Brazilian Portuguese has a lot of unique expressions and quirks. That is why Portuguese is overall a wonderful language and fun to learn as a second language! Here, I’ve made a short list of the most useful expressions that helped me when I was first learning Portuguese.

Tranquilo This word can be used in a few different ways. Sometimes someone might ask you tudo tranquilo (similar to tudo bem)? You can say fique tranquilo (like calma) which basically means relax!

Fala sério If you say something that is hard to believe or is surprising, someone might say fala sério! It literally means “speak seriously” as in they don’t believe what you said, even if they did.

Saudade This word has no translation to English and can be used in a few different ways. Estar com saudades means to miss something. For example, estou com saudades do Brasil (I miss Brazil). Que saudade is an exclamation you can make when you truly miss something. Sentir a falta is another similar phrase. Sinto sua falta means I miss you.

Mana/mano Brazilians call close friends or even their brothers and sisters mana (feminine) or mano (masculine). It’s a sign of affection or appreciation of friendship to call a close friend this.

Bem We know this means “well.” But when you’re speaking casually, you can also use it for emphasis. É bem cansativa! means it’s really tiring. É bem gostosa! means it’s really delicious. Try using this to make your Portuguese more descriptive and natural.