Communicative function: problems, needs & help

Things can go wrong on a trip — a key that won't open, a bus bathroom that's fechado, a reservation that has mysteriously vanished. The traveler who can calmly say tem um problema and preciso de ajuda can explain the problem and ask for help; the one who freezes ends up miming a broken shower to a very confused receptionist. A handful of short, clear phrases helps you describe the situation without relying only on gestures.

Trouble talk runs on a few ready-made phrases

When something goes wrong, nobody expects a tourist to build a perfect sentence. Brazilians handle travel hiccups with a handful of short, fixed phrases — learn these to report common problems and ask for help.

When you need help

• Preciso de ajuda com a minha reserva, por favor. (I need help with my reservation, please.)

• Pode repetir o número do portão? (Can you repeat the gate number?)

• Desculpe, não entendo. Pode falar mais devagar? (Sorry, I don't understand. Can you speak more slowly?)

• Meu português ainda é básico. (My Portuguese is still basic.)

When something is wrong

• Tem um problema com a minha reserva. (There's a problem with my reservation.)

• O banheiro está fechado. (The bathroom is closed.)

• O ar-condicionado não funciona. (The air conditioning isn't working.)

• Minha bagagem não está aqui. (My luggage isn't here.)

Perdido / perdida changes with the speaker

"Lost" agrees with who is talking, not with the street: a man says estou perdido, a woman says estou perdida. Both mean "I'm lost."

"Não entendo" vs. "não escuto"

Não entendo means "I don't understand" (the words); não escuto bem means "I can't hear well" (the sound). A noisy bus calls for não escuto; fast Portuguese calls for não entendo.

Tem and há: spoken and formal usage

The formal standard form for “there is” is há. Everyday Brazilian speech commonly uses tem: tem um problema, tem uma farmácia aqui? (“is there a pharmacy here?”). Recognize both and choose according to the register.

Estou quebrado depends on context

Quebrado describes broken objects (o telefone está quebrado — “the phone is broken”). About a person, estou quebrado can colloquially mean “I’m broke” (without money) or “I’m exhausted”, depending on context. For “I’m hurt”, say estou machucado / machucada instead.

In an emergency in Brazil, save these numbers: 190 reaches the police (Polícia Militar); 192 reaches SAMU, the urgent medical service that provides guidance and sends ambulances when needed; 193 reaches the fire brigade (Corpo de Bombeiros), which also handles rescues. Emergency calls are free. Running out of prepaid credit does not remove access to emergency calling during service suspension; an available telephone connection is still needed. Save the numbers before you need them.

Sources: Anatel — emergency numbers, Ministry of Health — SAMU 192, Anatel — service suspension, Paraná Security Secretariat — 193 and rescues