In this lesson you'll learn:
- The numbers from 0 to 20, which you need to memorize
- How to build any number up to 1,000
- How to talk about prices, your age and your phone number
0 to 20
| Number | Portuguese | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | zero | ZEH-roo |
| 1 | um / uma | oong / OO-mah |
| 2 | dois / duas | doys / DOO-ahs |
| 3 | três | trays |
| 4 | quatro | KWAH-troo |
| 5 | cinco | SEENG-koo |
| 6 | seis | says |
| 7 | sete | SEH-tchee |
| 8 | oito | OY-too |
| 9 | nove | NAW-vee |
| 10 | dez | dehs |
| 11 | onze | OHN-zee |
| 12 | doze | DOH-zee |
| 13 | treze | TRAY-zee |
| 14 | catorze | kah-TOR-zee |
| 15 | quinze | KEEN-zee |
| 16 | dezesseis | deh-zee-SAYS |
| 17 | dezessete | deh-zee-SEH-tchee |
| 18 | dezoito | deh-ZOY-too |
| 19 | dezenove | deh-zee-NAW-vee |
| 20 | vinte | VEEN-tchee |
One and two have a feminine form. Use um and dois with masculine words, and uma and duas with feminine words: um café (one coffee), uma cerveja (one beer), dois cafés, duas cervejas.
21 to 100
For numbers above 20, just add e ("and"): vinte e um (21), trinta e cinco (35), noventa e nove (99).
| Number | Portuguese | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | trinta | TREEN-tah |
| 40 | quarenta | kwah-REN-tah |
| 50 | cinquenta | seeng-KWEN-tah |
| 60 | sessenta | seh-SEN-tah |
| 70 | setenta | seh-TEN-tah |
| 80 | oitenta | oy-TEN-tah |
| 90 | noventa | noh-VEN-tah |
| 100 | cem | sayng |
Hundreds and thousands
| Number | Portuguese | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| 101 | cento e um | SEN-too ee oong |
| 200 | duzentos | doo-ZEN-toos |
| 300 | trezentos | treh-ZEN-toos |
| 500 | quinhentos | kee-NYEN-toos |
| 1,000 | mil | meew |
| 2,026 | dois mil e vinte e seis | doys meew ee VEEN-tchee ee says |
Use cem for exactly 100 and cento for 101 to 199: cento e vinte (120).
Numbers in writing: Brazil swaps the comma and the dot. 1.500 means one thousand five hundred, and 2,50 means two and a half. So a price of R$ 12,90 is twelve reais and ninety cents.
Prices and money
Brazil's currency is the real (hay-OW), plural reais (hay-ICE), written R$. Cents are centavos.
| Portuguese | Sounds like | English |
|---|---|---|
| Quanto custa? | KWAN-too KOOS-tah | How much does it cost? |
| Quanto é? | KWAN-too eh | How much is it? |
| Custa dez reais. | KOOS-tah dehs hay-ICE | It costs ten reais. |
| É muito caro! | eh MWEEN-too KAH-roo | It's very expensive! |
| É barato. | eh bah-RAH-too | It's cheap. |
Age and phone numbers
In Portuguese, you don't are an age; you have it:
| Portuguese | Sounds like | English |
|---|---|---|
| Quantos anos você tem? | KWAN-toos AH-noos voh-SAY tayng | How old are you? |
| Eu tenho trinta anos. | EH-oo TEH-nyoo TREEN-tah AH-noos | I'm thirty (years old). |
| Qual é o seu telefone? | kwah-LEH oo SEH-oo teh-leh-FOH-nee | What's your phone number? |
The "meia" trick: When reading out phone numbers, Brazilians often say meia (MAY-ah, short for meia dúzia, "half a dozen") instead of seis, so it can't be mistaken for três. A number like 3616 might be read três, meia, um, meia.
Practice
Write these numbers in Portuguese, then say them out loud.
- 7
- 16
- 23
- 48
- 100
- 350
Show answers
- sete
- dezesseis
- vinte e três
- quarenta e oito
- cem
- trezentos e cinquenta