Bica

Unit 7 of 16A15 lessons · 39 words

Getting around the city in European Portuguese

Na cidade

Find your way around town, take public transport and buy tickets. This is an A1 unit of the Bica course, in the Portuguese spoken in Portugal: below are all its words, example sentences you can listen to, and the grammar notes.

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Words and phrases

1. Around town

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PortugueseEnglish
a rua
street
a praça
square
o museu
museum
a igreja
church
o hotel
hotel
a farmácia
pharmacyLook for the green cross.
onde fica
where isThe usual way to ask where a place is: Onde fica o hotel?

2. Going places

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PortugueseEnglish
ir
to goIrregular: vou, vais, vai, vamos, vão.
voualso eu vou
I goFrom ir: vou, vais, vai, vamos, vão. Vou à praia. = I'm going to the beach.
vamosalso nós vamos
we goAlso "let's go". As a question it means "shall we…?": Vamos ao restaurante?
a praia
beach
o supermercado
supermarket
o mercado
market
o banco
bankAlso means "bench".
o multibanco
cash machineNamed after the Portuguese cash machine network.
o restaurante
restaurant

3. Directions

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PortugueseEnglish
à esquerda
on the left
à direita
on the right
em frente
straight aheadEm frente ao hotel = opposite the hotel, in front of the hotel.
ao lado de
next toWith contractions: ao lado do banco, ao lado da farmácia.
perto
nearAqui perto = near here.
longe
far
virar
to turnTo a stranger: Vire à direita. To a friend: Vira à direita.
sempre
alwaysIn directions, sempre em frente means "straight ahead".

4. Getting around

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PortugueseEnglish
o autocarro
bus
o comboio
train
o metro
metro
o elétrico
tramThe yellow trams are a symbol of Lisbon.
o táxi
taxi
o carro
car
a bicicleta
bicycle
a pé
on footTransport uses de (de carro), but walking is a pé.

5. Tickets & stations

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PortugueseEnglish
a estação
stationPlural: as estações.
a paragem
stopA bus stop is a paragem do autocarro.
o aeroporto
airport
apanhar
to catchFor transport: apanhar o autocarro = to catch the bus.
o bilhete
ticket
só ida
one way
ida e volta
return

Example sentences

  • Onde fica o museu?Where is the museum?Onde fica is the usual way to ask where a place is.
  • Desculpe, onde fica a igreja?Excuse me, where is the church?
  • O hotel fica na praça.The hotel is in the square.na = em + a.
  • Eu vou à praia.I'm going to the beach.à = a + a.
  • Vamos ao restaurante?Shall we go to the restaurant?ao = a + o.
  • O meu pai vai ao banco.My father is going to the bank.
  • É à direita.It's on the right.
  • A farmácia fica à esquerda.The pharmacy is on the left.
  • Vire à direita.Turn right.Vire is polite, for strangers. With friends, say vira.
  • Eu vou de autocarro.I'm going by bus.With transport, use de: de autocarro, de comboio.
  • Vamos a pé.Let's walk.
  • O comboio para Sintra é às dez.The train to Sintra is at ten.
  • Eu apanho o autocarro às oito.I catch the bus at eight.Apanhar = to catch or take a bus, train or taxi.
  • Onde fica a paragem do autocarro?Where is the bus stop?
  • Um bilhete para o Porto, se faz favor.A ticket to Porto, please.

Every lesson page has all of its sentences: Around town · Going places · Directions · Getting around · Tickets & stations

Unit notes

Ao, à, no, na, do, da

Three small prepositions join with the article: a (to), em (in, at) and de (of, from).

a + o = ao, a + a = à, em + o = no, em + a = na, de + o = do, de + a = da.

So you go ao museu and à praia, the hotel is na praça, and the bank is ao lado do hotel.

  • Eu vou ao supermercado.I'm going to the supermarket.
  • A farmácia fica na praça.The pharmacy is in the square.
  • O banco fica ao lado da igreja.The bank is next to the church.

Ir: going places

Ir (to go) is irregular: vou, vais, vai, vamos, vão. The place you go to comes after a or para.

Ir a is for a visit or an errand: Eu vou ao banco. Ir para is for where you are heading to stay, and for going home: Eu vou para casa. So Eu vou a Lisboa suggests a short trip, and Eu vou para Lisboa suggests you will stay there for a while.

For transport, use de: de autocarro, de comboio, de carro. Walking is a pé.

  • Vamos à praia!Let's go to the beach!
  • Eu vou para casa de autocarro.I'm going home by bus.
  • Vamos a pé.Let's walk.

Onde fica…? Asking the way

To ask where a place is, say Onde fica…? or Onde é…?: Onde fica o museu? For people and things that move, like a friend or your phone, use Onde está…?

The answers use à esquerda (on the left), à direita (on the right), em frente (straight ahead), perto (near), longe (far) and ao lado de (next to). A stranger will tell you Vire à direita ("Turn right") and Vá sempre em frente ("Go straight ahead"). Friends say Vira and Vai.

  • Desculpe, onde fica a estação?Excuse me, where is the station?
  • É a segunda rua à direita.It's the second street on the right.
  • Não é longe, fica ao lado do banco.It's not far, it's next to the bank.

Vira or vire? Telling people what to do

To tell someone what to do, use the imperative. With tu (friends, family, children), it is simply the ele/ela form of the present: fala (speak), abre (open), vira (turn).

To be polite with strangers, staff and older people, swap the vowel: -ar verbs end in -e and -er/-ir verbs end in -a: fale, abra, vire, tome. For a group, add -m: virem, abram. Ir is irregular: vai with friends, vá to be polite.

  • Vira à esquerda na farmácia.Turn left at the pharmacy. (to a friend)
  • Vire à direita.Turn right. (polite)
  • Vá sempre em frente.Go straight ahead. (polite)

Getting around

In Portugal a bus is o autocarro, a train is o comboio and a tram is o elétrico. Lisbon and Porto both have o metro. To catch or take any of them, use apanhar: Eu apanho o autocarro às oito.

The bus stop is a paragem. At the ticket office you ask for um bilhete, either só ida (one way) or ida e volta (return).

  • Onde é a paragem do autocarro?Where is the bus stop?
  • Um bilhete de ida e volta, se faz favor.A return ticket, please.

Multibanco

Portuguese cash machines are called o multibanco, after the national network. They do much more than give out cash: you can pay bills, top up your phone and even buy tickets for concerts.

If you need one, just ask: Há um multibanco aqui perto?

  • Há um multibanco aqui perto?Is there a cash machine near here?