How to Ask Questions in Brazilian Portuguese: A Beginner’s Guide
Use a question word or a rising voice to ask practical questions without rearranging every sentence the way you would in English.
Real Life Portuguese · 7 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
Brazilian Portuguese questions often begin with a question word that tells the listener what information you need. Start with onde (where), quando (when), quem (who), o que (what), por que (why), and quanto or quantos/quantas (how much or how many). Keep one complete example with each word to remember the pattern.
Learn the question words you will use most
Notice that quanto changes to agree when it describes a countable noun: “quantos dias?” (how many days?) and “quantas pessoas?” (how many people?). In “quanto custa?” (how much does it cost?), quanto is used in a common fixed question about price.
Onde fica a estação?
Where is the station?
Quando começa a aula?
When does the class start?
Quantas pessoas vêm?
How many people are coming?
Por que você está estudando português?
Why are you studying Portuguese?
Form many yes-or-no questions without English-style inversion
In many everyday questions, you can keep the same basic subject-and-verb order as a statement and make the sentence a question through intonation and context. “Você mora aqui” can be a statement (“You live here”); with question intonation, “Você mora aqui?” asks “Do you live here?”
You do not need to insert a separate word that translates English “do” in this pattern. Use punctuation in writing, and let your voice rise naturally when asking a real person. Portuguese word order can change for emphasis, but this simple structure is a useful place to begin.
Você aceita cartão?
Do you take cards?
A gente vai de metrô?
Are we going by subway?
Ela trabalha hoje?
Is she working today?
Make a question polite and easy to answer
A short question is often enough, but a polite phrase can make a request feel more considerate. Add por favor (please), excuse yourself with com licença when you need to get someone’s attention, and give the other person time to respond. You can also ask for clarification if you catch only part of the answer.
Try replacing one detail in a familiar question frame. In “Onde fica o banheiro?” (Where is the bathroom?), you can replace o banheiro with o metrô, a saída, or a farmácia. Practicing the frame makes it easier to ask a useful question when the exact situation changes.
Com licença, onde fica a farmácia?
Excuse me, where is the pharmacy?
Você pode repetir, por favor?
Could you repeat that, please?
A que horas o ônibus chega?
What time does the bus arrive?
Put it into practice
Choose one question word and one yes-or-no question about your day. Say each aloud, then change the place, time, or person in the sentence. Follow this guide with practical travel and conversation articles on I Speak Portuguese and native-audio questions in Real Life Portuguese.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “Do you take cards”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
Build on this guide with everyday expressions and native Brazilian audio. Choose iPhone, Android, or the web app.