Inviting people to places in a polite way can be tricky if you are not sure what the proper approach is, culturally speaking. For the same reason it could be even more difficult to decline or accept invitations.
Convites – invites
Saying yes is much simpler than saying no to something. Before we check other ways of saying yes or no, take a look at how easy it is to invite people out and say yes to an invitation. All you have to do to accept the invite is repeat the verb they used:
1. Vamos ao cinema comigo? – Would you like to go to the cinema with me?
Vamos! – Yes, I would.
2. Dá para você passar lá em casa hoje a tarde? – Can you come by my house this afternoon?
Dá. – Yes, I can.
3. Me liga amanhã? – Can you call me tomorrow?
Ligo. – Yes, I can.
4. Vamos tomar um café comigo um dia desses? – Would you like to have a coffee with me sometime?
Vamos. – Yes, I would.
5. Anima de tomar uma cervejinha com a galera do trabalho? – Are you up for a beer with the work crowd?
Animo. – Yes.
6. Você está a fim de ir à praia amanhã? – Would you be into going to the beach tomorrow?
Estou. – Yes, I would.
7. Me faz companhia para ir ao médico na quinta-feira a tarde? – Could you keep me company to go to my doctors appointment on Thursday?
Faço. – Yes, I could.
8. Você quer ir na festa comigo? – Would you like to go to the party with me?
Quero. – Yes, I would.
9. Posso contar com você para o poker de hoje a noite? – Can I count you in for our poker tonight?
Pode. – Yes, you can.
Outros modos de aceitar – Other ways of accepting
* Sim, obrigada/obrigado. – Yes, thank you.
* Demorou. (slang) – Demorar translates literally as “it took long”. This slang is used when you wish to express excitement when accepting an invitation.
* Claro que sim. – Yes, of course!
* Parece ótimo. – It sounds great.
* Lógico. – Yes, of course.
* Com prazer. – It would be my pleasure.
Modos de recusar – ways of refusing
* Não, obrigado/obrigada. – No, thank you.
* Desculpe, mas não vou poder. – Sorry, but I can’t.
* Não posso. – I can’t.
* Não vai dar, eu tenho um compromisso. – I can’t do it, I have an appointment.
* Hoje não dá mesmo. – I really can’t today.
* Fica para outro dia? – Maybe some other day?
* Fica para a próxima vez. – Maybe next time?
Most Brazilians would not be comfortable saying no to invitations since they don’t want to hurt people’s feelings. So it is very common for people to say something which would be interpreted as a maybe when in reality they mean no:
* Ah, não sei. – Uh, I don’t know.
* Vou ver se dá. – I’ll see if I can.
* Talvez. – Maybe.
* Não sei se vou conseguir. – I don’t know if I’ll be able to.
* É provável que não dê para eu ir. – It’s likely that I won’t be able to go.
* Depende… Vou tentar. – It depends… I’ll try.
