🇵🇹 Directions in Portuguese – Review

Portuguese traffic signs showing directions: left, straight, down, right.

There are lots of expressions associated with giving and receiving directions in any language. But these four expressions are essential to moving around confidently in Portugal: 🧭 à direita – to the right🧭 à esquerda – to the left🧭 em frente – straight ahead🧭 para trás – backwards / back In this post, we’ll break … Read more

Dates in European Portuguese

Olá a todos! Welcome back to another lesson in our language-learning journey. Today, we’re diving into another crucial aspect of numbers: saying dates in European Portuguese. This includes how to express the day of the month and talk about years. Knowing how to correctly say dates will help you in everyday conversations and understand others … Read more

🇵🇹 Peixe-espada vs Espadarte⚔️🐟

Illustration of swordfish and espadarte with Portuguese vocabulary labels.

If you’re learning Portuguese and love seafood (who doesn’t in Portugal?), you’ve probably seen these names pop up on menus or at the market. They all sound like swordfish… but they’re not all the swordfish. ⚔️ Peixe-espada preto ⚔️ Peixe-espada branco ⚔️ Espadarte Even online translators get it wrong, so let’s clear up the confusion. … Read more

Muitos anos a virar frangos

Discover idiomatic expressions in Portuguese with The Sounds of Portuguese.

Does muitos anos a virar frangos have anything to do with chickens??? Let’s discover ways to say “I wasn’t born yesterday” in Portuguese – with flair! When you want to say you’re no fool in English, you might say “I wasn’t born yesterday”, “Don’t take me for a fool” or even “You can’t pull the … Read more

Money in Portuguese – Free

🇵🇹 Learn how to talk about money in European Portuguese!In this video, I teach you the names of euro notes and coins, explain how to pronounce “euros” naturally, and share useful everyday phrases you’ll need in shops, cafés or markets. ✨ Ideal for beginners (A1) learning European Portuguese and looking to build practical, real-life vocabulary. … Read more

🇵🇹 Pressionar, Premir ou Carregar?

Premir, carregar, pressionar with hand pressing button.

In Portuguese from Portugal, the verbs pressionar, premir and carregar can all mean “to press”, but they’re not always interchangeable. Let’s check these out one by one and see when to use each! Premir 💡 More formal / technicalYou’ll often see this one in automated voice recordings, user manuals, or formal language. Meaning: to press … Read more

🇵🇹 Burrice: When Being a Donkey Isn’t Cute

Portuguese vocabulary image showing 'burrice' with a 'stupid' gauge.

If you’ve been around Portuguese speakers long enough, chances are you’ve come across the word burrice. It’s one of those words that sounds kind of funny (until it’s aimed at you 😅). Let’s unpack the word and explore its meaning and usage. 🐴 So what does burrice mean? At its core, burrice means foolishness, stupidity, … Read more

🇵🇹 Crack the Code: Fresta, Racha, or Fissura?

Racha, fissura, fresta with crack illustration.

Ah, Portuguese — the language where even a simple “crack” has three different names. Let’s be honest, you probably just wanted to say “there’s a crack in the wall” and ended up down a rabbit hole of frestas, rachas and fissuras. Fear not — today we’re cracking it all open (pun intended). Fresta 🕳️ Fresta … Read more

🇵🇹 Portuguese Vocabulary: maço

Portuguese vocabulary image showing a pack of cigarettes, hammer, and money.

Not your average bundle… Ever tried ordering a maço de leite in Portugal? Prepare for confused looks! 😅Because maço isn’t for liquids — it’s the VIP word for things that come neatly wrapped, stacked, or bundled: like a maço de cigarros, maço de cartas, or maço de notas. Think of maço as the tidy, paper-loving … Read more