CIPLE A2 vocabulary: the European Portuguese words you need, by topic

Exam facts last checked: 18 October 2026

Vocabulary by topic

These 218 words are the core of the 14 topics below, taken from the 79 lessons of the Bica course. Nouns come with their article (o or a), because you need to know the gender to use a word in a sentence. Tap ▶ to hear each word in a European Portuguese voice, and follow the lesson links for the full word lists and example sentences.

Meeting people

Greetings, introductions, where you are from and what you do. From Unit 1, Hello! and Unit 2, Who are you? (A1). Lessons: Hello & goodbye, Please & thank you, What's your name?, How are you?, I am, you are, Where are you from?, Nationalities, Do you speak English?, People & jobs.

Meeting people: key words
PortugueseEnglish
olá
hello
bom dia
good morning
obrigado
thank you
muito
very
chamo-me
my name is
como te chamas
what's your name
como estás
how are you
tudo bem
how's it going
sou
I am
és
you are
de onde
where from
de
from
português
Portuguese
inglês
English
falo
I speak
falas
you speak
o estudante
student
o professor
teacher

Numbers, time and days

Prices, ages, times and appointments all need numbers. From Unit 4, Numbers & time (A1). Lessons: One to ten, How old are you?, Up to a hundred, Days of the week, What time is it?.

Numbers, time and days: key words
PortugueseEnglish
dois
two
três
three
quatro
four
tenho
I have
tens
you have
tem
has
dezasseis
sixteen
dezassete
seventeen
dezoito
eighteen
segunda-feira
Monday
terça-feira
Tuesday
quarta-feira
Wednesday
que horas são
what time is it
o meio-dia
noon
a meia-noite
midnight

Family and describing people

Talking about the people in your life. From Unit 5, Family (A1). Lessons: Mum, dad & siblings, Children & grandparents, Your family, Married or single?, Describing people.

Family and describing people: key words
PortugueseEnglish
a família
family
o pai
father
a mãe
mother
os pais
parents
o filho
son
a filha
daughter
o tio
uncle
a tia
aunt
o primo
cousin (m.)
o marido
husband
a mulher
wife
o namorado
boyfriend
alto
tall
baixo
short
simpático
nice

Home and daily routine

Your flat, its rooms and what you do every day. From Unit 6, At home (A1). Lessons: Where I live, Rooms, Things at home, Morning routine, Day & night.

Home and daily routine: key words
PortugueseEnglish
a casa
house
o apartamento
flat
morar
to live
o quarto
bedroom
a sala
living room
a cozinha
kitchen
a mesa
table
a cadeira
chair
o frigorífico
fridge
acordar
to wake up
levantar-se
to get up
tomar banho
to have a bath
trabalhar
to work
estudar
to study
almoçar
to have lunch

Town, directions and transport

Finding your way and getting around. From Unit 7, In the city (A1). Lessons: Around town, Going places, Directions, Getting around, Tickets & stations.

Town, directions and transport: key words
PortugueseEnglish
a rua
street
a praça
square
o museu
museum
ir
to go
vou
I go
vamos
we go
à esquerda
on the left
à direita
on the right
em frente
straight ahead
o autocarro
bus
o comboio
train
o metro
metro
a estação
station
a paragem
stop
o aeroporto
airport

Food, drink and shopping

The café, the market and the restaurant. From Unit 3, At the café and Unit 8, Food & shopping (A1). Lessons: Coffee & tea, I'd like…, Something to eat, With or without sugar?, The bill, please, Fruit, Vegetables, Groceries, At the market, At the restaurant.

Food, drink and shopping: key words
PortugueseEnglish
o café
coffee
a bica
espresso
queria
I'd like
quero
I want
o pão
bread
a torrada
toast
com
with
sem
without
a conta
bill
quanto é
how much is it
a maçã
apple
a laranja
orange
a batata
potato
a cebola
onion
a carne
meat
o peixe
fish
quanto custa
how much does it cost
caro
expensive
o prato do dia
dish of the day
a sobremesa
dessert

Weather and clothes

Small talk about the weather, the seasons and what to wear. From Unit 9, Weather & clothes (A1). Lessons: The weather, Seasons & months, Clothes, Getting dressed, Colours.

