Getting around
Metrô
Próxima estação.
Next station.
You hear this when the doors close or the next stop is called. It is written down too, so a missed word does not end the ride.
Rio de Janeiro
Brazil
Rio sits between granite peaks and Atlantic beaches, with neighbourhoods climbing the hills.
How the language is used
Portuguese is the city language. Carioca speech is Brazilian, and casual talk may use tu as well as você.
In this city
- Language
- Portuguese
- Also heard
- Mostly Portuguese
- A local word
- Açaí — One açaí.
- Writing
- the Latin alphabet
What people say
Ordinary lines from this city: the ride, the counter, the food, and the greeting.
Food
Quiosque
Um açaí, por favor.
One açaí.
The order is built in short pieces like this one.
The counter
Bar
Uma água de coco.
A coconut water.
This line is a whole order. You do not need a longer sentence.
The street
Rua
E aí?
What's up?
People keep this line short. It is enough for the moment.
The language through the day
Carioca speech is Brazilian. Casual talk may use tu beside você, and signs stay in standard Portuguese.
Around Copacabana, Santa Teresa, Lapa, this is the ordinary sound of the day.
A first day in Rio de Janeiro can run on four lines: “Próxima estação.”, “Um açaí, por favor.”, “Uma água de coco.”, and “E aí?”. Each one is already a complete moment.
If you are new here
- Stops, prices, and shop signs are written in the Latin alphabet.
- Você is the ordinary you. In casual talk, tu shows up as well.
- If a spoken line goes past you, read the screen or the board. In Rio de Janeiro, the stop and the price are written down.
One local word: Açaí. It means One açaí..
Places you can see
- Christ the Redeemer — The Art Deco statue on Corcovado, above the forest park.
- Copacabana — A long curved beach with a wave-pattern sidewalk beside the hotels.
- Santa Teresa — A hill neighbourhood of old houses, linked by the bonde tram.
Food
Feijoada, beach-stand açaí, and pão de queijo turn up through the week.
Getting around
Metro and buses follow the coast, and the Santa Teresa tram climbs the hill.
Daily life
You order in Brazilian Portuguese. Kiosk boards and bus fronts use short local wording.
A few everyday phrases
Portuguese
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Olá | Hello |
| Obrigado | Thank you |
| Bom dia | Good morning |
| Chamo-me… | My name is… |
