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100 Most Common Portuguese Words (with Example Sentences)

· 9 min read

The 100 highest-frequency Portuguese words, each with a short example sentence and English translation. Your first real foothold in the language.

Why the Top 100 Matter

A small core of high-frequency words does most of the work in any language. Learn the top 100 Portuguese words and you already recognise the majority of the words in an ordinary sentence. They are the glue: articles, pronouns, everyday verbs, prepositions and connectors.

The examples below use European and Brazilian forms that are understood everywhere. Where the two varieties differ noticeably, the note says so.

How to Use This List

  • Read each word with its example. Say the sentence out loud.
  • Twenty a day is plenty. All 100 in one sitting is not.
  • Come back tomorrow and read them again.
  • On PlusOneLanguage, tap any word inside a real Portuguese text to save it, and the app feeds those exact words back to you in new sentences at your level.

The 100 Most Common Portuguese Words

  1. o / a / os / as — the. O livro está na mesa. — The book is on the table.
  2. de — of / from. Sou de Lisboa. — I'm from Lisbon.
  3. um / uma — a. Um café, por favor. — A coffee, please.
  4. ser — to be (permanent). Sou professor. — I'm a teacher.
  5. estar — to be (state). Estou cansado. — I'm tired.
  6. ter — to have. Tenho dois filhos. — I have two children.
  7. e — and. Pão e queijo. — Bread and cheese.
  8. em — in / on. Estou em casa. — I'm at home.
  9. que — that / which. O filme que eu gosto. — The film that I like.
  10. eu — I. Eu não sei. — I don't know.
  11. tu / você — you. Você vem? — Are you coming?
  12. ele — he. Ele mora aqui. — He lives here.
  13. ela — she. Ela chega amanhã. — She arrives tomorrow.
  14. nós — we. Nós vamos juntos. — We're going together.
  15. eles / elas — they. Eles trabalham aqui. — They work here.
  16. não — no / not. Não entendo. — I don't understand.
  17. sim — yes. Sim, claro. — Yes, of course.
  18. com — with. Vem comigo. — Come with me.
  19. sem — without. Café sem açúcar. — Coffee without sugar.
  20. para — for / to. É para ti. — It's for you.
  21. por — by / through. Passei por aqui. — I came through here.
  22. sobre — about / on. Um livro sobre música. — A book about music.
  23. mas — but. Pequeno mas bom. — Small but good.
  24. ou — or. Chá ou café? — Tea or coffee?
  25. se — if. Se quiseres. — If you want.
  26. porque — because. Porque tenho fome. — Because I'm hungry.
  27. também — also. Eu também. — Me too.
  28. muito — very / a lot. Muito obrigado. — Thank you very much.
  29. pouco — little. Um pouco de água. — A little water.
  30. mais — more. Mais devagar. — More slowly.
  31. menos — less. Menos sal. — Less salt.
  32. tudo — everything. Está tudo bem. — Everything is fine.
  33. nada — nothing. Não vejo nada. — I see nothing.
  34. alguém — someone. Alguém ligou. — Someone called.
  35. alguma coisa — something. Diz alguma coisa. — Say something.
  36. sempre — always. Chega sempre tarde. — He's always late.
  37. nunca — never. Nunca esqueço. — I never forget.
  38. já — already. Já cheguei. — I've already arrived.
  39. ainda — still / yet. Ainda estás aqui? — Are you still here?
  40. agora — now. Vem agora. — Come now.
  41. hoje — today. Hoje está sol. — It's sunny today.
  42. ontem — yesterday. Ontem à noite. — Last night.
  43. amanhã — tomorrow. Até amanhã. — See you tomorrow.
  44. aqui — here. Senta-te aqui. — Sit here.
  45. ali / lá — there. Está ali. — It's over there.
  46. onde — where. Onde estás? — Where are you?
  47. quando — when. Quando partes? — When are you leaving?
  48. como — how. Como estás? — How are you?
  49. porquê — why. Porquê agora? — Why now?
  50. quanto — how much. Quanto custa? — How much does it cost?
  51. quem — who. Quem é? — Who is it?
  52. o que — what. O que fazes? — What are you doing?
  53. fazer — to do / make. O que estás a fazer? — What are you doing?
  54. dizer — to say. Não digo nada. — I say nothing.
  55. ir — to go. Vamos embora. — Let's go.
  56. vir — to come. Ele vem amanhã. — He's coming tomorrow.
  57. ver — to see. Não te vejo. — I can't see you.
  58. saber — to know (facts). Não sei. — I don't know.
  59. conhecer — to know (people). Conheço-o bem. — I know him well.
  60. poder — to be able. Podes ajudar-me? — Can you help me?
  61. querer — to want. Quero um café. — I want a coffee.
  62. dever — must. Devo ir. — I must go.
  63. precisar — to need. Preciso de tempo. — I need time.
  64. dar — to give. Dá-me a mão. — Give me your hand.
  65. pôr — to put. Põe o casaco. — Put on your coat.
  66. levar — to take / carry. Leva isto contigo. — Take this with you.
  67. ficar — to stay / become. Fico em casa. — I'm staying home.
  68. pensar — to think. Penso em ti. — I think of you.
  69. achar — to think / find. Acho que sim. — I think so.
  70. encontrar — to find / meet. Não encontro as chaves. — I can't find my keys.
  71. falar — to speak. Falas português? — Do you speak Portuguese?
  72. gostar — to like. Gosto de café. — I like coffee.
  73. comer — to eat. Como às sete. — I eat at seven.
  74. beber — to drink. Bebo água. — I drink water.
  75. dormir — to sleep. Durmo bem. — I sleep well.
  76. trabalhar — to work. Trabalho amanhã. — I work tomorrow.
  77. viver / morar — to live. Moro no Porto. — I live in Porto.
  78. dia — day. Bom dia. — Good morning.
  79. noite — night. Boa noite. — Good night.
  80. tempo — time / weather. Não tenho tempo. — I don't have time.
  81. ano — year. Feliz ano novo. — Happy new year.
  82. hora — hour. Daqui a uma hora. — In an hour.
  83. vez — time (occasion). Outra vez. — Again.
  84. coisa — thing. Uma coisa importante. — An important thing.
  85. pessoa — person. Uma boa pessoa. — A good person.
  86. homem — man. Um homem alto. — A tall man.
  87. mulher — woman / wife. A minha mulher trabalha aqui. — My wife works here.
  88. criança — child. A criança dorme. — The child is sleeping.
  89. amigo — friend. Um velho amigo. — An old friend.
  90. casa — house / home. Vou para casa. — I'm going home.
  91. cidade — city. Uma cidade bonita. — A beautiful city.
  92. água — water. Um copo de água. — A glass of water.
  93. trabalho — work. Vou para o trabalho. — I'm going to work.
  94. vida — life. A vida é boa. — Life is good.
  95. grande — big. Uma casa grande. — A big house.
  96. pequeno — small. Um problema pequeno. — A small problem.
  97. novo — new / young. Um carro novo. — A new car.
  98. bom / boa — good. Está muito bom. — It's very good.
  99. por favor — please. Um café, por favor. — A coffee, please.
  100. obrigado / obrigada — thank you. Muito obrigada. — Thank you very much.

Where to Go From Here

Reading a list is not the same as owning the words. What locks them in is meeting them in new sentences you have never seen before, at a level you can actually handle.

That is what PlusOneLanguage does. Save any of these 100 words to your deck, and the next Portuguese text the app generates for you will reuse them in fresh contexts. Comprehensible input, calibrated to what you already know, nudging you one word further every day.

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