Weather and clothes: key words
PortugueseEnglish
o tempo
weather
está sol
it's sunny
está frio
it's cold
a primavera
spring
o verão
summer
o outono
autumn
a roupa
clothes
o casaco
coat
a camisola
jumper
vestir
to put on
levar
to take
as sapatilhas
trainers
vermelho
red
amarelo
yellow
branco
white

Free time

Hobbies, sport, going out and invitations. From Unit 10, Free time & plans (A1). Lessons: Hobbies, Sport, Going out, Invitations, Making plans.

Free time: key words
PortugueseEnglish
ler
to read
ouvir música
to listen to music
ver televisão
to watch TV
o desporto
sport
o futebol
football
jogar
to play
a festa
party
sair
to go out
jantar fora
to eat out
combinado
deal
fixe
cool
não posso
I can't
quando
when
a que horas
at what time
para a semana
next week

Talking about the past

The past tense (pretérito perfeito) of the verbs you use most. From Unit 11, The past (A2). Lessons: Yesterday, Did you like it?, Eating & going out, Where did you go?, Already & not yet.

Talking about the past: key words
PortugueseEnglish
falei
I spoke
falaste
you spoke
trabalhei
I worked
gostei
I liked
gostaste
did you like
falámos
we spoke
comi
I ate
comeste
you ate
bebi
I drank
fui
I went / I was (ser: a finished event)
foste
you went
foi
went
fiz
I did
fizeste
you did
vi
I saw

Travel and holidays

Airports, hotels, hire cars and holidays. From Unit 12, Travel (A2). Lessons: At the airport, At the hotel, Holidays, Hiring a car, Lost & late.

Travel and holidays: key words
PortugueseEnglish
o voo
flight
o avião
plane
o passaporte
passport
reservar
to book
a reserva
booking
o quarto duplo
double room
as férias
holidays
ir de férias
to go on holiday
estar de férias
to be on holiday
alugar
to hire
o aluguer
rental
conduzir
to drive
perguntar
to ask
o caminho
way
perdido
lost

Health

The body, symptoms, the pharmacy and the health centre. From Unit 13, Health (A2). Lessons: The body, What hurts?, Feeling ill, At the pharmacy, At the doctor's.

Health: key words
PortugueseEnglish
a cabeça
head
a mão
hand
o pé
foot
dói-me
it hurts
doem-me
they hurt
a dor
pain
estar constipado
to have a cold
sentir-se
to feel
doente
ill
o medicamento
medicine
a receita
prescription
o comprimido
pill
o centro de saúde
health centre
a consulta
appointment
marcar uma consulta
to make an appointment

Work and study

Jobs, working hours, school and how things used to be. From Unit 14, Work and study (A2). Lessons: At work, Hours and pay, Looking for work, School and university, When I was a child.

Work and study: key words
PortugueseEnglish
o trabalho
work
o emprego
job
a empresa
company
a tempo inteiro
full-time
a tempo parcial
part-time
o salário
salary
procurar emprego
to look for a job
desempregado
unemployed
a entrevista
interview
a escola
school
a universidade
university
o exame
exam
a criança
child
tinha
I had (used to have)
morava
I lived

Services and paperwork

Offices, forms, the bank, the post office and renting. From Unit 15, Services and paperwork (A2). Lessons: Offices and IDs, At the counter, Filling in forms, Bank and post office, Renting a home.

Services and paperwork: key words
PortugueseEnglish
o NIF
tax number
as Finanças
tax office
precisar de
to need
a senha
ticket number
a fila
queue
esperar
to wait
preencher
to fill in
o formulário
form
assinar
to sign
abrir uma conta
to open an account
levantar dinheiro
to withdraw money
o dinheiro
money
a renda
rent
o senhorio
landlord
o contrato de arrendamento
rental contract

Plans and opinions

Wishes, opinions, comparisons and linking your ideas. From Unit 16, Plans and opinions (A2). Lessons: Future plans, Wishes and cravings, Opinions, Comparisons, Linking ideas.

Plans and opinions: key words
PortugueseEnglish
para o ano
next year
estar a pensar em
to be thinking of
daqui a pouco
in a moment
gostava de
I'd like to
apetece-me
I feel like
não me apetece
I don't feel like
acho que
I think
o que achas
what do you think
acho que sim
I think so
do que
than
menos
less
tão
as
porque
because
por isso
that's why
mas
but

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