Small Talk

Caught at a bus stop with a talkative stranger, Ana patiently contributes to the one-sided chat using simple comments that say “I’m listening”, without saying much at all. Coincidentally, this is also helpful for language learners who want to keep the conversation flowing, despite not having much to say yet… 😉

Mafalda has a pleasant chat with her neighbour.

Joel tells Luís about his friends’ travel plans.

Coworkers João and Camila chat about family responsibilities and routines on their way into the office.

D. Maria and Catarina have a pleasant chat in the supermarket. Language focus: formal and informal “you” Cultural note: D. is an abbreviation for Dona, which is an honorific, similar to Ms. or Mrs. You may hear some Portuguese speakers use Dona to respectfully address a middle-aged or older woman who is a homemaker, or […]

José and Diogo watch the game together. Keep an eye (or ear) out for irregular verbs in the present tense, such as ter, poder, querer, and ir, plus many common conversational phrases.

Sofia and André talk about everything they did yesterday with their friends. Notice how different forms of the past tense are used throughout the dialogue.

Two friends talk about cats and an upcoming wedding.

Rodrigo reminisces about his favourite tavern: Tasquinha do Zé Pipo. Notice how the imperfeito do indicativo (past continuous) is used throughout the dialogue.

Senhor Esteves stops by to say hello to Dona Graça and her daughter, Carla. Since it’s almost lunchtime, they invite him to stay for a meal. Notice the different levels of formality used among the different speakers.

Ricardo recognizes an old classmate at the gym. Explore the variety of uses of the verb andar throughout their conversation.

Practice that tricky “lh” sound as Carlos tells Sara about his daily troubles. Try listening line by line and repeating the words containing ‘lh’ out loud.

Mónica attends an old friend’s wedding reception and has a quick chat with the father of the bride.

David and Sandra meet while waiting for their Portuguese class to begin. Follow along as they introduce themselves and make small talk.

In the next set of , we’ll introduce phrases that will help you have a basic conversation in Portuguese. Many beginners are afraid to initiate a because they don’t know whether they’ll understand or be understood. Well, we wouldn’t recommend discussing politics right away 😳, but with some preparation, you can at least get further […]

Olívia and Alberto are tourists who meet at a café in Porto. They are both learning Portuguese, so they decide to practice speaking.

Explore the preposition “de” in a variety of contexts as Artur and Diana discuss where they should go on vacation.

Follow along as Daniela and João greet each other and introduce themselves. 👋 If this is your first “Shorty” and you’re feeling lost, read more here: How to Use Shorties to Learn Portuguese

Rui and Joel show you how to ask how someone is doing, and how to correctly say “thank you”, (something that even natives sometimes get wrong!)

Filipa and António make small talk after meeting in the park with their dogs.

Miguel has a short conversation with Bruna before heading to the grocery store. Notice how the preposition “por” is used in a variety of different contexts throughout their dialogue.

Ana and João meet unexpectedly in the park and make plans to catch up later that day.

Isabel goes to a party where she doesn’t know anyone, so Eduardo tells her about each of the guests.

Two parents meet and realize their children go to the same school. Hear some basic conversation skills in action: introductions, greetings, simple comments, and questions.