Examples of Voicemail Messages in Portuguese (“Sugestões de Recados para Secretária Eletrônica”):
“por favor deixe uma mensagem e eu retornarei a sua chamada” - “please leave a message and i will return your call”
“voce ligou para o numero certo, a pessoa certa, o lugar certo, mas na hora errada. deixe uma mensagem apos o bip.” – “you called the right number, the right person, the right place, but at the wrong time. leave a message after the beep.”
GETTING A CELL PHONE IN BRAZIL
There are multiple carriers that you can choose from when you are thinking about buying a cell phone in Brazil. Basically you purchase a sim card, put money on it and then purchase a cell phone. Some of the popular carriers include “Oi” and “Vivo.”
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