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Language & useful Portuguese

Portuguese basics for Salvador, plus the Bahian words — acarajé, abará, dendê, terreiro — you will actually hear.

A clay pot of Bahian moqueca with rice and farofa on a wooden table.
Moqueca baiana, cooked with dendê palm oil and coconut milk. · Editorial placeholder image — replace with licensed photography.

Brazilian Portuguese is the language of daily life and English is not widely spoken outside tourism businesses. Spanish speakers often get by, but speaking Spanish at speed rarely works — slow down and use simple words.

  • Bom dia / boa tarde / boa noite — good morning / afternoon / evening.
  • Por favor, obrigado (m) / obrigada (f) — please, thank you.
  • Quanto custa? — how much is it?
  • Sem pimenta, por favor — no chilli, please.
  • A conta, por favor — the bill, please.
  • Words you will hear: acarajé, abará, vatapá, caruru, dendê, moqueca, baiana, terreiro, orixás, axé, samba-reggae, bloco afro.

Related reading

A clay pot of Bahian moqueca with rice and farofa on a wooden table.
EssentialFirst trip

Bahian food guide

Dendê, coconut milk, dried shrimp and the sea: the grammar of Bahian cooking.

Percussionists of a bloco afro playing drums in front of a colonial wall in Salvador.
Essential

Afro-Brazilian Salvador

The museums, institutions and living practices that explain the city better than any postcard.