Unit 17 · On the phoneA2Lesson 2 of 5: Messages
Leaving a message in European Portuguese
This is lesson 2 of 5 in Unit 17, On the phone (Ao telefone), an A2 unit in which you answer the phone the Portuguese way, leave messages, say big numbers, dates and years, spell your email and change an appointment. The new words are o recado (message), deixar (to leave), a mensagem (text message) and 5 more, practised in 10 example sentences. The unit’s grammar notes cover “Ligo-te and ligo-lhe” and “Numbers from 100 to 1000”.
Words in this lesson
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
o recado | messageA message that someone passes on: deixar um recado = to leave a message. |
deixar | to leaveDeixar recado = to leave a message. |
a mensagem | text messageAny written message: a text, a WhatsApp, an email. |
mandar uma mensagem | to send a textMandar = to send: Eu mando-te uma mensagem. = I'll text you. |
ligo-te | I'll call youTe = you, to a friend. It goes after the verb, with a hyphen. |
ligo-lhe | I'll call himLhe = (to) him, (to) her, or a polite (to) you. |
dizer | to tellDiz-lhe que… = tell him/her that… |
voltar a ligar | to call backVoltar a + infinitive = to do something again. |
Example sentences
- Eu ligo-te amanhã.I'll call you tomorrow.Te (you) goes after the verb, with a hyphen: ligo-te. With extra respect: ligo-lhe.
- Quer deixar recado?Receptionist: Would you like to leave a message?A receptionist speaks with extra respect: Quer…? To a friend: Queres deixar recado?
- Eu queria deixar um recado para a Ana.I'd like to leave a message for Ana.Queria + infinitive is the polite way to ask.
- Tu podes dizer-lhe que eu liguei?Can you tell him I called?Lhe = (to) him or (to) her. Liguei is the past of ligar: the g becomes gu before e.
- Eu mando-te uma mensagem hoje à noite.I'll send you a message tonight.Mandar uma mensagem = to send a text. Mando-te = I send you.
- Tu recebeste a minha mensagem?Did you get my message?Recebeste is the past of receber (to receive), to a friend.
- Eu volto a ligar mais tarde.I'll call back later.Voltar a + infinitive = to do something again. You can also just say Ligo mais tarde.
- Diz-lhe que eu estou à espera.Tell her I'm waiting.Diz-lhe = tell him/her, to a friend. With extra respect: Diga-lhe.
- A Marta não me ligou.Marta didn't call me.After não, the pronoun goes before the verb: não me ligou.
- A médica liga-lhe amanhã.Receptionist: The doctor will call you tomorrow.Here lhe is a polite "you". The present tense often talks about the near future: liga-lhe amanhã.
Grammar notes
The grammar notes for this lesson are on the page for Unit 17: On the phone: