This list uses Brazilian Portuguese specifically, since that's the variety most learners are aiming for, and its vocabulary and everyday phrasing really do diverge from European Portuguese in places. A small set of words, articles, pronouns, prepositions, and a handful of common verbs, accounts for a huge share of what you'll actually hear and read. Learn these first and nearly every sentence you meet gets easier to parse.
How to use this list
Do not work through this list top to bottom. Read down it and mark only the words you could not have produced yourself. Those are your list. The rest are already yours, and reviewing them is wasted effort better spent on words you actually meet in reading, conversation, or subtitles.
The 100 words
| # | Portuguese (Brazil) | English | In use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | o | the (masc.) | O cachorro está dormindo.The dog is sleeping. |
| 2 | a | the (fem.) | A casa é grande.The house is big. |
| 3 | de | of / from | Ela é de São Paulo.She is from São Paulo. |
| 4 | que | that / which | Eu sei que você está certo.I know that you are right. |
| 5 | e | and | Comprei pão e leite.I bought bread and milk. |
| 6 | do | of the (de+o) | O livro é do professor.The book is the teacher's. |
| 7 | da | of the (de+a) | A porta da casa está aberta.The door of the house is open. |
| 8 | em | in / at | Ela mora em São Paulo.She lives in São Paulo. |
| 9 | um | a / one (masc.) | Ele comeu um bolo.He ate a cake. |
| 10 | para | for / to | Este presente é para você.This gift is for you. |
| 11 | é | is | Ela é médica.She is a doctor. |
| 12 | com | with | Eu vou com meus amigos.I'm going with my friends. |
| 13 | não | not / no | Eu não gosto de café frio.I don't like cold coffee. |
| 14 | uma | a (fem.) | Ela tem uma irmã.She has a sister. |
| 15 | os | the (masc. pl.) | Os alunos chegaram cedo.The students arrived early. |
| 16 | no | in the (em+o) | O gato está no jardim.The cat is in the garden. |
| 17 | se | if / oneself | Se chover, ficamos em casa.If it rains, we'll stay home. |
| 18 | na | in the (em+a) | Ela trabalha na escola.She works at the school. |
| 19 | por | by / through | Ele foi pago por hora.He was paid by the hour. |
| 20 | mais | more | Preciso de mais tempo.I need more time. |
| 21 | as | the (fem. pl.) | As crianças estão brincando.The children are playing. |
| 22 | dos | of the (de+os) | A capital dos Estados Unidos é Washington.The capital of the United States is Washington. |
| 23 | como | how / as / like | Como você está?How are you? |
| 24 | mas | but | Eu queria ir, mas estava cansado.I wanted to go, but I was tired. |
| 25 | foi | was / went | A festa foi ótima.The party was great. |
| 26 | ao | to the (a+o) | Chegamos ao aeroporto.We arrived at the airport. |
| 27 | ele | he | Ele mora em Curitiba.He lives in Curitiba. |
| 28 | das | of the (de+as) | Gosto das flores do jardim.I like the flowers in the garden. |
| 29 | tem | has | Ela tem dois filhos.She has two children. |
| 30 | à | to the (fem., a+a) | Voltamos à praia.We went back to the beach. |
| 31 | seu | his / her / your | Qual é o seu nome?What is your name? |
| 32 | sua | his / her / your (fem.) | Ela trouxe sua bicicleta.She brought her bicycle. |
| 33 | ou | or | Você quer chá ou café?Do you want tea or coffee? |
| 34 | ser | to be | Quero ser professor.I want to be a teacher. |
| 35 | quando | when | Ligue quando chegar.Call when you arrive. |
| 36 | muito | very / a lot | Estou muito cansado hoje.I'm very tired today. |
| 37 | há | there is / are | Há muitas pessoas na rua.There are many people on the street. |
| 38 | nos | us / in the (pl.) | Eles nos convidaram para a festa.They invited us to the party. |
| 39 | já | already | Eu já terminei o trabalho.I already finished the work. |
| 40 | está | is (state) | O café está quente.The coffee is hot. |
| 41 | eu | I | Eu moro no Brasil.I live in Brazil. |
| 42 | também | also / too | Eu também gosto de música.I also like music. |
| 43 | só | only | Só falta um dia para a viagem.There's only one day left until the trip. |
| 44 | pelo | by / through the (por+o) | Passeamos pelo parque à tarde.We strolled through the park in the afternoon. |
| 45 | pela | by / through the (por+a) | Ela foi pela estrada nova.She went by the new road. |
| 46 | até | until / even | Vou trabalhar até as seis.I'll work until six. |
| 47 | isso | that | Isso não é justo.That's not fair. |
| 48 | ela | she | Ela estuda medicina.She studies medicine. |
| 49 | entre | between | A chave está entre os livros.The key is between the books. |
| 50 | era | was (imperfect) | Ele era muito tímido quando criança.He was very shy as a child. |
| 51 | depois | after / later | Vamos comer depois do trabalho.Let's eat after work. |
| 52 | sem | without | Ela saiu sem dizer nada.She left without saying anything. |
| 53 | mesmo | same / even | Ele fez o mesmo erro de novo.He made the same mistake again. |
| 54 | aos | to the (pl.) | Demos os presentes aos convidados.We gave the gifts to the guests. |
| 55 | ter | to have | Quero ter mais tempo livre.I want to have more free time. |
| 56 | seus | his / her / your (pl.) | Ele perdeu seus óculos.He lost his glasses. |
| 57 | quem | who | Quem é aquela mulher?Who is that woman? |
| 58 | nas | in the (fem. pl.) | As chaves estão nas gavetas.The keys are in the drawers. |
| 59 | me | me | Ela me ligou ontem.She called me yesterday. |
