In Portugal the first conversation about a small job is usually a short phone call. Below are ten common questions in Portuguese, what they mean, a short reply, and how to say it. The last sentence is the one for when you cannot follow.
Fala português?
Do you speak Portuguese?
FAH-lah por-too-GESH?
You say:
Um pouco. Devagar, por favor.
A little. Slowly, please.
oom POH-koo. deh-vah-GAR, poor fah-VOR.
Tem documentos?
Do you have documents?
tayng doh-koo-MEN-toosh?
You say:
Ainda não. Podemos falar por WhatsApp?
Not yet. Can we talk on WhatsApp?
ah-EEN-dah nowng. poo-DEH-moosh fah-LAR poor WhatsApp?
Tem NIF e NISS?
Do you have a NIF and a NISS?
tayng neef ee neess?
You say:
Tenho NIF. O NISS estou a tratar.
I have a NIF. The NISS is in progress.
TEH-nyoo neef. oo neess shtoh ah trah-TAR.
Tem experiência?
Do you have experience?
tayng esh-peh-ree-EN-syah?
You say:
Sim, três anos. Posso enviar o currículo.
Yes, three years. I can send the CV.
seeng, tresh AH-noosh. POH-soo en-vee-AR oo koo-REE-koo-loo.
Onde mora?
Where do you live?
OHN-deh MOH-rah?
You say:
Moro em {cidade}. Posso ir de comboio.
I live in {city}. I can come by train.
MOH-roo ayng … POH-soo eer deh kom-BOY-oo.
Quando pode começar?
When can you start?
KWAN-doo POH-deh koo-meh-SAR?
You say:
Já amanhã, se quiser.
Tomorrow, if you like.
zhah ah-mah-NYANG, seh kee-ZEHR.
É part-time ou tempo inteiro.
It is part time or full time.
eh part-time oh TEM-poo een-TAY-roo
You say:
Está bem. Quantas horas por semana?
All right. How many hours a week?
shtah bayng. KWAN-tash OH-rash poor seh-MAH-nah?
Pode vir amanhã às nove?
Can you come tomorrow at nine?
POH-deh veer ah-mah-NYANG ash NOH-veh?
You say:
Sim. Manda a morada por WhatsApp?
Yes. Will you send the address on WhatsApp?
seeng. MAN-dah ah moo-RAH-dah poor WhatsApp?
Mande o currículo por WhatsApp.
Send the CV on WhatsApp.
MAN-deh oo koo-REE-koo-loo poor WhatsApp
You say:
Envio já. Obrigado.
Sending now. Thank you.
en-VEE-oo zhah. oh-bree-GAH-doo.
Depois ligo-lhe.
I will call you later.
deh-POYSH LEE-goo lyeh
You say:
Obrigado, fico a aguardar.
Thank you, I will wait.
oh-bree-GAH-doo, FEE-koo ah ah-gwar-DAR.
When you cannot follow
Desculpe, o meu português é básico. Pode escrever-me por WhatsApp, por favor?
Sorry, my Portuguese is basic. Could you write to me on WhatsApp, please?
desh-KOOL-peh, oo MEH-oo por-too-GESH eh BAH-zee-koo. POH-deh shkreh-VEHR-meh poor WhatsApp, poor fah-VOR?
Learn this sentence. In writing you can use a translator, and you get time to think.
Common mistakes
- Claiming documents you do not have.
- Saying “sim, sim” when you have not understood. The employer takes it as agreement.
- Agreeing without asking the pay and the hours.
- Taking the call somewhere noisy. Say “Posso ligar daqui a cinco minutos?” and call back.
Next step
After the call you will be asked for a CV. Our free CV builder writes one in Portuguese, with the form in your own language.
Free CV BuilderSources
Everything on this page is written from what we could confirm. Where a phrase is a suggestion rather than a rule, it says so.
Last verified: 2026-09-04
