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Portuguese 300 most common word vocabulary: 300 words

The 300 most common everyday words, ranked by real-world usage — the fastest route to understanding most of what you hear (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese). This page lists 40 of them with their Portuguese translations, then lets you practise the full set in either direction with spaced repetition.

English to Portuguese: the first 40 words

EnglishPortugueseNotes
likegostarTo find something pleasant or attractive, not to be similar.
timetempoThe ongoing passage of moments, measured in hours, days and years.
newnovoRecently made or just come into existence, not old.
peoplegenteHuman beings in general, thought of as a group of individuals.
goodbomOf high quality or morally right; the opposite of bad.
firstprimeiroComing before all others in order or sequence.
knowsaberTo have knowledge or be acquainted with; not to learn for the first time.
seeverTo perceive something with your eyes.
makefazerTo bring something into existence by shaping or assembling it.
thinkpensarTo form ideas in your mind or hold an opinion.
wantquererTo wish for something or desire to have it.
waymaneiraA method or manner of doing something. Not a road or path.
needprecisarTo require something because you cannot manage without it.
rightcorretoCorrect or accurate, not a direction or legal entitlement.
worktrabalhoEffort done as a job or task, often to earn money.
yearanoA period of twelve months.
daydiaA period of twenty-four hours, or the hours when it is light.
taketomarTo get hold of something with your hands and carry it away.
manymuitosA large number of things or persons.
lifevidaThe state of being alive, or the span between birth and death.
saydizerTo express something in words aloud.
worldmundoThe earth and everyone living on it.
greatgrandeVery large in size or importance; remarkable.
lastúltimoMost recent or final in a series, not to continue or endure.
bestmelhorOf the highest quality, surpassing all others.
loveamarDeep affection or attachment, not mild preference.
manhomemAn adult male human.
homecasaWhere you live and feel belonging; not just a building.
longlongoMeasuring a lot from one end to the other, or lasting many hours.
lookolharTo direct your gaze, not appearance or expression.
useusarTo employ an object or means for some purpose.
partparteA piece or section of a larger whole.
stateestadoA condition or situation, not a region or to say aloud.
threetrêsThe count that follows two.
bettermelhorOf higher quality or more desirable than something else.
findencontrarTo come upon or locate something you were looking for.
helpajudarTo do something that makes another person's task or trouble easier.
highaltoReaching far up from the ground or set well above it.
littlepequenoOf small size or amount.
oldvelhoHaving existed or lived for a long time. Not new.

260 more words in the full “300 Most Common Words” library, each aligned across seven languages and scheduled for you by spaced repetition. Add it to your account and start drilling English to Portuguese in one click.

What to watch out for in Portuguese

  • 52 of these 300 words are near-identical in English and Portuguese (17%) — real, base, local. Those are free; the value of drilling is in the rest.
  • Accents count. Answers are graded accent-sensitively, so you need á â ã à ç é ê í ó — LinguaSwap shows a one-tap keypad for them while you type.
  • 300 words carry a usage note in the full library, for the cases where a direct translation would mislead you.

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