| 60 | esse | that | Esse carro é novo.That car is new. |
| 61 | eles | they (masc.) | Eles moram perto daqui.They live near here. |
| 62 | estão | are (state, pl.) | Os pratos estão limpos.The plates are clean. |
| 63 | você | you | Você fala português?Do you speak Portuguese? |
| 64 | tinha | had (imperfect) | Ela tinha um cachorro pequeno.She had a small dog. |
| 65 | foram | were / went (pl.) | Eles foram ao mercado.They went to the market. |
| 66 | essa | that (fem.) | Essa ideia é ótima.That idea is great. |
| 67 | num | in a (masc.) | Ele guardou o dinheiro num cofre.He kept the money in a safe. |
| 68 | nem | nor / not even | Ela não comeu nem bebeu nada.She neither ate nor drank anything. |
| 69 | suas | her / his / your (fem. pl.) | Ela cuidou bem de suas plantas.She took good care of her plants. |
| 70 | meu | my (masc.) | Este é o meu carro.This is my car. |
| 71 | às | at the (time, fem. pl.) | A reunião começa às nove.The meeting starts at nine. |
| 72 | minha | my (fem.) | Esta é a minha irmã.This is my sister. |
| 73 | têm | have (pl.) | Eles têm uma casa nova.They have a new house. |
| 74 | numa | in a (fem.) | Ela mora numa cidade pequena.She lives in a small town. |
| 75 | pelos | by / through the (masc. pl.) | Andamos pelos corredores do museu.We walked through the museum's hallways. |
| 76 | elas | they (fem.) | Elas estudam juntas todo dia.They study together every day. |
| 77 | havia | there was / were | Havia muitas flores no jardim.There were many flowers in the garden. |
| 78 | seja | be (subjunctive) | Espero que seja verdade.I hope it's true. |
| 79 | qual | which / what | Qual é o seu prato favorito?What is your favorite dish? |
| 80 | será | will be | Amanhã será um bom dia.Tomorrow will be a good day. |
| 81 | nós | we | Nós vamos à praia no domingo.We're going to the beach on Sunday. |
| 82 | tenho | I have | Eu tenho duas irmãs.I have two sisters. |
| 83 | lhe | to him / her / you | Eu lhe dei um presente.I gave him a gift. |
| 84 | deles | theirs (masc.) | A culpa não é deles.The fault is not theirs. |
| 85 | essas | those (fem.) | Essas flores são lindas.Those flowers are beautiful. |
| 86 | esses | those (masc.) | Esses sapatos são caros.Those shoes are expensive. |
| 87 | pelas | by / through the (fem. pl.) | Passamos pelas ruas do centro.We passed through the streets downtown. |
| 88 | este | this | Este é o meu escritório.This is my office. |
| 89 | fazer | to do / make | Preciso fazer o jantar.I need to make dinner. |
| 90 | dia | day | Hoje é um dia especial.Today is a special day. |
| 91 | vida | life | Ela tem uma vida ocupada.She has a busy life. |
| 92 | tempo | time / weather | Não tenho tempo agora.I don't have time now. |
| 93 | casa | house / home | Vou para casa agora.I'm going home now. |
| 94 | homem | man | Aquele homem é meu tio.That man is my uncle. |
| 95 | mulher | woman | A mulher sorriu para mim.The woman smiled at me. |
| 96 | grande | big | Eles moram numa casa grande.They live in a big house. |
| 97 | bom | good | Este restaurante é muito bom.This restaurant is very good. |
| 98 | coisa | thing | Isso é uma coisa importante.That is an important thing. |
| 99 | trabalho | work | Meu trabalho começa às oito.My work starts at eight. |
| 100 | ir | to go | Vamos ir ao cinema hoje.We're going to go to the movies today. |
The ones English speakers get wrong
ser vs. estar
Both verbs mean "to be," but ser marks essential, lasting traits and estar marks temporary states or location. "Ela é inteligente" (she is smart, an inherent quality) contrasts with "Ela está cansada" (she is tired, right now). Mixing them up is one of the first things that marks a sentence as non-native.
por vs. para
Both can be translated "for," but they point in different directions. Por signals cause, exchange, or movement through something, as in "Troquei o carro por dinheiro" (I traded the car for money). Para signals purpose or destination, as in "Comprei um presente para você" (I bought a gift for you).
tu vs. você
Brazilian Portuguese mostly uses você for "you," conjugated like a third-person verb, even in casual speech. Tu survives strongly in some regions, like the South and parts of the Northeast, and speakers there sometimes pair it with third-person verb forms rather than the traditional second-person ones. There's no single "correct" rule nationwide, just regional habit.
Brazilian vs. European Portuguese
This list is Brazilian Portuguese on purpose, and vocabulary diverges from European Portuguese more than learners expect. Brazilians say ônibus and trem where Portugal says autocarro and comboio, and everyday grammar like pronoun placement differs too. Don't assume the two are interchangeable phrasebooks.
False friend: pretender
Pretender looks like "pretend" but doesn't mean it. It means "to intend" or "to plan to," as in "Pretendo viajar ano que vem" (I intend to travel next year). "To pretend" in the English sense is fingir.
Nasal vowels and diacritics
Accents aren't decoration in Portuguese, they change both sound and meaning. Avó (grandmother, open o) and avô (grandfather, closed o) differ by a single accent mark, and nasal vowels like ã and õ, written with a til, are a core part of how the language actually sounds.
What to do next
A list this size is about two weeks of light daily review, and it is the difference between decoding Portuguese (Brazil) and following it.