Which Portuguese words should I learn first?

The easiest words of grammar and everyday life: basic verbs, small structural words, polite phrases, numbers, family, food. This page gathers 100 of them.

What comes after these 100 words?

Carry on topic by topic: each list gives 100 words sorted into three levels. The KoKo app gathers +6,000 Portuguese words and brings each one back at the right moment.

Can I print this list or save it as a PDF?

Yes. The “Print the list” button at the top of the page opens your device’s print dialog: choose to save as PDF to keep the 100 words and their translation, with nothing else around them.

Your first 100 Portuguese words

New to Portuguese? Here are 100 easy words to start with: verbs, the small words of grammar and everyday vocabulary, translated into English.

These words come from the 26 grammar and everyday-life topics of KoKo. The app holds 2,397 words at this level.

Grammar 24 words

Portuguese	English
dizer	to say
ler	to read
rir	to laugh
matar	to kill
baixo	low
bom	good
cru	raw
duro	hard
aí	there
aqui	here
mal	badly
pouco	little
a	toPreposition, movement in the direction of a place
de	fromProvenance, origin
e	and
ou	or
aí	thereAdverbial pronoun of place, replaces a complement
este	thisDemonstrative determiner, masculine before a consonant
do	somePartitive article, masculine singular
disso	of it
entrar	to come in
subir	to get on
devolver	to give back
sair	to get out

Everyday life 76 words

Portuguese	English
não	no
sim	yes
obrigado	thank you
olá	hiInformal greeting
um	one
dez	ten
poucos	few
seis	six
fim	end
maio	May
verão	summer
agosto	August
osso	boneHard part of the skeleton
pescoço	neck
costas	back
nariz	nose
nódoa negra	bruise
repouso	rest
saúde	health
vírus	virus
amigo	friend
bebé	baby
filho	son
marido	husbandEveryday use
louco	crazy
desiludido	disappointed
embaraço	embarrassment
alegria	joy
chave	key
cama	bed
parede	wall
chão	floor
parafuso	screw
madeira	wood
prego	nail
cola	glue
meia alta	stockings
colarinho	collar
chique	smart
cabedal	leather
alho	garlic
trigo	wheat
água	water
sumo	juice
biológico	organic
tigela	bowl
fome	hunger
sabor	flavour
saco	bag
caro	expensive
código PIN	PIN code
custo	cost
rua	street
estação de comboios	train station
parque	park
mapa	map
autocarro	bus
camioneta	coach
mota	motorbike
porto	harbour
voo	flight
conta	bill
local	site
guia	guide
passo de montanha	mountain pass
este	east
lago	lake
bico	beak
galo	rooster
ninho	nest
ouro	gold
arco	arch
ferro	iron
ligação	link
página	page
chamada	call

Mini quiz

5 words from this page, picked at random. Find their translation.

Frequently asked questions

Which Portuguese words should I learn first?: The easiest words of grammar and everyday life: basic verbs, small structural words, polite phrases, numbers, family, food. This page gathers 100 of them.
What comes after these 100 words?: Carry on topic by topic: each list gives 100 words sorted into three levels. The KoKo app gathers +6,000 Portuguese words and brings each one back at the right moment.
Can I print this list or save it as a PDF?: Yes. The “Print the list” button at the top of the page opens your device’s print dialog: choose to save as PDF to keep the 100 words and their translation, with nothing else around them.

How KoKo makes words stick

These lists come from KoKo, the app to learn Portuguese vocabulary on iPhone.