Expressions · Brazilian Portuguese
How to say please, sorry and excuse me in Portuguese
“Please” is por favor. “Sorry” is desculpa (to a friend) or desculpe (to anyone else). “Excuse me” to get past someone is com licença; to get attention it’s also desculpa.
46 phrases with audio · Questions
The phrases everyone needs
| Listen | Portuguese | English | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| por favor | please | everywhere | |
| por gentileza | please (if you would be so kind) | shops, the phone; polite, a little formal | |
| desculpa | sorry | friends, family, anyone your age | |
| desculpe | sorry | strangers, service, older people | |
| me desculpa | forgive me, I’m sorry | a little warmer | |
| foi mal | my bad | slang; friends only | |
| perdão | pardon; forgive me | sincere, slightly formal; also “pardon?” | |
| sinto muito | I’m so sorry | sympathy and bad news, not a bump | |
| com licença | excuse me (to pass, enter, leave) | getting past, interrupting, leaving the table | |
| licença | excuse me (short) | the quick version, squeezing past | |
| oi? / como? | pardon? what did you say? | when you didn’t hear; oi? with a rising tone | |
| opa | oops; excuse me | bumping into someone, dropping something |
Please in Portuguese
Por favor (poor fah-VOR) works everywhere. Por gentileza is the polite, slightly formal version you hear in shops and on the phone (“if you would be so kind”). Brazilians often soften a request instead of adding please: você pode…? (can you…?), dá pra…? (is it possible to…?), será que…? (I wonder if…?). Uma água, por favor is complete and polite. Faz favor is Portugal.
To a woman, to a man
None of these change with gender: por favor, desculpa, desculpe, com licença and perdão are the same whoever is speaking and whoever is listening. The one that does is thanks, which follows the speaker: obrigado for a man, obrigada for a woman. Moço and moça (young man, young woman), the polite way to get a stranger’s attention, follow the person you are calling.
Pronunciation
por favor poor fah-VOR · por gentileza poor zhen-chee-LEH-zah · desculpa jees-KOOL-pah · desculpe jees-KOOL-pee · perdão pehr-DOWNG · com licença kong lee-SEN-sah · sinto muito SEEN-too MWEEN-too · foi mal foy MOW. The d of desculpa softens to “j” in most of Brazil, and the ão of perdão is nasal, through the nose with no hard n; the pronunciation guide has both. Press play on any row above to hear each one.
All the ways to say it
The bill, coffee, water, please
A conta, por favor. Um café, por favor. Uma água sem gás, por favor. Name the thing, add por favor, and you have ordered politely; a verb is optional. The food words page has what is on the menu.
a conta, por favorthe bill, please
at the end of a meal
A conta, por favor. Pode ser no cartão?The bill, please. Can I pay by card?
um café, por favora coffee, please
a small black coffee, unless you say otherwise
Um café e um pão de queijo, por favor.A coffee and a cheese bread, please.
uma água sem gás, por favora still water, please
com gás for sparkling
Uma água sem gás, por favor, bem gelada.A still water, please, nice and cold.
o cardápio, por favorthe menu, please
sitting down
Boa noite! O cardápio, por favor.Good evening! The menu, please.
mais um, por favoranother one, please
the same again
Mais um suco de laranja, por favor.Another orange juice, please.
pode trazer…?could you bring…?
the softened ask, with or without por favor
Pode trazer mais guardanapos, por favor?Could you bring more napkins, please?
por gentileza, …if you would be so kind, …
polite; shops, counters, the phone
Por gentileza, o senhor pode aguardar um minuto?If you would, could you hold on a minute, sir?
dá pra…?is it possible to…?
the casual ask; dá pra trocar? can you change it?
Dá pra trocar por uma sem cebola?Could you swap it for one without onion?
Sorry: desculpa or desculpe?
