A Romance language which originated in Spain and northern Portugal approximately 2,000 years ago, Portuguese is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Portugal's 15th and 16th century colonial reach spread the language across multiple continents including South America, Africa and Asia. Today, it is spoken by over 230 million people worldwide with strongholds in both Brazil and Portugal.

This page contains resources for learning and studying the Portuguese language.

• Hello: Olá
• Goodbye: Tchau
• Yes: Sim
• No: Não
• Please: Por favor
• Thank You: Obrigado (men) / Obrigada (women)
• Excuse Me: Com licença (Ç is pronounced like S)
• Do you speak English?: Você fala Ingles?
• Can you help me?: Pode me ajudar?
• I don't understand: Eu não entendo.
• How much is it?: Quanto custa?
• Where is bathroom/restaurant/hotel?: Onde e o banheiro/restaurante/hotel?
• Taxi, please: Táxi por favor.

As a tourist in Brazil, the country with the most Portuguese speakers in the world, you'll need to know how to get around. In practically every city you can catch a bus (fare is usually around R$3.00, approximately US$1.50) very easily, especially in the big metropoles. In these larger cities, such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, taxis are also very common. Some taxi drivers may be more talkative than others, so don't feel pressed either to talk or not with the drivers.

Did you know that only one major epic poem was ever written in the Portuguese language? It's "The Lusiads" ("Os Lusíadas"), by Luís Vaz de Camões. While a great part of the work is fictional, it tells the story of Vasco da Gama's travels and a great deal of Portuguese history.

Why are there two forms of "thank you" in Portuguese ("obrigado" for men and "obrigada" for women)? "Obrigado" literally means "obliged," and may have spun off a phrase such as "I feel obliged [to do something back]." Following the normal rules of subject-adjective agreement, the two forms grew. Today, however, it's becoming more and more common for the feminine form to be abandoned (even by women) and the word is oftentimes reduced simply to "brigado" in colloquy.

• Mama Lisa's World: Portuguese Children's Songs