A1 level

Asking for directions in Portuguese

Last updated 28 October 2026

Asking for directions mixes a small set of question patterns with a lot of everyday vocabulary, and that vocabulary is where Portugal and Brazil part ways. The words for bus, train, pavement and roundabout are all different. The phrases below teach the shared core first, then the words that change.

Asking the way

These work in both countries. The audio uses the European voice. The Brazilian voice reads the same words with a different accent, which you can hear in the dialogues further down.

Desculpe, onde fica a estação? Excuse me, where is the station?
Sabe onde fica o museu? Do you know where the museum is?
Fica longe? Is it far?
Pode repetir, por favor? Could you repeat that, please?
Estou perdido. I am lost. (said by a man)
Estou perdida. I am lost. (said by a woman)

Onde fica...? (where is... located?) is the most useful pattern. Ficar is a verb for location in both countries, and it is often used instead of estar when talking about places.

Understanding the answer

Portugal

Siga em frente. Go straight ahead.
Vire à direita. Turn right.
Vire à esquerda. Turn left.
Atravesse a rua. Cross the street.
Fica a dez minutos a pé. It is ten minutes on foot.

Brazil

Siga em frente. Go straight ahead.
Vire à direita. Turn right.
Vire à esquerda. Turn left.
Atravesse a rua. Cross the street.
Fica a dez minutos a pé. It is ten minutes on foot.

The words are identical on the page, so this is a good place to listen only for sound. The Brazilian voice opens its vowels and, in most of Brazil, pronounces the d in direita like the j in "jam", while the Portuguese voice is faster and swallows the unstressed vowels. The pronunciation guide explains why.

Transport and street words

Here the two varieties use different words for the same things.

Portugal

Onde é a paragem do autocarro? Where is the bus stop?
Onde fica a estação de comboios? Where is the train station?
Atravesse na passadeira. Cross at the pedestrian crossing.
Siga pelo passeio. Follow the pavement.
Vire na rotunda. Turn at the roundabout.
Onde é a casa de banho? Where is the toilet?

Brazil

Onde é o ponto de ônibus? Where is the bus stop?
Onde fica a estação de trem? Where is the train station?
Atravesse na faixa de pedestres. Cross at the pedestrian crossing.
Siga pela calçada. Follow the pavement.
Vire na rotatória. Turn at the roundabout.
Onde é o banheiro? Where is the toilet?

English	Portugal	Brazil
bus	o autocarro	o ônibus
train	o comboio	o trem
bus stop	a paragem	o ponto de ônibus
pavement	o passeio	a calçada
pedestrian crossing	a passadeira	a faixa de pedestres
toilet	a casa de banho	o banheiro
subway	o metro	o metrô

Describing where something is

Fica perto. It is near.
Fica longe. It is far.
Fica ao lado da farmácia. It is next to the pharmacy.
Fica atrás da igreja. It is behind the church.
Fica na esquina. It is on the corner.
Fica no fim da rua. It is at the end of the street.

For "opposite", Portugal says em frente do banco or em frente ao banco, and Brazil usually says em frente ao banco or na frente do banco. All are understood.