Both mean “sorry” and both are correct. Desculpa (jees-KOOL-pah) is the form Brazilians use with tu-style informality: friends, family, anyone your age. Desculpe goes with você and senhor/senhora: strangers, service, older people. In practice Brazilians say desculpa most of the time and nobody minds. Me desculpa / me desculpe (“forgive me”) is a little warmer. Desculpa aí is the casual “sorry about that”.
desculpasorry
friends, family, your age; the one Brazilians say most
Desculpa, não vi a sua mensagem.Sorry, I didn’t see your message.
desculpesorry
strangers, service, older people
Desculpe, a senhora deixou cair isto.Excuse me, madam, you dropped this.
me desculpaI’m sorry, forgive me
warmer; when you mean it
Me desculpa, eu não quis te magoar.I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.
desculpa aísorry about that
casual; a small thing
Desculpa aí, cheguei atrasado de novo.Sorry about that, I’m late again.
desculpa pelo atrasosorry for the delay
pelo before a masculine noun, pela before a feminine one
Desculpa pelo atraso, o trânsito estava horrível.Sorry for the delay, the traffic was awful.
Stronger apologies
Perdão (pardon; sincere, slightly formal; also “pardon?” when you didn’t hear), me perdoa (forgive me), mil desculpas (a thousand apologies), sinto muito (“I’m so sorry”: sympathy and condolences, not for bumping into someone), foi mal (slang “my bad”, friends only), foi sem querer (it wasn’t on purpose), a culpa foi minha (it was my fault).
perdãopardon; forgive me
sincere; or “pardon?” when you didn’t catch it
Perdão, eu exagerei ontem.Forgive me, I went too far yesterday.
me perdoaforgive me
when it matters; between people who are close
Me perdoa, não vai acontecer de novo.Forgive me, it won’t happen again.
mil desculpasa thousand apologies
a big slip, said with feeling
Mil desculpas, esqueci completamente do nosso almoço.A thousand apologies, I completely forgot our lunch.
sinto muitoI’m so sorry
bad news, loss, sympathy; never a bump
Sinto muito pela sua perda.I’m so sorry for your loss.
foi sem quererit wasn’t on purpose
after an accident, big or small
Foi sem querer, eu juro!It wasn’t on purpose, I swear!
a culpa foi minhait was my fault
owning it
A culpa foi minha, eu devia ter avisado.It was my fault, I should have let you know.
Excuse me
To get past, enter a room, leave the table, or interrupt: com licença (kong lee-SEN-sah), often just licença. To get someone’s attention (a waiter, a stranger): desculpa, moço / moça (young man / young woman; normal in Brazil, not rude), oi! To say “pardon? what did you say?”: oi?, como?, quê?, perdão? Oi? with a rising tone is the most Brazilian of these and surprises learners.
com licençaexcuse me (to pass, enter, leave, interrupt)
the permission excuse-me; never an apology
Com licença, eu preciso passar.Excuse me, I need to get past.
licençaexcuse me (short)
squeezing past on a bus, in a crowd
Licença, licença! Vou descer aqui.Excuse me, excuse me! I’m getting off here.
moço / moçaexcuse me (young man / young woman)
calling a waiter, a shop assistant, a stranger; polite
Moça, você pode me ajudar?Excuse me, miss, could you help me?
oi?pardon? sorry?
you didn’t hear; rising tone
Oi? Não entendi, pode repetir?Sorry? I didn’t get that, could you say it again?
como?pardon? how was that?
a little more careful than oi?
Como? Desculpa, está barulhento aqui.Pardon? Sorry, it’s noisy here.
opaoops; excuse me
bumping into someone, dropping something
Opa, desculpa! Não te vi.Oops, sorry! I didn’t see you.
How to reply to an apology
Tudo bem, não foi nada, imagina, relaxa (relax), sem problema, tranquilo, de boa (slang: all good), que isso. To com licença: pois não (literally “why not”, meaning “go ahead”), claro, à vontade (make yourself at home).
