Today we’re going to learn how to make a business phone call in Portuguese. Click here to access the MP3.

Boa tarde. Gostaria de falar com a Marta Ribeiro, por favor.

Ela não está? Posso deixar um recado?

Meu nome é Gilberto Barros e sou da empresa Rede Parede.

Quero conversar com a Marta sobre uma proposta de negócios.

Meu número é 011 2578 1000, ramal 55.

Estarei no escritorio até às 20:00 horas.

Agradeço muito.  Até logo.

When making a formal call, it’s important to use a greeting for the time of day rather than a simple “hi.” In this case, we say good afternoon. When making a polite request, it’s a good idea to use the conditional tense of gostar (to like), like we might use in English. The whole phrase is: “Good afternoon. I’d like to speak to Marta Ribeiro, please.”

This means, “She’s not in? Can I leave a message?” In the first part, we use the present tense of estar (to be) to confirm that the person is not there. Next, we use the present tense of poder (can) to make a simple request. Message in this context is recado.

Next, you must introduce yourself. Here, the person says: “My name is Gilberto Barros and I’m from the Rede Parede company.” Sometimes, Portuguese learners have a tendency to use chamar for stating a name like you would in Spanish, but it’s better to use “Meu nome é.” When you refer to your company, you say you are from the company (de), not with the company like you might in English.

This means “I would like to talk to Marta about a business proposal.” In this case, we use the present tense of querer (to want) instead of the conditional tense. It’s another way of making a request. It’s important to remember that when referring to a person, you must use a definite article, o for men and a for women, to refer to the person. (In this case, it’s a, since Marta is female). Note that proposta is proposal.

When leaving a message, it’s important to spell out your phone number clearly. Here, the person says his number and also includes the extension, which in Portuguese is ramal.

Here, the caller gives a deadline, saying, “I will be in the office until 8pm.” Note that in Brazilian Portuguese, we use military time, so the person says 20:00, which is the same as 8pm. The key words here are escritório (office) and até (until).

Finally, the caller thanks the person by saying, “I really appreciate it. Goodbye.” The verb appreciate is agradecer, which also means to thank. The caller uses the phrase até logo, which directly translates as “see you later” but can be used as a way to say goodbye.