Portuguese · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 2 of 12

Numbers and prices

Números e preços

Count from 0 to 100 in Portuguese, ask how much something costs, understand prices in reais and give a phone number.

10 lines, with a translation of each

In this chapter you'll learn to

Count from 0 to 100
Ask simple questions, such as the price, and understand the answer
Say prices in reais and centavos
Give a phone number

Listen

On Sunday morning, Lucas is at the craft fair in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro. He stops at a stall with T-shirts and keyrings. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.

Speed:

Hide translations (test yourself)

Lucas
Bom dia. Quanto custa a camiseta?
Good morning. How much is the T-shirt?
Seller
Sessenta reais.
Sixty reais.
Lucas
Hum… É um pouco cara.
Hmm… It's a bit expensive.
Seller
Cinquenta e cinco, tá bom?
Fifty-five, OK?
Lucas
Tá bom. E o chaveiro, quanto é?
OK. And the keyring, how much is it?
Seller
O chaveiro é barato: doze reais.
The keyring is cheap: twelve reais.
Lucas
Aqui está: setenta reais.
Here you are: seventy reais.
Seller
São sessenta e sete. Aqui está o troco: três reais.
That's sixty-seven. Here's your change: three reais.
Lucas
Obrigado. Tchau.
Thanks. Bye.
Seller
De nada. Tchau.
You're welcome. Bye.

Understand

Numbers from 0 to 100

Every Portuguese noun is masculine or feminine (more in chapter 3): , are masculine, is feminine. (one) and (two) change with the noun: but , but , also in , . The other numbers up to 100 never change. Describing words change too: , .

From 21, join the tens and the units with (and): (21), (35), (67). 16, 17 and 19 are written as one word: , , (Portugal spells them , , ).

Number	Portuguese	Number
0		11
1	/	12
2	/	13
3		14
4		15
5		16
6		17
7		18
8		19
9		20
10		30
40		50
60		70
80		90
100		21

Prices and phone numbers

To ask the price, say or (How much is it?). The Brazilian currency is the , plural , written R$. One has 100 .

Prices are written with a comma: R$ 15,90. Say or, in full, .

Phone numbers are usually said digit by digit. For 6, people say (short for , half a dozen) so it isn't confused with : 9 6 3 2 is .

Quanto custa a camiseta?How much is the T-shirt?
Um real e cinquenta.One real fifty (R$ 1,50).
Vinte e dois reais e noventa.Twenty-two reais ninety (R$ 22,90).

Two sounds: s and r

A single s between two vowels sounds like “z”: , and the first s in (“deh-zeh-SAYS”). A double ss always sounds like “s”: .

An r at the start of a word, and rr, sound like the English “h” in Rio and São Paulo: sounds like “heh-OW”, like “HEE-oo”.

Asking questions

A yes-or-no question uses the same words as a statement. Only your voice changes: it goes up at the end. (It's expensive.) (Is it expensive?) There is no extra word like English “do”: (Are you from Salvador?)

Question words go at the start: (how much), (where), (where from), (how), (who), (what). In speech Brazilians often add after the question word. It doesn't change the meaning: means the same as

É barato?Is it cheap?
Quanto custa a camiseta?How much is the T-shirt?
De onde é que você é?Where are you from?

More in the grammar: Articles and contractions: o, a, no, do, pelo · Nouns and adjectives: gender and plural · Numbers · Questions and negation · The alphabet and pronunciation

New words

Quanto custa?How much does it cost?
a camisetaT-shirt · feminine
o realreal (Brazilian currency) · masculine; plural:
o centavocent · masculine; 100 = 1
caro / caraexpensive
um poucoa bit, a little
tá bomOK, all right · informal, very common
o chaveirokeyring · masculine
Quanto é?How much is it?
barato / baratacheap
aqui estáhere you are, here it is
o trocochange (money you get back) · masculine
de nadayou're welcome
sim / nãoyes / no

Practise

1.The seller says . How much is it?
2.Write the number 16 in words.
reais.
Sixteen reais.
3.Complete: “two T-shirts”. is feminine.
camisetas
two T-shirts
4.Put the words in order to ask the price.
Tap the words below in the right order.
How much is the keyring?
5.You give your phone number: 9 8 6 1. How do Brazilians usually say it?
6.Match the numbers.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.

0 of 6 exercises done.

Say it out loud

Quanto custa?

How much is it?

Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.

Check

Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.

1.How do you say 35?
2.How do you read R$ 12,50?
3.You want to ask “Is it cheap?”. What do you say?
4.Someone gives you a phone number: . Which digits are they?
5.Which is correct?

0 of 5 answered.