Brush up on a few Portuguese words for the 2013 RI Convention in Lisbon

 

 

Lisbon depicted in blue tile

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Portugal is home to 0.15 percent of the global population – a fact that belies the country’s outsize influence. Portuguese ranks seventh in the world in the number of native speakers and is an official language in nine countries.

Rotarians who attend the 2013 RI Convention in Lisbon, 23-26 June, will likely meet Portuguese speakers with a variety of accents, from Angola to Brazil to Macau to Mozambique.

In tourist areas, you will also find it easy to communicate in English, but if you can speak a bit of the local language, you’ll better appreciate Lisbon and all it has to offer. Here’s a primer to get you started.

• Hello!  Olá!
• Pleased to meet you.  Muito prazer.
• Good morning/afternoon/evening!  Bom dia/Boa tarde/Boa noite!
• Please.  Por favor.
• Thank you.  Obrigado (women say obrigada).
• My name is …  O meu nome é … or Chamo-me …
• I don’t speak Portuguese. Do you speak English?  Desculpe, não falo português. Fala inglês?
• I don’t understand.  Não entendo.
• Excuse me, where is … ?  Desculpe, onde fica … ?
• Goodbye!  Adeus!
• See you soon!  Até logo!

Register for the 2013 RI Convention in Lisbon.