The national language is Portuguese, however, English is spoken by many in business circles and the tourism industry. Portuguese developed, along with all the Romance languages, from Latin when the Romans conquered the area. It evolved into a distinct language after successive waves of invasion by Germanic tribes and Arabs, as well as those returning from Portugal's overseas colonies and during the periods of Spanish and French rule; all of which have contributed to the vocabulary. By 1572, when Luís de Camões wrote Os Lusíadas, the language had reached a point of development that was close to the structure and syntax in use today. The dialect in Lisbon differs from that in the north of Portugal, principally in the pronunciation of sibilants.
Phrases
Yes - Sim
No - Não
Hello - Olá
Goodbye - Adeus / Tchau
Please - Por favor
Thank you - Obrigado / Obrigada
My name is ... - Chamo-me ...
How are you? - Como está?
I'm very well - Estou bem
I feel ill - Sinto-me doente
How much does it cost? - Quanto custa?
Do you speak English? - Você fala inglês?
I don't understand - Não percebo
Where is ...? - Onde é ...? / Onde está ...?
Entrance - Entrada
Exit - Saída
Danger - Perigo
Open - Aberto / Aberta
Closed - Fechado / Fechada
Toilets - Casa-de-banho / WC / Toilette / Quarto de banho
Doctor - Medico
Hotel - Hotel
Restaurant - Restaurante
Beer - Cerveja
Wine - Vinho
Menu - Menú / Ementa
Today - Hoje
Tomorrow - Amanhã
Monday - Segunda-feira / Segunda
Tuesday - Terça-feira / Terça
Wednesday - Quarta-feira / Quarta
Thursday - Quinta-feira / Quinta
Friday - Sexta-feira / Sexta
Saturday - Sábado
Sunday - Domingo
One - Um / uma
Two - Dois / Duas
Three - Três
Four - Quatro
Five - Cinco
Six - Seis
Seven - Sete
Eight - Oito
Nine - Nove
Ten - Dez
Twenty - Vinte
Thirty - Trinta
Forty - Quarenta
Fifty - Cinquenta
Sixty - Sessenta
Seventy - Setenta
Eighty - Oitenta
Ninety - Noventa
One Hundred - Cem
One Thousand - Mil
