This crash course is designed specially for our students and volunteers coming to GoBrazil. GoBrazil is located at Maceió. The airport here is small and doesn´t have international flights, therefore our students are coming mostly to Recife airport and need to survive without Portuguese the whole way to Maceió.
Finally everything is ready – the holidays are taken, Portuguese course is booked, the plain ticket is reserved – you are going to Brazil! But..wait a minute..there is a problem: you don´t have any time to learn a word of Portuguese and you still need to get from the airport to the house of GoBrazil. Here is e a small Portuguese language guide with basic words that you might need on your way.
The first Portuguese contact is waiting for you at the airport on the passport control. It is pretty easy. Here is typical conversation:
Custom officer: Olá (Hallo)
You: Oi (Hallo)
Custome officer: Você fala Português? (Do you speak Portuguese?)
You: Não
…continue conversation in English.
At the airport you should manage it without Portuguese, but anyway here are some useful phrases:
Excuse me – Com licença
Please – Porfavour 
Where can I withdraw money? – Onde posso sacar dinheiro?
Where can I exchange money? – Onde posso trocar dinheiro?
Probably you will not understand the answer, so you can ask to repeat:
How? – Como?
I didn´t understand – Eu não entendi
When you finally got it:
Thank you – Obrigado
Sometimes Brazilians will continue speaking. They just like to talk and want to be sure you understood. So you can just say during his/her speech:
Great – Beleza
Fine – Ta bom
I got it – Entendi
Parabéns! (Congratulations) You have your Reals in the hand!
Lets imagine you are coming to Recife airport. So you would need to take a bus to Maceió to get to GoBrazil.
You can go to the bus station by metro, but if you don´t feel secure that you can manage it without descent Portuguese just take a taxi:
Bus station please – Rodoviária porfavour
On the bus station you will buy your ticket to Maceió:
One ticket to Maceió – Uma passagem para Maceió
Then you just relax for the next 4 hours. If you are coming by bus via coastal road (litoral) you will be passing by the house. So you need to tell the bus driver to stop at Garça Torta by the sign “Condominio Atlantis”.
I will get out at Garça Torta – Eu vou descer em Garça Torta
After three and the half hours you go to the driver and pay attention to the road.
Could you please notify me when we are at Garça Torta? – Você pode avisar quando vamos passar pelo Garça Torta
Now – pay attention! When you see a green sing with white letters: Condominio Atlantis ask to stop:
Stop her – Para aqui!!!
If you are coming by other bus, you will end up at the bus station Maceió. Just take the taxi to Garça Torta and follow the same procedure like with a bus driver – looking for a green sign.
Parabéns! Your first Portuguese challenge is over! Now you are safe and our intensive Portuguese course will bring you to the next level.