| Situation | Listen | Reply | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any apology | tudo bem | “it’s fine”; always right | |
| A small bump or slip | não foi nada | “it was nothing” | |
| Someone apologises warmly | imagina! | “don’t mention it”; very Brazilian | |
| A friend fretting over it | relaxa | “relax”; friendly | |
| Service, a stranger | sem problema | “no problem”; neutral | |
| Friends | tranquilo / de boa | “no worries”, “all good”; de boa is slang | |
| To com licença | pois não | “go ahead”; it looks like no and means yes | |
| To com licença | claro / à vontade | “of course”, “make yourself at home” |
Formal vs informal at a glance
| Situation | Listen | Say | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| A friend | desculpa, foi mal, relaxa | peço desculpas: sounds like a letter | |
| A stranger | desculpe, com licença, por favor | foi mal, desculpa aí | |
| An email | peço desculpas, por gentileza, lamento | foi mal, dá pra | |
| Sympathy | sinto muito, meus sentimentos | desculpa: that is for your own slip |
Brazil vs Portugal
Portugal: desculpe is the default, faz favor is common, se faz favor in shops, and com licença is also used to answer the phone. Brazil: desculpa, por favor, por gentileza; foi mal, de boa and moço / moça are Brazilian.
Common mistakes
- Lo siento and perdón: Spanish. In Portuguese, desculpa and perdão.
- Sinto muito for a small bump. It sounds like condolences.
- Com licença to apologise. It only means “let me through” or “may I”.
- Hearing oi? as “hi?”. With a rising tone it means “pardon?”.
- Thinking moça is rude. It is the polite way to call a young woman you don’t know.
In real Brazilian books
“— Desculpa, não pude vir mais cedo; que há?”“— Bem... desculpe... Adeus, baronesa.”“— Perdão: você está procurando com u: deve ser com o!”Questions
How do Portuguese speakers say please?
Por favor. In Brazil you also hear por gentileza in shops and on the phone; in Portugal, faz favor.
Is it desculpa or desculpe?
Both mean sorry. Desculpa is informal (friends, family, your age); desculpe is for strangers, older people and service. Brazilians use desculpa most of the time.
How do you apologize in Portuguese?
Desculpa or desculpe for everyday sorry, me desculpa to be warmer, mil desculpas or perdão when it matters, sinto muito for sympathy.
How do Brazilians say sorry?
Desculpa, and between friends foi mal (“my bad”). Perdão is stronger. Sinto muito is “I’m so sorry” about bad news.
How do I say excuse me politely in Portuguese?
Com licença to pass, enter, leave or interrupt. Desculpa or moço / moça to get attention. Oi? or como? when you didn’t hear.
What is pardon me in Portuguese?
Perdão. It works both as a sincere apology and as “pardon?” when you didn’t catch something.
How do you say “sorry, I don’t speak Portuguese”?
Desculpa, eu não falo português. Add você fala inglês? (do you speak English?). Most Brazilians will slow down and help.
How do you respond to desculpa?
Tudo bem, não foi nada, imagina or relaxa. To com licença, say pois não or claro.
How do you say please and thank you in Portuguese?
Por favor and obrigado / obrigada. Together: Um café, por favor. … Obrigada! The thank you guide has every way to say thanks and how to reply.
Entries in this group
- Desculpa / desculpe
Desculpa and desculpe both mean sorry and both are correct.
- Por favor
Por favor is please, everywhere in Brazil: a coffee, the bill, a favour.
- Com licença
Com licença (“with permission”) is the excuse me of getting past someone, entering a room, leaving the table or interrupting.
- Perdão
Perdão is the stronger apology: pardon, forgive me, said when it matters, a notch more sincere and formal than desculpa.
- Pois não
Pois não looks like “well, no” and means yes.
- Foi mal
Foi mal (literally “it went badly”) is the Brazilian slang “my bad”: a quick, light apology between friends for a small slip, a late reply, a missed call.
Next
- Thank you in Portuguese
Obrigado or obrigada, valeu and how to reply: please and thank you go together.
- Yes, no and OK in Portuguese
Sim, não, tá bom, and why pois não is a yes.
- Food and drink in Portuguese
What is on the menu, with audio, for the next time you say por favor.
- How to pronounce Brazilian Portuguese
The soft d of desculpa, the ç of licença and the nasal ão of perdão.
- Every group of expressions
Greetings, thanks, goodbyes, please and sorry, yes and no, celebrations, affection and slang.
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